Relief from Nausea and Vomiting
Causes and Treatment of these Unpleasant Symptoms
Nausea and vomiting are common and worrying symptoms with a number pf causes. Awareness of causes and treatments can be helpful in preventing unnecessary anxiety.
Almost everyone has suffered from nausea and vomiting at sometime in their lives. Although extremely unpleasant their causes are not generally serious. Once the cause is known, effective relief is often possible.
If vomiting is so severe that fluid and nutrients cannot be kept in the stomach long enough for absorption to take place, then dehydration occurs. This can be serious if not treated quickly. Young children are particularly vulnerable to this.
Physiology of Vomiting
The brain contains a centre that controls the vomiting reflex. This is stimulated by receptors in a number of areas of the body. Signals from the stomach and upper intestine arriving at this centre will cause nausea and possibly trigger vomiting. These signals may be produced by various stimuli: damage to the wall of the stomach or noxious substances in the gastrointestinal tract. These may be poisons, alcohol or toxins from bacteria. A number of drugs can cause nausea and sometimes vomiting – non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the most common of these. The immune response to the presence of disease causing viruses or bacteria in the stomach may also give rise to vomiting.
The vomiting centre also receives signals from the balance apparatus in the inner ear. Therefore ear infections, for example vestibular neuronitis or balance disturbances such as Meniere’s disease may provoke nausea and vomiting. This is also the reason for motion sickness.
The vomiting centre is sensitive to certain changes in the blood. The cause of pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting is unknown. This condition is wrongly called morning sickness – most women that have had this know it doesn’t only occur in the mornings. It’s thought that changes in the levels of estrogen in the blood might be responsible.
Complications of Vomiting
These are not common. Dehydration is the major one. Damage to the esophagus or stomach can occur but rarely. Inhaling vomit is a serious complication which is fortunately rare and is more likely to occur with drug or alcohol misuse.
Treatment of Nausea and Vomiting
Usually reassurance and maintenance of adequate fluid intake is all that is normally necessary. Vomiting will usually stop within 24 hours once the noxious substance, bacteria or viruses have cleared.
Nausea, with or without vomiting, can sometimes be eased with dietary modification: sufferers are advised to eat little and often and avoid fatty foods and alcohol.
Anti-emetic drugs are usually effective; those commonly used are antihistamines, phenotiazines and metoclopramide.
Pregnancy related nausea and vomiting presents a particular problem in that many drugs are prohibited in pregnancy. Antihistamines and vitamin B6 are thought to be effective and safe, however pregnant women should always consult a doctor before taking any medication.
A non-drug treatment is acupuncture or you can try acupressure if you don’t like needles. There is some evidence that this can relieve nausea and vomiting not only in pregnancy but also when it occurs in motion sickness and as a consequence of chemotherapy.
This article is for information only. If you have the above symptoms you should consult a doctor in the first instance.
Reference
Neuropysiology by RHS Carpenter ,2002
