Nausea and Vomiting

Nausea is an uneasy or unsettled feeling in the stomach together with an urge to vomit. Nausea and vomiting, or throwing up, are not diseases. They can be symptoms of many different conditions. These include morning sickness during pregnancy, infections, migraine headaches, motion sickness, food poisoning, cancer chemotherapy or other medicines.

For vomiting in children and adults, avoid solid foods until vomiting has stopped for at least six hours. Then work back to a normal diet. Drink small amounts of clear liquids to avoid dehydration.

Nausea and vomiting are common. Usually, they are not serious. You should see a doctor immediately if you suspect poisoning or if you have

Vomited for longer than 24 hours
Blood in the vomit
Severe abdominal pain
Headache and stiff neck
Signs of dehydration, such as dry mouth, infrequent urination or dark urine

Postoperative Nausea And Vomiting on Wikipedia

Postoperative nausea and vomiting is an unpleasant complication affecting about a third of the 10% of the population undergoing general anaesthesia each year. This equates to about two million people in the United Kingdom annually.

Impact

Although it is very rarely fatal, nausea and vomiting can be extremely distressing for patients. In some patients, for example those with wired jaws after maxillofacial surgery, vomiting can be dangerous. About 1% of patients with planned day surgery require overnight admission because of uncontrolled postoperative nausea and vomiting.

Management

Because no currently available antiemetic is a gold standard good enough for use on its own, and successful control is often elusive, experts recommend a multimodal approach. Anaesthetic strategies to prevent vomiting include using regional anaesthesia wherever possible and avoiding emetogenic drugs. Pharmacological treatment and prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting is limited by both cost and the adverse effects of drugs. Patients with risk factors probably warrant prophylaxis, whereas a "wait and see" strategy is appropriate for those without risk factors.

Pharmacology

The introduction of the Serotonin₃ receptor antagonist, ondansetron, in the early 1990s was a significant breakthrough. Despite the many studies, however, the evidence base to support rational antiemetic treatment remains patchy. Recent research has led to better understanding of some older drugs and has demonstrated that combinations of drugs are often useful. While the efficacy of droperidol is now clear, metoclopramide, a popular antiemetic for decades, has been found to have no worthwhile efficacy. Some older drugs, such as haloperidol and hyoscine remain inadequately studied. Emetogenic drugs commonly used in anaesthesia include nitrous oxide, physostigmine and opioids. The intravenous anaesthetic propofol is ... [ Read More ]

External Resources

MorningWell - Offering a drug-free remedy for nausea and vomiting. Includes information regarding a product study done by National Health Service.

Relief Band - A drug-free remedy for nausea and vomiting due to pregnancy morning sickness, which is worn like a bracelet for continuous relief.

Morning Sickness Help - Offering "Preggie Pops", to alleviate pregnancy symptoms. Also providing information, support, and remedies for nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy.

Duchesnay Inc. - Distributor of products for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, morning sickness.

CancerNausea.com - Presents information to help manage nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy or radiation treatments.

Manage CINV - Offers patients and professionals information about chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting - A detailed review of this subject in pdf format aimed at the professional level.

NeuroGastroenterology and Gastrointestinal Motility - Promotes research, education and care of visceral dysfunctions, such as : nausea, vomiting, constipation, and diarrhea in patients with nervous system alterations.

eMedicine: Chronic Gastritis - Review a physician's report on the symptoms, such as stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, and weight loss. Learn the causes including gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), infection, diet, and alcohol abuse.

Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome - CVS is an uncommon, unexplained disorder of children and some adults that is characterized by recurrent, prolonged episodes of severe nausea, vomiting and prostration with no apparent cause.