Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentWhen to Seek CarePrevention Tips
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
When to Seek Care
Prevention Tips
Nausea is often self-limiting and will resolve on its own without treatment. However, there are over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription drugs calledantiemeticsthat specifically treat nausea as well as natural remedies and dietary strategies that also help.
This article describes the causes and treatment of nausea. It also offers simple tips for relieving and preventing this all-too-common, unpleasant symptom.
Hugo Lin / Verywell
What Nausea Feels Like
Although nausea is not painful, it can be debilitating if it is severe or persistent. Depending on the underlying cause, you may also experience:
Top 18 Ways to Get Rid of Nausea
What Causes Nausea?
Activation of the dorsal brainstem can causegastric dysrhythmiain which muscles of the stomach move erratically and reverse the propulsion of the stomach contents toward the mouth. This, in turn, triggers nausea and possibly vomiting.
The abnormal activation of the dorsal brainstem involves one of four systems:
In terms of anatomy, the causes of nausea can be broadly categorized as those that occur inside the abdomen (intra-abdominal) and those that occur outside of the abdomen (extra-abdominal).
Intra-abdominal Causes of Nausea
Problems in the gastrointestinal (digestive) tract account for the majority of nausea or vomiting episodes. This includes an almost encyclopedia array of conditions, such as:
Extra-abdominal Causes of Nausea
These involve conditions that activate the dorsal brainstem either directly or indirectly via organs outside the abdomen. Some of the more common causes include:
Causes of Nausea and Vomiting
Diagnosing Causes of Nausea
The diagnosis of nausea is dependent on its cause. Reporting any other symptoms and providing a complete medical history to your healthcare provider is essential to achieving a valid diagnosis.
In addition to a physical exam, your healthcare provider may order blood or other laboratory and imaging tests.
How to Get Rid of Nausea
Nausea will often subside once the underlying condition is resolved. In severe or chronic cases, nausea can be managed with prescription drugs, OTC medications, changes in diet, and natural remedies.
Antiemetics
Antiemetics are prescription and OTC drugs used specifically to relieve nausea. Different medications are prescribed based on the underlying cause.
These include OTC antihistamines andanticholinergic drugsthat are useful in treating motion sickness, stomach flu, and morning sickness, such as:
Which Nausea Medication Works Best?
Changes in Diet
Until your stomach settles, it helps to modify your food intake to a bland or soft diet. Recommended foods on this diet are easier to digest, less acidic, and lower in fiber. It is designed to give your digestive organs a rest.
The bland diet avoids fried and other fatty foods, spices, nuts and seeds, acidic fruits, whole grains, raw fruits and vegetables, and beans and vegetables that cause gas. Alcohol and carbonated drinks (which also cause gas) are also excluded.
A bland diet is based on cooked food. It includes but is not limited to broth, bland vegetables (carrot, beets, spinach), eggs, and lean meat and fish.
What to Eat on a Bland Diet
Natural Remedies
Gingeris an ancient Chinese herb used for digestive disorders for centuries. Studies have shown that ginger relieves nausea during pregnancy.
Both spearmint andpeppermintessential oils were shown to reduce chemotherapy-induced nausea in cancer patients.Peppermint aromatherapy was also shown to be effective in relieving nausea in women after undergoing a C-section.
A 2015 review of 23 randomized controlled trials reported that patients on chemotherapy who receivedcannabis-based medicinesexperienced less nausea than those who received a placebo (sham drug).
Natural Remedies for Nausea
When to See a Healthcare Provider
For nausea lasting for more than one week unrelated to the above conditions, you should consult a healthcare provider.
How Long Does Nausea Last?
In many situations, nausea is a temporary symptom. For example, nausea from food poisoning will resolve fairly quickly once the toxins are passed. Similarly, post-surgical nausea typically resolves once the anesthesia is cleared from the body.
If you suffer from motion sickness, it will be relieved once the motion is ended. As pregnancy progresses, nausea will also decrease.
Speak with your healthcare provider about the medications you are taking, as they may be responsible for nausea.
When nausea is associated with a serious disease, it may take some time for the symptoms to be resolved. Your healthcare provider may prescribe antiemetic medications to help you better cope and function until the underlying condition is fully resolved.
How to Prevent Nausea
Nausea can’t always be prevented, but if you are prone to nausea or feel nausea symptoms coming on, there are things you can do that may help:
Summary
Nausea is often self-limiting but can be treated with antiemetic drugs, a bland diet, or natural remedies like ginger, peppermint, or cannabis.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Singh P, Yoon SS, Kuo B.Nausea: a review of pathophysiology and therapeutics.Therap Adv Gastroenterol.2016 Jan;9(1):98–112. doi:10.1177/1756283X15618131MedlinePlus.Bland diet.Boltman-Binkowski H.A systematic review: Are herbal and homeopathic remedies used during pregnancy safe?Curationis. 2016;39:1514. doi:10.4102/curations.v39/1.1514Tayarani-Najaran Z’ Talasaz-Firoozi E, Nasiri R, Jalali N, Hassanzadeh MK.Antiemetic activity of volatile oil fromMentha spicataandMentha× piperita in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.Ecancermedicalscience. 2013;7:290. doi:10.3332/ecancer.2013.290Lane B, Cannella K, Bowen C, Copelan D, Nteff G, Barnes K, Poudevigne M, Lawson J.Examination of the effectiveness of peppermint aromatherapy on nausea in women post C-section.J Holist Nurs. 2012;30(2):90-104;quiz105-6. doi:10.1177/0898010111423419Smith LA, Azariah F, Lavender VT, Stoner NS, Bettiol S.Cannabinoids for nausea and vomiting in adults with cancer receiving chemotherapy.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;2015(11):CD009464. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009464.pub2
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Singh P, Yoon SS, Kuo B.Nausea: a review of pathophysiology and therapeutics.Therap Adv Gastroenterol.2016 Jan;9(1):98–112. doi:10.1177/1756283X15618131MedlinePlus.Bland diet.Boltman-Binkowski H.A systematic review: Are herbal and homeopathic remedies used during pregnancy safe?Curationis. 2016;39:1514. doi:10.4102/curations.v39/1.1514Tayarani-Najaran Z’ Talasaz-Firoozi E, Nasiri R, Jalali N, Hassanzadeh MK.Antiemetic activity of volatile oil fromMentha spicataandMentha× piperita in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.Ecancermedicalscience. 2013;7:290. doi:10.3332/ecancer.2013.290Lane B, Cannella K, Bowen C, Copelan D, Nteff G, Barnes K, Poudevigne M, Lawson J.Examination of the effectiveness of peppermint aromatherapy on nausea in women post C-section.J Holist Nurs. 2012;30(2):90-104;quiz105-6. doi:10.1177/0898010111423419Smith LA, Azariah F, Lavender VT, Stoner NS, Bettiol S.Cannabinoids for nausea and vomiting in adults with cancer receiving chemotherapy.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;2015(11):CD009464. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009464.pub2
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Singh P, Yoon SS, Kuo B.Nausea: a review of pathophysiology and therapeutics.Therap Adv Gastroenterol.2016 Jan;9(1):98–112. doi:10.1177/1756283X15618131MedlinePlus.Bland diet.Boltman-Binkowski H.A systematic review: Are herbal and homeopathic remedies used during pregnancy safe?Curationis. 2016;39:1514. doi:10.4102/curations.v39/1.1514Tayarani-Najaran Z’ Talasaz-Firoozi E, Nasiri R, Jalali N, Hassanzadeh MK.Antiemetic activity of volatile oil fromMentha spicataandMentha× piperita in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.Ecancermedicalscience. 2013;7:290. doi:10.3332/ecancer.2013.290Lane B, Cannella K, Bowen C, Copelan D, Nteff G, Barnes K, Poudevigne M, Lawson J.Examination of the effectiveness of peppermint aromatherapy on nausea in women post C-section.J Holist Nurs. 2012;30(2):90-104;quiz105-6. doi:10.1177/0898010111423419Smith LA, Azariah F, Lavender VT, Stoner NS, Bettiol S.Cannabinoids for nausea and vomiting in adults with cancer receiving chemotherapy.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;2015(11):CD009464. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009464.pub2
Singh P, Yoon SS, Kuo B.Nausea: a review of pathophysiology and therapeutics.Therap Adv Gastroenterol.2016 Jan;9(1):98–112. doi:10.1177/1756283X15618131
MedlinePlus.Bland diet.
Boltman-Binkowski H.A systematic review: Are herbal and homeopathic remedies used during pregnancy safe?Curationis. 2016;39:1514. doi:10.4102/curations.v39/1.1514
Tayarani-Najaran Z’ Talasaz-Firoozi E, Nasiri R, Jalali N, Hassanzadeh MK.Antiemetic activity of volatile oil fromMentha spicataandMentha× piperita in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.Ecancermedicalscience. 2013;7:290. doi:10.3332/ecancer.2013.290
Lane B, Cannella K, Bowen C, Copelan D, Nteff G, Barnes K, Poudevigne M, Lawson J.Examination of the effectiveness of peppermint aromatherapy on nausea in women post C-section.J Holist Nurs. 2012;30(2):90-104;quiz105-6. doi:10.1177/0898010111423419
Smith LA, Azariah F, Lavender VT, Stoner NS, Bettiol S.Cannabinoids for nausea and vomiting in adults with cancer receiving chemotherapy.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;2015(11):CD009464. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009464.pub2
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