When you have nausea and vomiting

Other tips that may help:

How to Throw Up: 10 Tips to Vomit Safely (& When)

To throw up, there are several steps like adequate hand hygiene and drinking water afterwards that can help to prevent discomfort and complications. Vomiting is a natural reflex that the body uses to eliminate spoiled food or toxic substances in the stomach. The body will automatically stimulate the vomiting reflex when necessary.

If you have ingested a poisonous substance and an irritating liquid, like clearing products, you should not attempt to throw up, as the liquid will have to reenter the throat, causing more damage. In these situations, you should proceed immediately to the hospital to start appropriate treatment.

You should only throw up if recommended by a doctor, or if you are experiencing very intense symptoms after eating that do not improve with other remedies. If you are experiencing nausea and are looking for relief, you can check out these natural tea recipes for nausea that can help to soothe stomach discomfort and burning.

5 essential steps to vomit safely

To vomit safely and to prevent discomfort or serious complications, you should:

1. Wash your hands thoroughly

Washing your hands is very important to prevent transmitting bacteria and other microorganisms from your hands to your throat, which can cause infections like tonsillitis. Before making yourself throw up, perform thorough hand hygiene with warm, soap

2. Kneel in front of the toilet

Kneeling in front of the toilet is one of the most comfortable and safest positions to vomit in. You should avoid putting pressure on the stomach, as this can cause more discomfort.

3. Place a finger in your throat

There is a point at the front of your throat that can be squeezed to stimulate the vomiting reflex. To reach it, you should place a finger in your mouth, and slightly press down on the area behind the tongue, where your throat starts. The desire to vomit will appear almost immediately, although some people will need to do this 2 to 3 times to be able to vomit, as the brain may try to block the signal the first few times.

4. Drink 1 cup of water

After vomiting, it is important to drink a cup of water to remove any excess stomach acid that remains along the stomach walls. This can reduce any stomach burning and inflammation from acid.

5. Wait 30 minutes before washing your teeth

Although you may feel the desire to brush your teeth immediately after vomiting, it is best to just rinse and gargle with water. The teeth will be quite sensitive after coming in contact with stomach acid, and brushing your teeth may worsen this. Therefore, you should wait about 30 minutes after vomiting to brush your teeth.

5 safe ways to make yourself throw up

Making yourself vomit with Ipecac or any of the below methods is not advised for the treatment of suspected chemical poisoning at home. However, if intense gastric symptoms, like intolerable nausea with cold sweats, emerge immediately after eating a meal, you can seek relief by:

1. Using a finger

The gag reflex is an automatic contraction of the back of the throat that serves to protect you from inhaling foreign bodies or food that didn’t from enter the stomach. This reflex can be triggered by poking the back of the throat or tongue, or the tonsil, area with a finger, toothbrush or tongue scraper. The contraction often induces stomach content from rising back up into the mouth.

2. Intense gargling

Instead of touching or poking the back of your throat with a finger or other instrument to stimulate a gag reflux, it can also be triggered by gargling (with water, for example). Gargling should be intense enough to induce gagging and retching, which is a forceful contraction of the stomach, so that stomach content will flow back up.

3. Motion sickness

Motion sickness is the feeling of malaise that follows after the brain is overloaded with sensory information. That is, when your eyes see an image, your muscles feel they are going in the opposite direction and your ears sense a change in balance, the brain is not able to compute these movements, which often results in nausea and vomiting. You can induce motion sickness by spinning in a circle or computer chair, making sure to do so in a safe area.

4. Mental imagery

Some people may have a heightened sensitivity to certain sensory stimuli that may provoke vomiting. These stimuli can include auditory elements (e.g. hearing someone vomit), smells (like imagining the smell of vomit or other strong chemicals like bleach), and thinking about tasting of unappealing food.

5. Sodium solutions

Although they are no longer recommended, salt-water mixtures are thought to upset the stomach, cause contraction and induce vomiting. It is also important to highlight that sodium solutions are associated with a risk of hypernatremia, which is a salt toxicity that can be life-threatening when sodium levels in the blood are severely elevated.

Possible risks of throwing up

One of the biggest risks of inducing vomiting is the possibility of causing a pneumonia. This happens because when you vomit, stomach content returns to the mouth, and when it flows back up, it can be aspirated into the lungs. If this occurs, the lungs will usually become inflamed and bacteria in the food can start to grow in the lungs, leading to pneumonia.

Frequent vomiting can cause wounds in the esophagus and mouth, as these are lined with very sensitive tissue that are not made to be in direct contact with gastric acid.

What can cause vomiting

Although the desire to throw up is a common symptom, there are specific situations in which vomiting can be a sign of an abnormality. Some of these include:

• Serious abdominal problems, like appendicitis or bowel obstruction
• Problems in the digestive system, like food poisoning or ulcers
• Problems in the nervous system, like meningitis, hydrocephalus or tumors
• Pregnancy, especially after the 6th week
• Use of medications, like digoxin, codeine and chemotherapy drugs

There are many situations in which inducing vomiting is not associated with significant risks. However if you feel the desire to vomit frequently and it does not improve, or if you have other symptoms like blood in the vomit or a foul odor, you should proceed to the hospital for assessment.

Read more about the most common causes of nausea and why you may feel discomfort. Understanding the underlying cause can help to guide the appropriate treatment.

When you should not make yourself throw up

You should never throw up to remove recently ingested food, just because you feel you ate too much. If you feel the desire to vomit for weight loss reasons, you may be experiencing bulimia. This is an eating disorder which is characterized by the desire to vomit out of fear of weight gain.

In addition, if you have accidentally consumed a poisonous substance or cleaning product, you should not try to vomit, as you may increase the risk for esophageal burns.

When you have nausea and vomiting

Having nausea (being sick to your stomach) and vomiting (throwing up) can be very difficult to go through.

Use the information below to help you manage nausea and vomiting. Also follow any instructions from your health care provider.

Symptoms and Causes

Causes of nausea and vomiting may include any of the following:

• Stomach or intestinal illness
• Pregnancy (morning sickness)
• Medical treatment, such as a cancer treatment or other medicines
• Emotions such as severe worry or stress
• Drugs such as marijuana and opioids

When you have nausea you do not want to eat. This can lead to unhealthy weight loss. Vomiting can make you dehydrated (dried out), which can be dangerous. Once you and your provider find the cause of your nausea or vomiting, you may be asked to take medicine, change your diet, or try other things to make you feel better.

How to Treat Nausea and Vomiting

Sit quietly when you feel nauseated. Sometimes moving around can make nausea worse.

To make sure your body has enough fluids try to drink 8 to 10 cups (2 to 2.5 liters) of clear liquids every day. Water is best. You can also sip fruit juices and flat soda (leave the can or bottle open to get rid of the bubbles). Try sports drinks to replace minerals and other nutrients you may be losing when you throw up.

Try to eat 6 to 8 small meals throughout the day, instead of 3 big meals:

• Eat bland foods. Examples are crackers, English muffins, toast, baked chicken and fish, potatoes, noodles, and rice.
• Eat foods with a lot of water in them. Try clear soups, popsicles, and Jell-O.
• If you have a bad taste in your mouth, try rinsing with a solution of baking soda, salt, and warm water before you eat. Use 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon (4.5 grams) salt, and 4 cups (1 liter) warm water. Spit out after rinsing.
• Sit up after you eat. Do not lie down.
• Find a quiet, pleasant place to eat, free of odors and distractions.

Other tips that may help:

• Suck on hard candies or rinse your mouth with water after vomiting. Or you can rinse with the baking soda and salt solution above.
• Try to get outside for some fresh air.
• Watch a movie or TV to take your mind away from your nausea.

Your provider may also recommend medicine:

• Anti-nausea medicines usually start working 30 to 60 minutes after you take them.
• When you come home after being treated with cancer medicines, you may want to use these anti-nausea medicines regularly for 1 or more days. Use them when nausea first starts. Do not wait until you feel very sick to your stomach.

If you are vomiting after taking any of your medicines, tell your provider or nurse.

Things You Should Avoid

You should avoid some specific kinds of foods when you have nausea and vomiting:

• Avoid greasy and processed foods, and foods that contain a lot of salt. Some of these are white breads, pastries, doughnuts, sausage, fast-food burgers, fried foods, chips, and many canned foods.
• Avoid foods with strong smells.
• Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and carbonated drinks.
• Avoid very spicy foods.
• Dairy products may add to gassy feeling and diarrhea

When to Call the Doctor

Contact your provider if you or your child:

• Cannot keep any food or liquid down
• Vomit three or more times in one day
• Have nausea for more than 48 hours
• Feel weakness
• Have fever
• Have stomach pain
• Have not urinated for 8 hours or more

Alternative Names

Nausea – self-care; Vomiting – self-care

References

Bonthala N, Wong MS. Gastrointestinal diseases in pregnancy. In: Landon MB, Galan HL, Jauniaux ERM, et al, eds. Gabbe’s Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 53.

Hainsworth JD. Nausea and vomiting. In: Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Kastan MB, Doroshow JH, Tepper JE, eds. Abeloff’s Clinical Oncology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 39.

Rengarajan A, Gyawali CP. Nausea and vomiting. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. Sleisenger and Fordtran’s Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 15.

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Review Date 7/21/2022

Updated by: Frank D. Brodkey, MD, FCCM, Associate Professor, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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Related MedlinePlus Health Topics

• Gastroenteritis
• Nausea and Vomiting

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06/01/2025

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