Treatment

When should a doctor be consulted?


The timing of the nausea or vomiting can indicate the cause. When it appears shortly after a meal, nausea or vomiting may indicate a mental disorder or a peptic ulcer. Nausea or vomiting one to eight hours after a meal may indicate food poisoning. Foodborne diseases, such as Salmonella, may take longer to produce symptoms because of the incubation time.


A person who is experiencing nausea should consult a physician if it lasts more than one week, and if there is a possibility of pregnancy. Vomiting usually subsides within 6 to 24 hours, and may be treated at home.


You should see your doctor if home treatment is not working, dehydration is present, or a known injury (such as head injury or infection) is causing the vomiting.






Take your infant or a child under six years old to the doctor if:

• vomiting lasts more than a few hours;
• diarrhea is also present;
• signs of dehydration occur;
• there is a fever higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit; or
• the child hasn't urinated for six hours.
• Take your child over six years old to the doctor if:

• vomiting lasts one day;
• diarrhea combined with vomiting lasts for more than 24 hours;
• there are signs of dehydration;

• there is a fever higher than 102 degrees Fahrenheit; or
• the child hasn't urinated for six hours.

Adults should consult a doctor if vomiting occurs for more than one day, if diarrhea and vomiting last more than 24 hours, and if there are signs of moderate dehydration.

You should see a doctor immediately if the following signs or symptoms occur.

• blood in the vomit ("coffee grounds" appearance)
• severe headache or stiff neck
• lethargy
• confusion
• decreased alertness
• severe abdominal pain
• vomiting with fever over 101 degrees Fahrenheit
• vomiting and diarrhea are both present
• rapid breathing or pulse

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