Overview
Vomiting happens when the body forcefully expels stomach contents through the mouth. It often comes with nausea, but not always. Vomiting can start suddenly or develop over time, and it may be caused by minor illnesses or by more serious medical problems.
Key Symptoms
Vomiting may happen once or many times. It can occur with nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea, fever, headache, dizziness, or signs of dehydration such as dry mouth, thirst, dark urine, or urinating less often. Some people also feel weak or cannot keep food and fluids down.
Causes and Risk Factors
Common causes include viral stomach infections, food poisoning, motion sickness, pregnancy, migraine, anxiety, alcohol, and side effects from medicines. Vomiting can also happen with ulcers, gallbladder problems, bowel blockage, head injury, severe pain, or conditions affecting the brain or inner ear. Risk may be higher after exposure to contaminated food or water, during travel, or when taking medicines that irritate the stomach.
Who Is Affected
Vomiting can affect people of any age. Children often vomit with viral infections, while adults may have vomiting from infections, pregnancy, migraine, alcohol, or medicines. People at higher risk of complications include infants, pregnant people, older adults, and anyone with long-term illness or limited access to fluids.
Prevention
Prevention depends on the cause. Handwashing, safer food handling, clean drinking water, and avoiding spoiled food can lower the risk of stomach infections and food poisoning. For motion sickness or medicine-related vomiting, a healthcare professional may suggest ways to reduce triggers or adjust treatment.
Diagnosis and Tests
A healthcare professional may ask when vomiting started, how often it happens, what the vomit looks like, and whether there are other symptoms such as fever, diarrhea, pain, or headache. They may review medicines, recent travel, food exposure, pregnancy possibility, and medical history. Some people need tests such as blood tests, urine tests, pregnancy testing, stool tests, or imaging, depending on the suspected cause.
Treatment Categories
Treatment focuses on the cause and on preventing dehydration. This may include rest, small frequent sips of fluids if tolerated, and medical care for infections, pregnancy-related vomiting, migraine, medication side effects, or other underlying conditions. Severe vomiting may require care in a clinic or hospital, especially if a person cannot keep fluids down.
Diet and Lifestyle
After vomiting, many people tolerate small amounts of clear fluids better than large drinks. It may help to avoid alcohol, large meals, greasy foods, and strong odors until symptoms improve. If vomiting continues or fluids cannot be kept down, medical advice is important.
When to Seek Medical Care
Seek medical care if vomiting lasts more than a day in adults, happens repeatedly, or makes it hard to drink enough fluids. Also seek care for signs of dehydration, ongoing fever, worsening pain, vomiting during pregnancy that limits eating or drinking, or if vomiting may be linked to a new medicine or poison exposure. Infants and young children may need care sooner because dehydration can develop quickly.
When It May Be an Emergency
Get urgent medical help for vomit with blood or material that looks like coffee grounds, severe chest pain, trouble breathing, severe or constant belly pain, a swollen belly, confusion, fainting, seizures, stiff neck, severe headache, head injury, or signs of severe dehydration. Emergency care is also important if a baby is hard to wake, has very few wet diapers, or if there is concern about poisoning or bowel blockage.