How to Stop Throwing Up When You're Sick

Let Your Stomach Rest

When you are treating vomiting due to a stomach bug, or gastroenteritis, the first step is to let your stomach rest. After you stop throwing up, don't try to eat or drink anything for 15 to 20 minutes so you can allow your stomach time to recover.

Giving the muscles in your stomach time to rest will lower the chances that you will vomit once you start eating and drinking again.

Drink Fluids Before Trying Food

If you have not vomited again while you let your stomach rest, try to take small sips of liquid every five to 10 minutes.

The best fluids to try include:

• Water
• Sports drinks (such as Gatorade)
• Electrolyte drinks (such as Pedialyte) for children

Drinks such as sodas and milk should be avoided until you are able to begin eating your normal diet.

If you are caring for a small child who is sick, be careful not to let them drink a lot of fluid all at once. It may be easier to keep an eye on those amounts by using a syringe or a spoon to give liquid, rather than a cup or baby bottle.

If vomiting begins again after you started fluids, go back to Step 1. If you or your child can keep down small sips of fluid, slowly drink more with each sip.

Start on the BRAT Diet

If you or your child is able to handle clear liquids without throwing up, you may be ready to start eating. Don't do this too quickly, though. Be sure you are able to keep fluids down for eight to 12 hours before trying to eat.

If you feel like you can eat something by then, start with bland, starchy foods. Foods that are heavy, fat, or acidic—think tomatoes or oranges—should be avoided until you are better.

The BRAT diet suggests bland foods that are easy to digest when you have a stomach bug. Bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast are not the only foods that you can eat, but they are good examples so you will know where to start.

If you start throwing up again after you try these foods, go back to Step 1.

Start a Normal Diet

If you are able to keep both clear liquids and bland foods (BRAT diet) down, you may be ready to move toward your normal diet. It will likely be a day or two after you have stopped throwing up before you fully return to it, though.

Once you decide you can eat again, take it slowly even if you feel better. If you start to feel sick after eating but do not vomit again, go back to the BRAT diet. If you do start throwing up again, go back to Step 1 and call your healthcare provider.

Treat Vomiting With Medications

Sometimes, even when you do all the right things, the vomiting just won't stop. When this happens, you may need help to control it.

There are prescription drugs that can help control vomiting. Depending on the case, a healthcare provider may decide that one of them will help you feel better. They may be used to keep you hydrated or replace the fluids you've already lost.

• Phenergan (promethazine) is an antihistamine that can also be used to control nausea and vomiting. It is not usually used in children.
• Zofran (ondansetron) was first used to treat severe nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy. It has fewer side effects than Phenergan and is often used to treat vomiting from other illnesses as well.

Some over-the-counter (OTC) medications, like Pepto-Bismol, are sold to treat "upset stomach." They coat the lining of the stomach but don't really keep you from throwing up if you have a stomach virus.

They also may contain bismuth subsalicylate and should never be given to children under the age of 12. If someone is under the age of 18 and recently had the flu or chickenpox, they should not take them either because of a chance of Reye's syndrome.