symptomatic treatment may occur while the underlying illness is being investigated because ideally nausea and vomiting should resolve when the cause of the symptoms resolves. nausea and vomiting are often made worse when the patient is dehydrated resulting in a vicious cycle. the nausea makes it difficult to drink fluid making the dehydration worse which then increases the nausea. intravenous fluids may be provided to correct this issue. there are a variety of antinausea medications (antiemetics) that may be prescribed. they can be administered in different ways depending upon the patient's ability to take them. medications are available by pill liquid or tablets that dissolve on or under the tongue by intravenous or intramuscular injection or by rectal suppository. common medications used to control nausea and vomiting include promethazine (phenergan) prochlorperazine (compazine) droperidol (inapsine) metoclopramide (reglan) and ondansetron (zofran). the decision as to which medication to use will depend on the specific situation.
how is nausea or vomiting treated?