Cures for nausea?

November 22, 2010 11:25 AM

Oh My God, please help me. Any cures for EXTREME hangover related nausea?

I've been vomiting every 15 minutes - every hour since 4 am this morning, it's now 2:30 pm.

I read the threads on hangover cures and they all recommend fluids and food, but I literally can't keep anything down. A cup of gatorade/water, and 10 minutes later I puke it all up and then some. A sip of gatorade/water, and 10 minutes later I puke it up too.

My sister brought home a greasy meal for me and I ate one french fry and, yup, up it came.

I know I really need to replace my fluids/sodium/potassium but I can't keep anything down. Is there ANYTHING that will cure this?

posted by pintapicasso to Health & Fitness (47 answers total)

Doesn't sound like a hangover. See a doctor.
posted by fire&wings at 11:26 AM on November 22, 2010

I have no medical opinion on this. Whenever I get queasy hangovers, I eat a lot of antacids to settle my stomach.
posted by Think_Long at 11:28 AM on November 22, 2010

Anything with real ginger - the crystallized ginger candy you get at Trader Joe's is the bomb for this, but so is any decent brand of ginger ale, or ginger tea (found in the health/natural foods section of most grocery stores. It might come back up the first time, but keep at it, it will help.
posted by deadmessenger at 11:28 AM on November 22, 2010

Eek... sounds like a nasty stomach bug. I'm with fire&wings-- doctor, ASAP.
posted by torisaur at 11:28 AM on November 22, 2010

Is there ANYTHING that will cure this?

Yes. Anti-nausea meds are magic. Go to the ER.
posted by anastasiav at 11:30 AM on November 22, 2010

Sounds more like food poisoning or a virus. Call your doc!
posted by mareli at 11:31 AM on November 22, 2010

I'd tend to agree with fire&wings, but I've had hangovers where I've not been able to do anything other than sleep and/or lie very still until about 4 or 5pm the next day. Normally the first thing that I can eat after all that is oatmeal. Though, if you are just vomiting constantly even if you aren't taking in fluids/food, yes, see a doctor.
posted by two lights above the sea at 11:31 AM on November 22, 2010

Yeah, I'm not entirely sure that sounds like a hangover either. But I tried this stuff the other day, and it worked wonders. I was able to take a nice, long nap about 15 minutes after I took it.
posted by functionequalsform at 11:31 AM on November 22, 2010

Sipping slowly on bayleaf tea is known to calm down nausea. Eating/drinking ginger, too - in whatever form.

But if you can't keep anything down for that many hours it's possible that it's food poisoning. Call your doctor or go to an emergency room - or ride it out. But make sure someone's with you.
posted by marimeko at 11:32 AM on November 22, 2010

This sounds more like food poisoning or a stomach flu. I've never run to the doctor for such a thing, but I'd say that's a reasonable course of action.
posted by mikeh at 11:32 AM on November 22, 2010

I just got through with something like this, but I didn't drink. Without getting too graphic, what color is your vomit?

I ended up in the hospital for a week. In my case, it was an intestinal blockage from probably apples of all things.

Get to a hospital.
posted by lampshade at 11:33 AM on November 22, 2010

Phở, simply delicious.
posted by axismundi at 11:34 AM on November 22, 2010

I've suffered my fair share of hangovers and I've never experienced anything like what you've described. That's 10 straight hours. I've seen people puke a couple times over the course of the next day but every 10 minutes is alot.
posted by Ad hominem at 11:34 AM on November 22, 2010

It's definitely a hangover, I am 95 lbs and drank 6 drinks last night and blacked out. I think the ER would turn me away because it's just a hangover.
posted by pintapicasso at 11:34 AM on November 22, 2010

Whatever you do you need to keep drinking fluids even if you immediately throw them up. I've had hangover like this however the vomiting didn't usually last for more than 4 or 5 hours, at this point whether it's just a hang over or not you're risking getting dangerously dehydrated.

Pedialyte can help with dehydration, but you really probably need medical attention at this point. You're pushing 10+ hours of constant vomiting, bite the bullet and go to the ER.
posted by whoaali at 11:35 AM on November 22, 2010

The ER won't turn you away, they might make you wait for forever, but they won't turn you away and at this time on a Monday the line probably won't be long. Chances are they will hook up you to an IV to give you some fluids and give you some anti-nausea medication and then send you home like they would if you had severe food poisoning. Just go already.
posted by whoaali at 11:36 AM on November 22, 2010

It's definitely a hangover, I am 95 lbs and drank 6 drinks last night and blacked out. I think the ER would turn me away because it's just a hangover.

It doesn't matter that you're vomiting because of alcohol or whatever - you can not keep down any foods or fluids, so you need to get anti-nausea meds now rather than an IV later.

Seriously, you have been vomiting for more than 10 hours straight. This is not normal.
posted by muddgirl at 11:37 AM on November 22, 2010

It could be alcohol poisoning, which is potentially fatal. Tell them you have been vomiting every 15 min and you blacked out. I can't image they'd turn you away.
posted by two lights above the sea at 11:38 AM on November 22, 2010

I have been in a similar situation myself, although it didn't last quite as long. All I can say is definately try and ingest something ginger based, as mentioned before, and don't give up on taking in liquids just because they come back up again - it's really important to keep liquid in your stomach, otherwise there will be nothing to come up and you will start dry-heaving, which is really unpleasant.

Sorry you're feeling so awful - if it is just a hangover it will pass though. Keep trying to drink and eat, whether it stays down or not.
posted by schmoo at 11:38 AM on November 22, 2010

You can go to an emergency clinic rather than the ER. If you are a college student there is probably one on-campus.
posted by muddgirl at 11:38 AM on November 22, 2010

the er won't turn you away, they're gonna give you an IV and a bucket to puke in (i'm guessing some anti-nausea meds in the IV too). I've been there in terms of puking that much because of a hangover, but the question really isn't about hangover vs food poisoning vs stomach flu, it's about dehydrating, which drinking does in the first place and puking the next day exacerbates.
you'll feel better with the IV.
posted by raccoon409 at 11:38 AM on November 22, 2010

It's true, you can die of dehydration. The ER will not care if the cause of your problem was excess drinking. You still need medical attention, probably intravenous re-hydration.

Other than that I will also add that marijuana is an excellent anti-nausea drug. That might have been a good treatment had you used it earlier before becoming dangerously dehydrated.
posted by grizzled at 11:39 AM on November 22, 2010

Sounds exactly like the hangovers I used to get in college. Basically a vicious circle of nausea and vomiting, which continued to the afternoon. For me, all I could do was wait it out -- keep drinking water, slowly introduce food when it feels like it might possibly stay down. Bread-like foods maybe. I once tried some Pepto when I started feeling a little better, and that seemed to help. Good luck.
posted by statolith at 11:43 AM on November 22, 2010

I would go to an urgent care clinic (not the ER) and ask for an IV bolus of saline. I have done this before for food poisoning and it helped a lot.
posted by Lobster Garden at 11:43 AM on November 22, 2010

Every bad hangover I've had involved really horrible queasiness but all I could do was try to sleep as much as possible. If vomiting doesn't stop by dinner time, then think about getting to an ER where they can test your blood levels to see if you're in any danger. The ER is not there to judge you.
posted by bonobothegreat at 11:45 AM on November 22, 2010

I'm off to walk-in care. Thanks everyone.
posted by pintapicasso at 11:45 AM on November 22, 2010

I've had some pretty gnarly hangovers, but you may have something more serious as the other commenters have suggested. Keep drinking water even if you throw it up and head to the immediate care/ER soon if it doesn't clear up in another hour or so.

Sweet Tea and Fritos always cured every hangover I had, so you're already out of the realm of what's "normal" to me. Good luck!
posted by ACN09 at 11:45 AM on November 22, 2010

I think you should go to the ER too. Dehydration is a real concern here. That said, my go-to remedy when I can't keep anything down is quite simple: a tablespoon of plain baking soda in about 8 ounces of water. You may throw it back up after the first time, and it does not taste good, but it always settles my stomach. Alternately, Alka-Seltzer (the kind WITHOUT acetaminophen!) is pretty much the same thing, but with flavoring so that it doesn't taste as bad.
posted by bedhead at 11:49 AM on November 22, 2010

I have the same thing happen when I am seriously hung over, with throwing up everything, including water, for the entire next day. For some reason Coke Slurpees stay down when water doesn't. Can someone bring you a Slurpee?

Can you sleep? For me, if I'm sleeping I'm not barfing, and I recover a lot faster if I can sleep.
posted by apricot at 11:53 AM on November 22, 2010

I got hung over like this on a camping trip once. Couldn't keep water down, it was hot, and I was incoherent. I came very close to making someone (the only other person there) take me to a hospital, but I was eventually able to control my body to some extent after sipping gatorade as slowly as possible for a while. I convinced myself I was going to drive the four hours back to where I lived at the time, but got maybe 20 minutes down the road, stopping to puke two or three times. I checked in to a motel, drew a hot bath, and sat in it drinking gatorade. I felt somewhat better, and fell asleep on the bed for a couple of hours, woke up, felt fine and returned to the campsite where more people had shown up and resumed drinking.

I do not claim any part of this story to represent a wise course of action, but it's what happened and it worked out relatively ideally. It probably would not have been out of order for me to go to the ER even if they'd only have given me a saline drip. I have had luck subsequently with the hot bath and gatorade combo, though.
posted by cmoj at 12:36 PM on November 22, 2010

It's rare that my hangover can't be nearly cured by some ibuprofen and the large dose of vitamins, sugar, and caffeine that certain energy drinks provide. (Seriously, the sugar is necessary, don't get the sugar-free.)

If it's especially bad I go for the nuclear option and take some Dramamine, which works like magic. I refer to it as "nuclear" because in addition to relieving nausea it also forces me to sleep. Like, for days.

They say bacon is good, too.
posted by sportbucket at 12:38 PM on November 22, 2010

Gatorade/ water mixes always make me puke when I'm sick. Next time, one or the other, not both. Glad you're getting help.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 12:45 PM on November 22, 2010

I've always wondered if one couldn't rehydrate through an enema. There have been hangovers where I would have GLADLY given myself a vitamin-B laced enema, if I had the equipment and knew it would help.

(B helps hangover symptoms.)
posted by IAmBroom at 1:05 PM on November 22, 2010

I think you did the right thing by going in, when you can't keep anything down dangerous dehydration can happen so easily. For less severe nausea, I've had great luck with a prescription for promethazine.
posted by TungstenChef at 1:13 PM on November 22, 2010

I've had one hangover like that in my life and ended up calling the nurse hotline for my insurance company. She recommended taking tiny sips of very cold water every 5 minutes. Sure enough, eventually I got enough in me that I was able to start functioning semi-normally again.
posted by something something at 1:15 PM on November 22, 2010

It's also entirely possible to get norovirus from a night of drinking. The symptoms are exactly what you describe, and that stuff is so contagious you can get it from something as simple as a glass that an infected person touched. Treatment is exactly the same, give fluids and treat symptoms with medication.
posted by TungstenChef at 1:18 PM on November 22, 2010

Doesn't matter whether it's a hangover or a virus or chemotherapy.
That degree of vomiting requires a trip to the ER. You need fluids, sweetie.

Go.
posted by SLC Mom at 1:24 PM on November 22, 2010

I know it's not the norm but some people do have hangovers like this, I certainly do. It helps keep my drinking in check. Let us know how the trip to the doc went. The only thing that would help me when I got this sick would be cold ginger drinks (not national brand ginger ale), ginger chews and pedialyte for the dehydration. I would also sleep next to the toilet with a pillow and blanket because it was too much having to drag myself out of bed every 15 minutes to go hurl. I really feel for you.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 3:51 PM on November 22, 2010

Dramamine, or Gravol. Don't take the useless herbal ginger pills. You'll just vomit ginger, and hate the smell/taste of it for the next month.
Drinking Gatorade is a good idea.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 3:56 PM on November 22, 2010

And you can ingest fluids, caffeine, sugars, salts per rectum. That was a good call above, gently insert warm fluids into the gut backwards.
Also at 95lbs and 6 drinks- what kind of drinks?? If you have very low body fat seriously reconsider your good time credentials! Please! You don't have the capacity you think!
Bottom line; are you also very dizzy and find it difficult to stand up for any length of time without swaying; NOT through weakness, just cos.
If that's the case, alcohol poisoning, symptoms similar to very serious middle ear infection.
Only vomiting? You can go 24hrs IF you are a well-nourished 95lbs. (Someone pls tell me USA lbs are 'heavier' than imperial UK lbs!)
If for any reason you are malnourished you have very low physiologic reserves and what you describe needs investigation.
posted by Wilder at 4:02 PM on November 22, 2010

Something similar once happened to a friend of mine. Turned out he had an allergy to alcohol. This is apparently not uncommon for Asians (he's Chinese). You say you're 95 lbs.—the only 95 lbs. people I've met in my life were either children, anorexic, or Asian women. My guess is something similar is going on here.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:11 PM on November 22, 2010

I've always wondered if one couldn't rehydrate through an enema.

Yes. It's an emergency field technique for treating severe dehydration in someone that's unable to swallow, when no IV equipment is available.

Obviously a lot can go wrong, and it's not a first choice, but if there's no doctor, and no IV, and no other way to get a badly dehydrated person to swallow, it is a option. This wasn't one of those cases, though.
posted by deadmessenger at 6:44 PM on November 22, 2010

I'm glad that you went to a walk-in.

I want to post here because there is some potentially dangerous advice in this thread, namely this: "Whatever you do you need to keep drinking fluids even if you immediately throw them up."

This is really bad advice. Throwing up throws your electrolyte balance out of whack, and can compound the dehydration. If drinking water makes you throw up, don't drink.

There are other options to try, should you find yourself in this position again. You can absorb a little bit of water by sucking on an ice cube, or just by swishing water around in your mouth. Again, if you find this exacerbates the nausea, DON'T DO IT.

If you're wondering about just how dehydrated you are, a good way to check is to take your pulse. If your pulse is above 100, it's a good reason to seek some sort of urgent care. (Having a pulse less than 100 doesn't mean you're safe, though.)
posted by nathan v at 6:57 PM on November 22, 2010

Thank you, Wilder and deadmessenger, for replies to my question about enema-rehydration.

deadmessenger - what 'obvious things can go wrong'? One should get the water near body temp, but other than that...
posted by IAmBroom at 9:11 PM on November 22, 2010

Think_Long: "I eat a lot of antacids to settle my stomach."

If anyone does this, I just want to be sure to caution you to not take any other meds (aspirin, ibuprofen, Tylenol, etc) for a couple of hours. I once took an antacid and then forgetting I'd taken it, took a laxative 15 minutes later. After 30 minutes in the bathroom and realizing what I'd done, I called poison control and they said I'd be fine... eventually. Antacids obviously change the pH in your stomach and therefore affect how slowly or quickly other drugs are absorbed.
posted by IndigoRain at 11:33 PM on November 22, 2010

Update - I talked to my friend who I went out with and apparently I only had 4 drinks. When I got to the ER the nurse took m vitals and my heart was racing. I had blood work done and the nurses think I actually had a stomach virus. They gave me some anti-nausea medicine that was lovely. Bottom line, though, it took 3 bags of fluid (6 lbs!) before I could pee and it wasn't pretty. THANK YOU to everyone who suggested I go - I never, ever would have thought to go to the hospital for what I thought was a hangover.
posted by pintapicasso at 5:17 AM on November 23, 2010

Glad you got it sorted
posted by fire&wings at 2:01 PM on November 23, 2010