Being sick is awful

August 1, 2023 5:32 PM

Got some sort of stomach bug (or maybe food poisoning?). What can I do to mitigate the nausea?

I've been dealing with this since yesterday. Bloating initially, then diarrhea and one episode of vomiting last night. Today, no more vomiting/diarrhea but I'm exhausted and quite nauseous. I don't really have an appetite but did eat a banana and some toast earlier. Also been staying hydrated.

Anything I can do to mitigate the nausea? I've been drinking ginger lemon tea but it's only helping a little

posted by cozenedindigo to Health & Fitness (12 answers total)

Best answer: If you can get to the pharmacy, Emetrol is really good for controlling nausea. It is basically a phosphate sugar syrup. My homemade equalivent is cold flat Coke. I pour some Coke into the blender and spin it until the bubbles are gone. I like to pour it over ice to make it cold. When I was growing up you could buy Coke syrup (or at least Cola syrup) at the pharmacy - Emetrol seems to be the current equivalent.
posted by metahawk at 5:47 PM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]

Zofran worked for me...Script required...
posted by Czjewel at 6:15 PM on August 1, 2023 [5 favorites]

You can sometimes get coke syrup/cola syrup online! Not sure it is available (to be delivered quickly to) everywhere though.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 7:03 PM on August 1, 2023

Ginger ale. Ginger is good for gastrointestinal trouble.
posted by NotLost at 7:07 PM on August 1, 2023 [5 favorites]

I had a similar thing a couple months ago. Day 1 I was only able to drink some water to which I added salt for electrolytes and honey. Day 2 I added in the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, apples, toast) but realistically only very small portions of each. Each day I was able to eat a little more, but the nausea didn't fully go away for about a week. For me, it was simply a matter of time and sticking to a bland diet.
posted by unid41 at 7:28 PM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]

Seconding zofran / odanestron if you can get to urgent care!
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 7:54 PM on August 1, 2023 [2 favorites]

Ginger ale. Ginger is good for gastrointestinal trouble

and I find the fizziness helps too. Works far better for me than ginger tea. I like the alcoholic kind best.
posted by flabdablet at 10:15 PM on August 1, 2023

We were able to call in for a prescription of Zofran last time it came to our house. It only took two doses or so to get us through. Definitely worth inquiring about!
posted by I_love_the_rain at 11:10 PM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]

Hi! I'm a clinical researcher who's been involved in work that's relevant to this question (and I also have Crohn's disease so I've field tested this quite a lot). It sounds odd to say it, but inhaling the vapor of a splash of isopropyl/rubbing alcohol is stunningly effective for many people. Clinical research supports this. It's a short-term effect, but it can be a powerful tool in your toolbox that you can keep doing as you need (I squirt some onto a cotton ball and wave it closely under my nose while inhaling gently).
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 2:17 AM on August 2, 2023 [18 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks all! Woke up today feeling more human, so I went to the pharmacy and picked up some Emetrol. It's working! And my appetite is starting to come back.
posted by cozenedindigo at 6:40 AM on August 2, 2023 [2 favorites]

I definitely recommend plain ginger tea without lemon for next time. I like plain rice with a little salt as a starter food.
posted by epj at 12:51 PM on August 2, 2023

I'm way late to this, but: along the lines of late afternoon dreaming hotel's suggestion, we've got a standard "peppermint-oil-soaked cotton ball in an old film canister" that has taken on magical properties. Sleepy? Sniff the peppermint. Queasy? Peppermint. Existential dread? You get the idea.

if you're not at the "omg anything in my mouth is too much" phase of nausea, this is an excuse to eat as many peppermints as you like as well. The lore in our house is that you suck on the peppermint, rather than crunching them up, because...I don't know, that's just what we do.
posted by adekllny at 1:34 PM on August 2, 2023 [1 favorite]