Managing Nausea and Vomiting at Home

Taking medicine is the main part of managing nausea and vomiting. But there are other things you can do that can help as well.

Eating and drinking when you have nausea

You may not feel like eating or drinking when you have nausea and vomiting. But try to drink as much fluid as you can so that you don’t get dehydrated. And eat enough so that your stomach isn’t too empty. Try the following:

• Sip liquids slowly throughout the day. Cold, clear liquids may be the easiest on your stomach. (Clear liquids are those you can see through, such as ginger ale, apple juice, broth, tea, etc.)
• Eat small snacks and meals several times a day. If your stomach is empty, your nausea might be worse.
• Eat bland foods that are easy on your stomach, such as crackers, toast, clear broth, plain yogurt, or sherbet.
• Eat something light like pretzels or crackers with medicines unless you have been told to take them on an empty stomach.
• Sour foods, such as sour candy, pickles, lemons, or lime might help with nausea.
• Eat foods when they are cool or at room temperature, so their smell isn’t as strong. 
• Try popsicles or gelatin.
• Suck on hard candy with pleasant smells, such as lemon drops or mints, to help get rid of bad tastes.
• Try small amounts of foods high in calories that are easy to eat (such as pudding, ice cream, sherbets, yogurt, and milkshakes).
• Avoid fried, spicy, or greasy foods.

When deciding what to eat, choose the foods that sound good to you. Your body may handle them better. And stay away from your favorite foods so you don’t link them with feeling sick after you finish treatment.

You might find eating and drinking easier if you:

• Avoid strong food and drink smells. Ask someone else to prepare cooked food for you.
• Eat in a cool, well-ventilated space without smells that bother you.
• Try to rest quietly while sitting upright for at least an hour after each meal.
• Plan to eat when it is best for you. Some people do better if they eat a snack before treatment. Other people feel better if they don’t eat for a while before treatment.

Tips if you are vomiting

• If you are in bed, lie on your side so that you won’t inhale the vomit.
• Take anti-emetics at the first hint of nausea to try and prevent vomiting.
• While waiting for your nausea medicine to work, relax and take slow, deep breaths.
• Distract yourself with soft music, a favorite TV program, or the company of others.
• Ask if your medicines can be given in a form that you can handle best, such as dissolving tablets or suppositories.  
• Wait for the vomiting to stop before eating or drinking anything. After vomiting stops, start taking in small amounts of clear liquids slowly and increase as tolerated.
• Try ice chips or frozen juice chips, which can be dissolved in your mouth, to get more liquids.

Complementary and integrative treatments for nausea and vomiting

Anti-nausea and vomiting medicines (anti-emetics) are the main treatments for nausea and vomiting. But some non-medicine treatments may also be used.

Complementary and integrative treatments may be used alone for mild nausea or anticipatory nausea and vomiting. These methods can also be used with anti-emetics if your cancer treatment is likely to cause nausea and vomiting.

These methods try to decrease nausea and vomiting by:

• Helping you feel relaxed
• Distracting you from what’s going on
• Helping you feel in control
• Making you feel less helpless

If you’d like to try one or more of these methods, ask your cancer care team if the methods are safe for you. They may also be able to help you find a therapist trained in these techniques.

Studies have found that some integrative methods can be helpful for nausea and vomiting. These include:

Relaxation techniques

Relaxation techniques such as meditation (focusing the mind), breathing exercises, or progressive muscle relaxation (tensing and relaxing the muscles) can help decrease nausea and vomiting.

Biofeedback is sometimes used to support relaxation techniques for nausea and vomiting. It uses devices to look for signs of stress to help you focus on relaxation.

Guided imagery

Guided imagery helps people imagine that they are in a place that’s relaxing for them.  Imagining what you would feel, hear, see, and taste in the pleasant place, might help you mentally block the feelings of nausea and vomiting.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese method in which very thin needles are put into the skin at certain points of the body. Some people have reported that acupuncture helped with their nausea. But research studies have not shown a clear benefit.

Acupuncture should only be done by a licensed, certified acupuncturist. Ask your cancer care team if it is safe for you to get acupuncture. Also ask for ideas about where to get acupuncture if you want to pursue it.

Other complementary and integrative methods

There are other methods that some reports say might help manage nausea and vomiting. However, research hasn’t shown that they clearly help. These include:

Ginger

There are studies looking at whether ginger can help with nausea and vomiting. But the results are hard to use because it is not clear how much is needed and the best way to take it. If you are using or would like to use ginger, be sure to talk to your doctor or cancer care team as there can be side effects.

Hypnosis

Hypnosis creates a state of intense attention, willingness, and readiness to accept an idea. Working with a trained specialist might help you to control how your brain and body respond to the feeling of nausea so that it bothers you less.

Acupressure

Based on acupuncture, acupressure uses pressure rather than needles on certain points on the body. Acupressure on certain points on the body has helped some people with nausea. But studies haven’t found it to work as well as acupuncture.

Aromatherapy with peppermint oil

Some people find using aromatherapy with peppermint oil helpful in lowering their nausea and vomiting from cancer treatment. The oil can be inhaled, rubbed on the skin, or put on a cold cloth that is placed on the head. Research does not state what strength should be used and how often.

Music therapy

Music therapists are trained to use music to help people with symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting. A few studies seem to show that, when used with standard treatment, music therapy can help to reduce nausea and vomiting from chemo.

Call your doctor or cancer care team if you

• Might have inhaled some of your vomit
• Have been vomiting for 2-3 days
•  Can’t take medicines
• Your anti-nausea medicines aren’t working
• Cannot take in more than 4 cups of liquid or ice chips in a day or haven’t eaten for more than 2 days
• Lose 2 or more pounds in 1 to 2 days (This means you are losing water quickly and might be getting dehydrated.)
• Have dark yellow urine or don’t urinate as often or as much as usual

Go to the emergency room or call 911 if you

• Vomit blood or material that looks like coffee grounds
• Become weak, dizzy, or confused