Throw up how long

Vomiting is the forceful ejection of the contents of the stomach and upper digestive system through the mouth. It is sometimes known as throwing up or being sick. Vomiting is a reflex that helps the body get rid of substances that may be harmful. Most people will experience vomiting at some point. This information concerns vomiting in adults and children over 12 years of age.

See vomiting in children for information relating to children between 0 and 12 years. Vomiting is accompanied by forceful contractions of the abdominal muscles. It is different from reflux or regurgitation which happen without any abdominal contractions.

Vomiting can sometimes be forceful — projectile vomiting can send the stomach contents more than a metre away. Ongoing vomiting can lead to dehydration , where your body has lost more fluid than it has taken in, and doesn't have enough water to function properly. Retching is similar to vomiting, because it involves forceful stomach contractions. However, with retching, you will not bring up anything from your stomach.

Vomiting can be a sudden isolated bout of vomiting acute that usually lasts less than 2 days or it can be part of a pattern of ongoing or recurring attacks chronic. The underlying causes of vomiting are usually categorised into acute or chronic vomiting causes. Some causes of sudden vomiting are serious, but one of the most common causes is viral gastroenteritis, which usually clears up without any specific treatment within 2 days.

The following conditions can cause acute vomiting. If vomiting because of a simple case of gastroenteritis, it can often be managed at home without needing to see a doctor. But some underlying causes of vomiting can be more serious. You should go to a hospital's emergency department or call triple zero for an ambulance if you:. Seek immediate medical attention, either from your doctor or from the emergency department, if you are vomiting and:.

Make an appointment to see your doctor if you have been vomiting and have unexplained weight loss. Ongoing or recurrent episodes of vomiting should be investigated by your doctor. They will first want to assess you for dehydration. Then, depending on your symptoms and the results of a physical examination, your doctor may suggest tests, including:.

Sometimes, when it is difficult to find a cause for recurrent vomiting, investigations such as an endoscopy or a CT scan may help with diagnosis. Your doctor may suggest referring you to a gastroenterologist or neurologist. Use the Question Builder for general tips on what to ask your GP or specialist. Treatment for vomiting depends on the underlying cause. Some causes of vomiting will need specific treatment, depending on how serious they are. Treatments include the following:.

Some causes of vomiting, such as appendicitis or bowel obstruction , will need emergency surgery. Antiemetics are medicines that help prevent and treat nausea and vomiting. There are various types, depending on the underlying condition, and they work in different ways. Antiemetics are mostly prescription medicines.

Antiemetics can be used to treat vomiting that results from various causes, including the following:. Ginger may help with nausea and vomiting due to several causes, including pregnancy, chemotherapy and motion sickness. Changes to your diet mayhelp to reduce symptoms while doctors determine the cause of your vomiting. These include eating small meals, reducing fat content and avoiding spicy food or ingredients that cause you problems.

If vomiting has an infectious cause, such as gastroenteritis or food poisoning, it can often be managed at home, as long as you stay hydrated. Try drinking sips of water, weak tea, clear soft drinks without carbonation, noncaffeinated sports drinks, or broth.

Sugary drinks may calm the stomach better than other liquids. Slowly add bland foods. If you've been able to drink some fluids and haven't thrown up for 6 to 8 hours, try eating small amounts of foods such as bananas, rice, applesauce, unbuttered toast, dry crackers, or dry cereal. Once you're back on solid food, eat small meals every few hours. This helps your stomach digest food slowly. Stay away from dairy products, tobacco, and alcohol. They may irritate your stomach.

Vomiting that is caused by medicines, surgery, or radiation therapy may be treated by taking a different medicine. Medicines are also available to treat vomiting in pregnancy and other conditions.

See your healthcare provider if your vomiting doesn't ease with self-care within 24 hours, or if you become dehydrated. Symptoms of dehydration include:. Call or get medical care right away at the nearest emergency department if any of the following occur:. Take your child to the healthcare provider right away if any of these signs or symptoms occur:. Search Encyclopedia. They can be caused by a number of physical and psychological conditions.

The most common causes of nausea are intense pain — usually from an injury or illness — and the first trimester of pregnancy. There are also a number of other relatively common causes, including:. You may find that certain smells bring on the feeling of nausea. Pregnancy-induced nausea usually goes away by the second or third trimester. The most common causes of vomiting in children are viral infections and food poisoning.

However, vomiting can also be caused by:. In very young infants, blocked intestines can also cause persistent vomiting. The intestines may become blocked by abnormal muscular thickening, hernia , gallstones, or tumors. This is uncommon, but should be investigated if unexplained vomiting occurs in an infant.

Most adults rarely vomit. When it does occur, a bacterial or viral infection or a type of food poisoning usually causes vomiting. In some cases, vomiting can also be the result of other illnesses, especially if they lead to a headache or high fever. Chronic, or long-term, stomach conditions can often cause nausea and vomiting. These conditions can come along with other symptoms, such as diarrhea , constipation , and stomach pain.

These chronic conditions include food intolerances, such as celiac disease and dairy protein and lactose intolerance.

Irritable bowel syndrome IBS is a common stomach condition that causes bloating, nausea, vomiting, heartburn, fatigue, and cramping. It occurs when parts of the gut become overactive. Doctors usually diagnose IBS by identifying symptoms and ruling out other stomach and bowel conditions.

Sometimes they also need a stool sample to help diagnose the condition. Consuming a large amount of alcohol can cause damage to the lining of the gut. Alcohol can also react with stomach acid. Both of these will cause nausea and vomiting. In some cases, excessive alcohol consumption can also cause bleeding in the digestive tract.