Therapy
The nausea can be relieved with the help of medication, among other things. The antihistamine dimenhydrinate, which is known under the trade names Vomex® or Vomacur®, is particularly suitable for this. This drug can be obtained without a prescription from a pharmacy and is used both as a therapy for existing nausea and as a prophylaxis.
It should not be used in children under two years of age. The drug acts on the vomiting centre in the brain. For example, it is often used in advance of travel to treat motion sickness.
Even in the case of the consequences of heavy alcohol consumption, in the form of a “hangover” the next morning, nausea can be relieved by taking a Vomex® tablet. Rules of conduct to combat nausea in response to excessive alcohol consumption include going out into the fresh air, drinking still water, taking cold showers and avoiding fatty foods. Instead, one should resort to light foods.
Various household remedies are suitable for suppressing nausea. On the one hand, basic rules of conduct should be followed in the case of nausea and vomiting. These include avoiding high-fat meals and carbonated drinks.
In order not to irritate the stomach unnecessarily, it is advisable to fall back on light foods such as salt sticks, rusks or bread. Water should only ever be drunk in small amounts, but frequently. Drinking cola often helps patients with nausea or nausea.
Ginger has proven to be a household remedy against nausea. Ginger can be taken in the form of tea, for example. Besides ginger, peppermint is also a potent remedy.
Peppermint can also be used, for example, in the form of peppermint flavoured chewing gum. Camomile, fennel and caraway can also relieve nausea. A source of heat on the stomach, e.g. in the form of a grain pillow, can also reduce the nausea.
If possible, small children should not be given any medication for nausea. Alternatively, the household remedies and rules of conduct already mentioned are suitable. Also effective is the herbal remedy Iberogast®, available over the counter in pharmacies, which can be used for nausea and abdominal pain and calms the gastrointestinal system, among other things. If the nausea or vomiting is due to chemotherapy, so-called serotonin antagonists “setrone” are usually prescribed by a doctor. These are very effective drugs, but are generally only approved for nausea as part of chemotherapy.
Induce nausea
Probably the best known method to trigger a nausea stimulus is the manual (“manus” = hand) triggering of the gag reflex, i.e. “sticking a finger in the throat“. To do this, two fingers (index and middle finger) should touch the back wall of the throat and press the fingers down. The effect is based on the fact that nerves run along the back wall of the throat and are connected to the vomiting centre in the brain.
Often the finger is pulled back too quickly because of the unpleasant feeling, so that only a gag reflex occurs and not the actual nausea/vomiting. Alternatively, another object such as a toothbrush can be used instead of the finger, which may be easier for some people. During the procedure it is best to stand bent forward to avoid swallowing during vomiting.
In addition to this method, there are a number of home remedies, but their effects have not been scientifically proven. One of them is, for example, the preparation of a mixture consisting of warm water and mustard. This mixture must then be drunk.
After about half an hour vomiting may occur. Another household remedy is to drink a highly concentrated salt solution, whereby it should not be forgotten that large quantities of salt are harmful to the body! Sometimes a nausea stimulus must also be triggered by medication.
For example in the case of poisoning. However, not all forms of poisoning should trigger vomiting. A strong emetic is for example the ipecacuanha (ipecac root).
It can be administered as a syrup and after about 30 minutes the desired effect occurs. A form of morphine, apomorphine, can also trigger vomiting. Apomorphine imitates the effect of the messenger substance dopamine, which normally stimulates the vomiting centre. The drug-induced vomiting is only very rarely used in medicine.
