If you keep throwing up, the most important thing to do right now is stop eating solid food, take very small sips of liquid, and watch for signs that your body is losing too much fluid. Most vomiting is caused by a stomach bug or food poisoning and will stop on its own within 12 to 72 hours. Your job in the meantime is to prevent dehydration, keep yourself comfortable, and know when the situation calls for medical help.
Stop Eating, Start Sipping
Your stomach is rejecting what’s inside it, so don’t give it more to work with. Stop eating solid food entirely until you’ve gone at least a few hours without vomiting. During that window, your only goal is getting small amounts of fluid in and keeping them down.
Take tiny sips of water, clear broth, or an electrolyte drink every five to ten minutes. Don’t gulp. A few tablespoons at a time is plenty. If even that comes back up, wait 15 to 30 minutes and try again with an even smaller amount. Ice chips work well because they force you to take in fluid slowly. Flat ginger ale, diluted apple juice, and popsicles are other options, though plain water and electrolyte solutions do the best job of replacing what you’re losing.
Avoid milk, coffee, alcohol, and anything acidic like orange juice. These can irritate your stomach further or speed up fluid loss.
Watch for Dehydration
Dehydration is the real danger when you can’t stop vomiting. Your body loses water and electrolytes with every episode, and if you can’t replace them fast enough, things can go downhill quickly.
The signs to watch for in adults: urinating much less than usual, dark yellow or amber urine, dry mouth, dizziness or lightheadedness when you stand up, and skin that doesn’t snap back quickly when you pinch it on the back of your hand. Feeling thirsty alone isn’t a reliable gauge because thirst often lags behind actual fluid loss.
In babies and young children, dehydration moves faster. A baby who hasn’t had a wet diaper in three hours, has a dry mouth, or whose skin stays tented after a gentle pinch needs medical attention. Children under 2 should be seen by a doctor if vomiting lasts more than 24 hours. For infants, the threshold is 12 hours.
When Vomiting Requires Emergency Care
Most vomiting passes without medical intervention, but certain symptoms signal something more serious than a stomach bug. Call 911 or get to an emergency room if vomiting comes with chest pain, severe abdominal cramping, blurred vision, confusion, a high fever with a stiff neck, or rectal bleeding.
Go to urgent care or the ER if your vomit contains blood, looks like dark coffee grounds (a sign of bleeding in the stomach), or is bright green. These colors indicate bile or blood and need prompt evaluation. You should also seek immediate care if you have signs of significant dehydration: dark urine, dizziness on standing, weakness, or very little urination throughout the day.
For adults, vomiting that lasts more than two days straight warrants a doctor’s visit even without alarming symptoms. If you’ve been dealing with recurring nausea and vomiting for a month or more, or you’ve lost weight you can’t explain, that pattern also needs investigation.
How Long It Usually Lasts
The timeline depends on what’s causing the vomiting. Food poisoning from preformed toxins, the kind you get a few hours after eating contaminated food, typically resolves within a single day. Norovirus, the most common stomach bug, causes intense vomiting that usually lasts 12 to 60 hours. Bacterial infections like Salmonella tend to clear in 2 to 5 days, though some, like Campylobacter, can linger for a week or more.
If you recently took antibiotics, vomiting and diarrhea can start during treatment or up to three to four weeks afterward. This sometimes resolves on its own when you stop the medication, but it can also follow a longer course that needs medical treatment.
Over-the-Counter Options
Bismuth subsalicylate (the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol) can help settle nausea and reduce the frequency of vomiting in adults. Follow the dosing directions on the package and use the measuring cup that comes with liquid versions. This medication should not be given to children under 12, and it should never be used for nausea or vomiting in children or teenagers who have or are recovering from the flu or chickenpox, because of the risk of a rare but serious condition called Reye’s syndrome.
Ginger has some clinical evidence behind it for nausea relief. Studies on seasickness, morning sickness, and chemotherapy-related nausea have generally favored ginger over placebo. You can try ginger tea, ginger chews, or about a gram of powdered ginger. It won’t stop active vomiting in most cases, but it may take the edge off the nausea between episodes.
Easing Back Into Food
Once you’ve kept liquids down for several hours without vomiting, you can start reintroducing food. Start bland and simple. The classic BRAT approach (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) is a fine starting point, but there’s no research showing those four foods are better than other gentle options. Brothy soups, oatmeal, boiled potatoes, crackers, and plain dry cereal are all easy on the stomach and equally reasonable first meals.
Stick with these for a day or two if needed, but don’t limit yourself to them longer than that. They’re low in protein and nutrients, which your body needs to recover. As your stomach settles, add cooked carrots, squash, skinless chicken or turkey, fish, eggs, and avocado. These are still mild but give you the calories and protein to bounce back faster. Avoid greasy, spicy, or heavily seasoned food for a few more days, and eat smaller portions than usual. Your digestive system needs a gradual ramp-up, not a sudden return to normal meals.
Comfort Measures That Help
Position matters. If you’re lying down, stay on your side rather than your back so you don’t risk inhaling vomit. Sitting upright or slightly reclined is usually the most comfortable position when nausea is at its worst. Avoid lying flat for at least 30 minutes after drinking fluids.
Cool, fresh air can ease nausea. Open a window or sit near a fan. Strong smells, cooking odors, and perfumes tend to make things worse, so keep your environment as neutral as possible. If you’re running a low-grade fever, a cool cloth on your forehead can provide some relief. Rest as much as you can. Your body is fighting something off, and sleep helps that process along.