For most bouts of nausea, you have several effective options you can start right now: ginger, over-the-counter antihistamines, acupressure, and simple dietary changes. The best choice depends on what’s causing your nausea and how quickly you need relief. Here’s a practical breakdown of what works and when to use it.
Ginger: The Best-Studied Natural Option
Ginger is one of the most reliable natural remedies for nausea, backed by decades of clinical research. A systematic review of randomized trials found that taking 1 gram or less of ginger daily for more than four days reduced the odds of acute vomiting by 70% in people undergoing chemotherapy. That’s a significant effect from a supplement you can pick up at any grocery store.
You can get ginger through capsules, ginger chews, ginger tea, or even flat ginger ale (though most commercial ginger ales contain very little real ginger). Capsules give you the most control over dosage. Aim for around 1 gram per day, split into two or three doses. Fresh ginger steeped in hot water works well too, though the exact amount you’re consuming is harder to measure. Most people tolerate ginger without issues, though it can cause mild heartburn at higher doses.
Over-the-Counter Medications
Two categories of OTC products target nausea directly: antihistamines and phosphorated carbohydrate solutions.
Antihistamines for Motion Sickness and General Nausea
Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) and meclizine (Bonine) are the two main OTC antihistamines used for nausea. Both take about two hours to kick in after swallowing a tablet, so timing matters. If you’re planning a boat trip or car ride, take your dose well before you leave. Once nausea has already started, your stomach slows down its emptying, which can delay absorption of anything you swallow.
Both medications last about eight hours in standard tablet form, though meclizine chewable tablets can work for up to 24 hours. The tradeoff is drowsiness. Both will make you sleepy, so they’re a poor choice if you need to drive or stay alert. Meclizine tends to be slightly less sedating than dimenhydrinate for some people, but individual responses vary.
Phosphorated Carbohydrate Solutions
Products like Emetrol contain a simple combination of glucose, fructose, and phosphoric acid. They’re antihistamine-free and won’t make you drowsy. Adults take 15 to 30 mL and can repeat the dose every 15 minutes until the nausea passes, up to five doses in an hour. These work best for mild, temporary stomach upset rather than severe or ongoing nausea.
Prescription Nausea Medications
If OTC options aren’t cutting it, your doctor may prescribe ondansetron (Zofran), which is one of the most effective anti-nausea medications available. It works by blocking serotonin receptors in both the gut and the brain, interrupting the chemical signals that trigger the urge to vomit. It’s commonly prescribed after surgery, during chemotherapy, and for severe nausea from other causes. Ondansetron dissolves on the tongue, which is helpful when you can’t keep anything down. It causes minimal drowsiness compared to antihistamines.
What to Take During Pregnancy
Pregnancy narrows your options because many medications aren’t considered safe for the developing baby. The standard first-line approach, recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, is a combination of vitamin B6 and doxylamine. Doxylamine is the active ingredient in some OTC sleep aids, taken at a 12.5 mg dose (half of a standard 25 mg tablet). Your OB provider can walk you through the specific schedule. Ginger is also generally considered safe during pregnancy and can be tried alongside or before starting medication.
Acupressure at the P6 Point
This costs nothing and has no side effects. The P6 pressure point (called Neiguan) sits on your inner wrist, and pressing it can reduce nausea from motion sickness, surgery, and pregnancy. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center recommends this technique for their patients.
To find it: hold your hand up with your palm facing you. Place three fingers from your other hand across your wrist, just below where your wrist creases when it bends. The spot directly beneath your index finger, right between the two tendons you can feel running down your inner forearm, is P6. Press firmly with your thumb. Wristbands designed to apply constant pressure to this point (like Sea-Bands) use the same principle and are popular for motion sickness and morning sickness.
What to Eat and Drink When You’re Nauseated
The old advice was to stick to the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. Those foods are fine for a day or two, but there’s no reason to limit yourself to only those four items. Any bland, easy-to-digest food will work. Brothy soups, oatmeal, boiled potatoes, crackers, and unsweetened dry cereal are all good choices. Once your stomach settles, start adding foods with more nutritional value: cooked squash, carrots, avocado, skinless chicken, fish, and eggs. Your body needs protein and nutrients to recover, and the BRAT foods alone don’t provide much of either.
Hydration matters more than food when nausea is severe. Take small sips of water or suck on ice chips. Broth, popsicles, diluted fruit juice (half water, half juice), and weak decaffeinated tea are also good options. If you’re vomiting repeatedly, skip sports drinks like Gatorade, which don’t have the right balance of electrolytes for rehydration. An oral rehydration solution like Pedialyte is a better choice. You can also make your own by mixing four cups of water with half a teaspoon of salt and two tablespoons of sugar.
Signs That Need Medical Attention
Most nausea resolves on its own or with the approaches above. But certain symptoms alongside nausea signal something more serious. Seek emergency care if your nausea comes with chest pain, severe abdominal cramping, confusion, blurred vision, high fever with a stiff neck, or rectal bleeding.
Go to urgent care or an emergency room if your vomit contains blood, looks like coffee grounds, or is green. The same applies if you’re experiencing signs of dehydration: excessive thirst, dark urine, dry mouth, infrequent urination, or dizziness when you stand up. For adults, vomiting that lasts more than two days warrants a call to your doctor. If nausea and vomiting have been coming and going for more than a month, or you’ve lost weight without trying, that pattern needs evaluation.