When you’re throwing up, the most important thing to take is small sips of fluid to prevent dehydration, not a big glass of water or a meal. Most vomiting from stomach bugs, food poisoning, or overindulgence resolves on its own within 12 to 24 hours. Your job in the meantime is to replace what you’re losing, settle your stomach, and avoid making things worse.
Wait Before You Drink Anything
After a vomiting episode, give your stomach 30 to 60 minutes of complete rest before trying any liquids. Drinking too soon often triggers another round. When you do start, take very small sips, just a tablespoon or two at a time, every few minutes. If that stays down for 15 to 20 minutes, you can gradually increase.
Clear liquids are your best starting point: water, broth, diluted apple juice, or an oral rehydration solution like Pedialyte. Oral rehydration solutions are specifically designed to match how your gut absorbs fluid, using a balance of sodium and glucose that pulls water across the intestinal wall efficiently. The World Health Organization formula uses a 1:1 sodium-to-glucose ratio, though commercial products like Pedialyte use closer to 1:3 and still work well. These are available at most pharmacies and grocery stores, and they replace the electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride) you lose every time you vomit.
Avoid milk, coffee, alcohol, and carbonated drinks during active vomiting. Sports drinks are better than nothing but contain more sugar and less sodium than rehydration solutions, which can sometimes worsen nausea.
Over-the-Counter Options That Help
Bismuth Subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol)
Bismuth subsalicylate coats the stomach lining and can reduce nausea and the urge to vomit. The typical adult dose is two tablets or two tablespoons of liquid, repeated every 30 minutes to an hour as needed. Don’t exceed 16 tablespoons of regular-strength liquid (or 8 tablespoons of the concentrate) in 24 hours.
This one comes with important restrictions. It contains a salicylate, the same active compound family as aspirin, so skip it if you take blood thinners, have a bleeding disorder, kidney disease, stomach ulcers, or gout. Don’t give it to children under 12, and never use it in kids or teenagers who have or are recovering from the flu or chickenpox, as salicylates are linked to Reye syndrome, a rare but serious condition affecting the brain and liver.
Phosphorated Carbohydrate Solution (Emetrol)
Emetrol is a concentrated sugar solution that works by calming the smooth muscle in your digestive tract, reducing the contractions that trigger vomiting. Adults take 15 to 30 mL every 15 minutes until the vomiting stops, with a maximum of 5 doses per hour. Children ages 2 to 12 take 5 to 10 mL on the same schedule. It’s gentle, doesn’t require a prescription, and has fewer restrictions than bismuth subsalicylate, making it a reasonable first choice for many people.
One caveat: because it’s essentially a sugar syrup, people with diabetes should be cautious and check with a pharmacist before using it.
Antihistamines for Motion-Related Nausea
If your vomiting is triggered by motion sickness, dizziness, or inner-ear issues rather than a stomach bug, antihistamines like meclizine (Bonine) or dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) are more appropriate. Meclizine is dosed at 25 to 50 mg, ideally taken an hour before travel, with no more than one dose per 24 hours. These work by blocking signals between the inner ear and the brain’s vomiting center.
Both cause drowsiness and amplify the effects of alcohol, so don’t drive or operate machinery after taking them. They’re not particularly useful for vomiting caused by a stomach virus or food poisoning.
Ginger: The Best Natural Option
Ginger has the strongest evidence of any natural remedy for nausea and vomiting. A systematic review of clinical trials found that taking 1 gram or more of ginger per day for at least three days significantly reduced vomiting, cutting the odds of acute vomiting by about 70% compared to a placebo. Studies have tested doses ranging from 160 mg to 15 grams per day, but the sweet spot appears to be around 1 gram daily, roughly the amount in a quarter teaspoon of ground ginger or a one-inch piece of fresh root.
You can get this through ginger tea (steep fresh sliced ginger in hot water for 10 minutes), ginger chews, ginger capsules from a health food store, or even flat ginger ale made with real ginger (check the label, as many brands use artificial flavoring). Ginger is safe for most people, including pregnant women dealing with morning sickness, though it may thin the blood slightly at very high doses.
What to Eat After Vomiting Stops
You’ve probably heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. It was once the standard recommendation, but the American Academy of Pediatrics no longer endorses it because it’s too nutritionally limited. Following a strict BRAT diet for more than 24 hours can actually slow recovery by depriving your gut of the protein and fat it needs to heal.
The better approach is to start with bland, soft foods when you feel ready, then return to a normal diet as soon as you can tolerate it. Good early options include plain crackers, broth-based soup, boiled potatoes, plain pasta, or scrambled eggs. Avoid greasy, spicy, or heavily seasoned foods for the first day or so. If a food sounds appealing and it’s not fried or dairy-heavy, it’s probably fine to try.
Signs You’re Getting Dehydrated
The real danger with prolonged vomiting isn’t the vomiting itself but the fluid loss. In adults, watch for extreme thirst, dark yellow or amber urine, urinating much less than normal, dizziness when standing, confusion, or skin that stays “tented” when you pinch the back of your hand instead of flattening back immediately. In young children, red flags include no wet diapers for three hours, no tears when crying, a sunken soft spot on the skull, and unusual sleepiness or irritability.
Seek medical care if you can’t keep any fluids down for more than 24 hours, if you notice blood or black material in your vomit, if you have a fever above 102°F, or if you feel confused or extremely weak. Infants, elderly adults, and people with chronic health conditions have a shorter window before dehydration becomes dangerous and should be evaluated sooner.