Nausea is an unpleasant feeling when a person feels a need to vomit. Vomiting is a forceful expulsion of the content in the stomach through the mouth.
Nausea and vomiting are common side effects related to cancer and cancer treatment. Your doctor may administer medicines in different forms to control nausea and vomiting.
The symptoms of nausea and vomiting may range from mild to severe. Severe vomiting can cause dehydration, tiredness, and weight loss. Inform your doctor, as it is important to control nausea and vomiting.
Cancer treatment is not always associated with the side effects of nausea and vomiting. In some the symptoms are severe and some might not experience them at all.
Following are the causes of nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing cancer treatment –
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy especially on the liver, brain, gastrointestinal tract causes nausea and vomiting. The symptoms depend upon the dosage of therapy used.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is commonly linked to nausea and vomiting as side effects. It is also called chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. A higher dose of chemotherapy makes nausea and vomiting worse.
Various other medication
Other medications for cancer treatment are immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and certain medicines.
Other factors resulting in nausea and vomiting in cancer patients –
While undergoing cancer treatment nausea and vomiting might occur due to the following reasons –
Anti-emetic drugs are beneficial in stopping the trigger and are used as a treatment for nausea and vomiting.
Some of the non-medical methods that can help manage nausea and vomiting are –
Nausea and vomiting have various effective treatments. As a result, it is no more a life-threatening side effect. However, it depletes the level of nutrition the body needs. If nausea and vomiting last for a long time it can cause serious problems.
So, if vomiting persists for a day or more and you are not able to drink fluids then let your doctor know it immediately.
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