Overview

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 causing 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 –

• Certain cancers
• Bowel obstruction
• A problem in the inner ears
• Anxiety
• Infections
• Constipation
• Electrolyte imbalance
• Other diseases

How nausea and vomiting occurs in cancer patients

While undergoing cancer treatment nausea and vomiting might occur due to the following reasons –

• Part of a brain is triggered that sends a signal to other body parts.
• There is a certain trigger in the part of the esophagus, stomach, and intestines.
• All the triggers act together to cause nausea and vomiting.

Anti-emetic drugs are beneficial in stopping the trigger and are used as a treatment for nausea and vomiting.

Ways to manage nausea and vomiting

Some of the non-medical methods that can help manage nausea and vomiting are –

• Take help from an oncology dietician to change the way you eat food, a portion of food, etc.
• Keep yourself hydrated
• Stay positive and keep your mind healthy by meditating

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.

About Mozocare

Mozocare is a medical access platform for hospitals and clinics to assist patients to access the best medical care at affordable prices. It offers medical information, medical treatment, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, laboratory consumables, and other allied services.

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