Nausea and vomiting are unpleasant symptoms that you want to get rid of as soon as possible. If your child develops a gag reflex, remain calm and do not panic. It is necessary to call a doctor to find out the provoking factors. Treatment will be prescribed only after the doctor makes an accurate diagnosis and finds out why the vomiting occurred.
The first place among the causes of nausea, vomiting and stool upset is food poisoning. If, in addition to this, the baby complains of acute pain in the abdomen, his body temperature rises and chills appear, most likely, we are talking about a severe form of poisoning.
Unpleasant symptoms may also indicate the development of gastroenteritis and acute appendicitis. In these cases, the child needs emergency medical care. Intestinal infections also cause vomiting. Some children have a clinical picture similar to food poisoning, while others have a respiratory viral infection.
But these are not all the reasons that can provoke vomiting. Overeating, force-feeding a child, motion sickness, fears, anxiety, aversion to food, craniocerebral pathologies, allergies, high fever - all this can also cause involuntary effusion of stomach contents.
Vomiting without fever may be associated with disturbances in the central nervous system (CNS) or stomach. Medicine for vomiting for children is selected taking into account these reasons. For example, for food poisoning this will be one remedy, but for gastroenteritis it will be completely different. What to give a child when vomiting and how to relieve his suffering?
What medicine can be given first?
First of all, you need to see a doctor for a diagnosis. All medications must be prescribed by a doctor! Vomiting and nausea in a child, especially in infants, is dangerous due to the rapid loss of fluid. Parents should give the baby as much fluid as possible and immediately call an ambulance.
The following symptoms may be a reason to seek specialized help:
- temperature increase;
- unbearable abdominal pain;
- profuse diarrhea;
- fever;
- refusal to drink;
- skin rash;
- the appearance of bile or streaks of blood in the vomit;
- lethargy, pallor, loss of consciousness, cold sweat;
- repeated, incessant vomiting.
You should not give too much water at one time, as this may cause another attack of regurgitation. It is best to give water often, but in small portions. After the end of the attack, there is no need to give the child an antiemetic, since it is not yet known what exactly provoked the urge to vomit. It is best to calm the baby down and put him to bed to recuperate.
It is better for the child to lie on his side with his head turned to the side. Place a towel under your cheek or chin. If it is a baby, then place it in your arms horizontally on its side. If several hours have passed since the attack and the child is hungry, he can be given wheat crackers or boiled rice porridge cooked in water.
Parents often make the same mistakes that aggravate the condition of their child. Under no circumstances should you:
- leave the child alone. He may choke on vomit;
- apply heat to your stomach. If the cause of vomiting is acute appendicitis, the thermal procedure will further aggravate the pathological process;
- offer food until vomiting stops completely. It is better to eat food no earlier than two hours after the end of vomiting;
- self-administer any medications without a doctor’s prescription. For example, antiemetics in case of poisoning will interfere with the removal of toxins from the body.
Antipyretics can be given if the temperature has risen above 38. To prevent vomit from entering the lungs, during an attack it is better to sit the baby down, tilting the torso slightly forward. After each attack, the mouth should be rinsed with clean, cool water, washed and changed.
You should act calmly and quickly. Don't yell at your child or talk loudly. You can quickly relieve an attack if you unsolder your child. As a liquid, you can use not only plain water, but also glucose-salt solutions: Regidron, Oralit, Gastrolit. Instead of pharmaceutical solutions, another warm liquid is suitable, for example, compote of dried fruits without sugar, chamomile infusion, weak tea with rose hips.
When selecting anti-vomiting medications for children, experts take age into account. Tablets that work well for adults are strictly prohibited for children.
What schoolchildren can drink cannot be used for similar symptoms in infants. How to treat vomiting in a child under one year old? Babies can be given No-spasm. The drug is available in the form of tablets, syrup and solution for injection.
The drug is associated with risks of side effects such as constipation and increased blood pressure. The child is given such rehydration solutions as Gidrovit, Humana Electrolyte, Regidron. For children aged 2-3 years when vomiting, give Motilium. It effectively reduces the intensity of vomiting and prevents relapse. After three years, you can use Cerucal in the form of injections.
By age 5, children usually already understand the importance of taking medications. The list of approved drugs at this age becomes much wider. Children may be prescribed sorbents, antispasmodics, and antibiotics. If for some reason oral administration of drugs is not possible, you can use Domperidone rectal suppositories.
When should you start taking antiemetic drugs?
If the child’s vomiting does not stop for a long time, then they begin to give antiemetics for children. This can only be done after consultation with a pediatrician or infectious disease specialist. If the nearest medical facility is far away, you can call an ambulance, where a doctor can advise on the advisability of taking such drugs.
If you suspect rotavirus, you should not immediately try to stop vomiting . This is how the body fights pathogenic microorganisms that have penetrated it. If you immediately take anti-vomiting pills for children, the stomach will not have time to clear itself naturally, which means that the disease may not only drag on, but also cause serious complications.
Antiemetics
It is unacceptable to purchase an antiemetic yourself from a pharmacy. This group of drugs has not only effective therapeutic properties, but also side effects. Antiemetic drugs act on central receptors.
They can cause dizziness, drowsiness, as well as problems with vision, breathing, and heart rate. If you give a child an antiemetic drug, it will be difficult for the doctor to make a correct diagnosis, as well as assess the volume and nature of the discharge.
Cerucal
The drug is available in the form of tablets and injection solutions. Cerucal is contraindicated for children under two years of age. The active component is metoclopramide, a substance that blocks the vomiting center.
The drug is contraindicated in case of low blood pressure, intestinal obstruction, glaucoma, epilepsy, as well as individual intolerance to metoclopramide. Sometimes Cerucal can cause side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness, migraines, diarrhea, nervous tics, allergies, irritability, anxiety.
But-spasm
This is an antispasmodic agent, the active component of which is prifinium bromide. After six years, No-spasm is prescribed in tablet form. For infants, the drug is prescribed in the form of syrup. Sometimes No-spasm is prescribed for intestinal colic.
Vomiting due to poisoning
Adsorbents help alleviate the symptoms of intoxication. They absorb, neutralize and remove toxic substances from the body. Depending on the mechanism of action, this group of drugs is divided into three types:
- absorbents. Their action is aimed at neutralizing liquid toxins. The drugs convert them into solids, thereby reducing their dangerous effects;
- adsorbents. They act like a sponge, absorbing all toxic substances;
- chemical absorbers. They react with poisons, after which they are neutralized.
The drugs enable the body to cope with poisoning on its own and remove toxins naturally. Uncontrolled use of sorbents, especially in childhood, can lead to the removal from the body of useful substances necessary for development. If you take anti-vomiting medications along with sorbents, the former will be less effective.
The use of sorbents is unacceptable in the presence of the following pathologies:
- peptic ulcer;
- mechanical damage to the gastrointestinal tract;
- acute erosive gastritis;
- bleeding;
- intestinal atony.
Activated carbon
This is a long-known and accessible remedy that is used for poisoning in adults and children. Compared to all the sorbents described above, activated carbon has the lowest absorption capacity. Solid particles of the drug can damage the delicate walls of the stomach, so it is not prescribed to infants.
The tablets are taken once to relieve diarrhea or poisoning. Still, it is worth understanding that activated carbon removes everything in its path, including useful substances, so regular use is unacceptable. Contraindications to the use of the drug are chronic diseases of the stomach and intestines.
Smecta
The drug is known for its absorbent properties, and it also has an enveloping function. Smecta creates a special barrier that prevents the penetration of toxic substances through the mucous membrane into the intestines. Available in the form of packaged powder added to food. Smecta is prescribed from infancy. Sometimes constipation may develop as a side effect.
Polysorb
The active component of the drug is silicon dioxide - a powerful sorbent. The drug has a high degree of adsorption, that is, binding and removal of toxins. Polysorb has minimal impact on the digestive tract.
It envelops particles of toxic substances, after which the body no longer perceives genetic objects as foreign and calmly removes them naturally. The product is available in powder form, which is diluted with water. The dosage is calculated based on the child's weight.
Enterosgel
This is a well-known remedy that has proven highly effective in treating even very serious toxins. Enterosgel is used in the treatment of both children and adults. Unlike Polysorb, the absorption capacity of this drug is half as much, so it should be taken accordingly twice as much.
Enterosgel is produced in the form of a gel; it is ready for use and does not require any additional actions. There are no age restrictions. Treatment with Enterosgel should not exceed two weeks.
Polyphepan
The active component of the drug is lignin. Due to the natural origin of Polyphepan, the risks of side effects are minimized. Available in the form of paste and capsules, from which a suspension is prepared. Polyphepan should not be taken for more than one week in a row. Only with sufficiently severe intoxication can the doctor extend the treatment course to ten days. The product has low absorption capacity.
Filtrum-Sti
The tablets stop any form of intoxication. The product is not absorbed into the blood and does not have a harmful effect on internal organs. The drug is excreted through the intestines within 24 hours. Filtrum-Sti is even prescribed for vomiting in infants. It is hypoallergenic. The sorbent neutralizes the therapeutic effect of other drugs, so it should be taken separately.
When to see a doctor
In case of poisoning in childhood, consulting a doctor is a mandatory measure, regardless of the cause of the pathology and the severity of the disease.
The question is acute in such situations:
- intoxication in infancy (the younger, the more dangerous this condition is).
- Uncontrollable vomiting along with diarrhea.
- There are impurities in the vomit or feces (pus, greens, streaks of blood).
- Poisoning is accompanied by a high body temperature (over 38 degrees Celsius).
- There are severe symptoms and disorders (dermatitis, hallucinations, disorientation, loss of consciousness).
- In case of intoxication with drugs, acids, detergents, alkalis, toxic gases.
- Lightning-fast deterioration of the condition with increasing symptoms.
Parents need to understand that the longer a doctor’s help is delayed, the faster damage to organ systems develops, even leading to death. It is dangerous to use medications and traditional methods of treatment on your own, without prior consultation with your doctor.
Vomiting due to rotavirus
Rotavirus infection is characterized by severe vomiting and diarrhea. In order to prevent dehydration and restore water balance, rehydration solutions are prescribed: Oralit, Gastrolit, Regidron. In more severe cases, Acesol, Trisol, Chlosol are used. If the specialist is completely sure that the disease is caused by a bacterial infection, antibiotics cannot be avoided.
Sumamed
This is a broad-spectrum antibiotic with pronounced bactericidal properties. Sumamed rarely causes side effects.
Levomycetin
This is another antimicrobial agent with a broad spectrum of action. Levomycetin is a basic drug that is used in the treatment of most intestinal infections. It has a fairly wide list of side effects, so it is not prescribed to young children. If you become infected with rotavirus, antiviral drugs can help. Let's take a look at the list of effective antiviral agents.
Acyclovir
Available in various dosage forms: tablets, eye drops, ointments, solutions for injections. Parenteral administration of Acyclovir is allowed from three months. Tablets are approved for children aged one and a half years and older.
Viferon
The drug does not have a direct antiviral effect, but it affects the affected cells and prevents the spread of infection. Viferon has the ability to act on cells in such a way that pathogens begin to leave them. The drug is even prescribed to infants.
Remantadine
It has pronounced antiviral activity. Remantadine is a chemotherapy drug that is prescribed to children after the age of seven.
Amiksin
It is used as a means of immunocorrection, which helps the body fight the virus. Amiksin is prescribed to children from 7 years of age.
Other drugs
After vomiting caused by poisoning or intestinal infection, it is important to restore the balance of the natural intestinal microflora. For this purpose, children are prescribed probiotics containing beneficial bacteria. If nausea and vomiting are accompanied by fever, you may need to take antipyretic medications. Children are allowed to give Paracetomol, Panadol or Nurofen.
Folk remedies in the treatment of intestinal flu
Traditional medicine will help in the complex treatment of rotavirus infection.
- In order to rehydrate the body, you can drink water with added salt (at the rate of 1 teaspoon of table salt per 1 liter of water).
- Dry St. John's wort (1 tablespoon) pour 200 ml of boiling water, steam for half an hour. Strain the resulting drug and dilute with hot water in an amount of 200 ml. Take 1/3 cup three times a day half an hour before meals. This product should not be given to children under 3 years of age.
- For severe diarrhea, a decoction of dried blueberries will help; it can be given to the patient both before and after meals. The product is suitable for children.
- Brew chamomile flowers (a tablespoon) in 200 ml of boiling water and hold under the lid to infuse for 15 minutes.
Causes
Vomiting in an infant is a consequence of the development of the digestive system. In children over 2 years of age, the cause may be internal or external factors. Help your child by figuring out what influenced him.
Internal factors
Internal influencing factors include nutrition and possible illnesses of the child. Dietary vomiting occurs due to the consumption of poor quality food. This includes food that is stale, undercooked, overcooked, or not properly cooked. Symptoms are aggravated by diarrhea and fever.
Nausea after eating is a sign of eating fatty foods. Force feeding of a breastfed, 2, or 3 year old baby leads to it. The child does not decide what or how much to eat, which is why problems arise. A parent can harm their child through excessive love. Overeating is a common cause of an unpleasant physiological reaction.
The presence of diseases in a child leads to an unpleasant physiological process. Traumatic brain injuries and gastrointestinal diseases have a great impact on the general condition of the baby. Concussion, meningitis, gastritis, dysentery, rotavirus are diseases whose main symptom is vomiting, where infection has become a factor.
In addition to the listed ailments, there are epilepsy with ARVI, the presence of worms and appendicitis and others that manifest themselves together with vomiting.
External factors
External factors include motion sickness on water and land transport. Fear, stress, anxiety, and excitement often cause nausea in a baby. Heat and sunstroke often cause it in an unformed organism.
Stuffiness in a children's room and a bad dream often cause urges in babies and older children. The process of teething is often manifested by fever and nausea.
An important factor influencing the baby’s condition is the choice of cosmetics: shampoos, soaps. There are dangerous substances that cause irritation in children if they enter the body.
There are many reasons why a baby may vomit. An attentive parent will identify it in the child. Emergency help can eliminate the complication of the situation and prevent consequences.
Vomiting types include:
- The acetone type is characterized by the smell of acetone from the patient’s mouth. Sudden nausea, the baby suffers from dry mucous membranes, increased heart rate, lack of appetite, headache without fever.
- The cause of anicteric hepatitis is the hepatogenic type, characterized by nausea, symptoms of encephalitis and meningitis. Possible vomiting of bile.
- Renal, uremic manifests itself in kidney diseases.
- In the presence of diseases of the nervous system, a cerebral appearance occurs. It is characterized by increased body temperature, convulsions, moodiness and immobility.
- The presence of bleeding for various reasons causes bloody.
- The psychogenic form manifests itself with fear, stress, and forced feeding.
- Heart disease causes a cardiac appearance; signs include excessive anxiety, pallor, and poor appetite.
- With abdominal disorders, abdominal pain appears.
Treatment
Treatment for vomiting can occur with the help of medicine or traditional methods. The first thing that needs to be done is to provide assistance; the baby may become dehydrated after vomiting for a long time. To avoid this, you should give children liquids to drink.
First aid
If a parent is sure that a one-year-old child of school age, school age (4-6, 7-8 years old) or older is not at risk of illness, it is necessary to take urgent action. If the baby is under one year old, you cannot induce vomiting to cleanse the stomach - he will choke. A baby over a year old needs to do this. Make it Regidron. This is a special drug sold in pharmacies that helps restore the body's water balance. Give a spoonful every 5 minutes, in accordance with the instructions for the drug. This will help get rid of intoxication and stop nausea. If the nausea does not stop, the urge to vomit is present, it is worth repeating the procedure. Stop it in your child by giving him warm water. After gradually drinking a glass of water, call her (except for children under one year old).
After stopping, you should take enterosgel, a sorbent that helps remove toxins from the body and cure the baby. In case of poisoning in a teenager, the algorithm of actions is the same. If it does not stop for a long time, relieve the symptom by washing with potassium permanganate. The method is suitable for adult children.
If your baby experiences nausea from non-food products, you should consult a doctor. A situation where a child vomits from poisoning with gasoline, alkali, or other substances requires emergency care. It is better not to treat yourself - drinking water and inducing vomiting will burn the esophagus.
If the nausea is prolonged without fever or diarrhea, Dr. Komarovsky believes there is no reason to worry. The baby's body gets rid of toxins. Unexpected, one-time vomiting should not cause concern. If it appears daily, diarrhea appears, or the temperature rises, you should go to the hospital.
First aid for a child
The first thing to do when children vomit is to call an ambulance. Until her arrival, the child should be under constant adult supervision, especially if he has fallen asleep, because a sleeping child may choke on vomit. To avoid this, you should place the baby on its side or reclining.
If a child is poisoned, you can alleviate the baby’s condition yourself by gastric lavage. At home, the procedure is carried out using activated carbon, which is diluted in warm boiled water (1 tablespoon of crushed medicine per liter of liquid). The patient needs to drink the maximum possible amount of the resulting mixture.
If after this vomiting does not resume, it must be induced by pressing on the root of the tongue. Manipulations are carried out every half hour until the vomit is clear. After all the procedures, it is advisable to put the baby to bed. The urge to vomit may disappear completely, but it may recur. Regardless of the results of self-help, the child should be shown to a specialist.
Causes of vomiting in children
Vomiting is a reflex process controlled by the central nervous system. The reasons for the manifestation may be different:
- seasickness, air sickness or motion sickness of a child while riding various types of transport;
- poisoning by various substances (household chemicals, medications, low-quality products, chemicals, etc.);
- traumatic brain injury;
- some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- adverse reaction to medications;
- psychogenic character during stress, nervous tension, etc.
Vomiting without diarrhea and fever is also possible with the atypical course of certain diseases, for example:
- the onset of appendicitis, with pain in the right side;
- foodborne toxic infection, even in the absence of fever and stool disorder.
In order not to guess, you need to contact a specialist who can accurately show the whole picture.
What drugs are prohibited to take?
Contraindications for use may include age restrictions on the use of medications (indicated in the instructions for the drug); with individual intolerance to components and allergic reactions to the components of the medication, with acute pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract (ulcerative processes, gastritis, gastroduodenitis, enzyme pathologies).
When choosing a drug, you should consult a doctor. You should not replace medications with analogues on your own. There is no need to treat your child by following advice from the Internet or Dr. E.O. Komarovsky without the consent of the doctor.
It is prohibited to use traditional medicine methods or use homemade decoctions prepared by yourself, drink homeopathic pills, or change the dosage of prescribed medications.
Acetonemic vomiting - what is it?
In children aged 2-7 years, acetonemic vomiting is often observed, which occurs against the background of:
- overeating fatty foods (often fast foods that use low-quality fats during the preparation process);
- passion for soda and various sweets with added dyes and preservatives;
- fasting;
- allergic diseases;
- infections;
- nervous excitability, etc.
This condition manifests itself as uncontrollable vomiting of initially eaten food, then mucus and bile. Attacks of vomiting can be repeated from 10 to 30 times a day. A characteristic sign is the smell of acetone from the child’s mouth. The condition can be worsened by dehydration, seizures and even death.
When should you sound the alarm if you are vomiting without diarrhea or fever?
Vomiting is a kind of signal of a malfunction in the body, and if you ignore the signal, you can bring the situation to a critical point. Call an ambulance if:
- uncontrollable vomiting;
- the child has drowsiness and confusion;
- have headaches;
- the vomit contains blood or streaks of blood, or the vomit resembles coffee grounds;
- refusal to drink due to uncontrollable vomiting;
- smell of acetone from the mouth;
- after vomiting, symptoms of fever and diarrhea appeared;
- if the child received a head injury the day before, etc.
You should remember about a serious complication - dehydration, which without qualified assistance can lead to death. Please note if:
- drowsiness, loss of consciousness in a child,
- dry skin,
- coated tongue,
- refusal to drink,
- reduction or cessation of urination.
All of the above signs indicate a critical situation.
How to Help Your Child Vomit: 8 Steps
Self-medication is dangerous for the child; leave this matter to specialists. The parents' task is to call an ambulance in time if your child's condition does not allow him to go to the doctor on his own.
Before the doctor or ambulance arrives, you can do the following:
- Complete rest, eliminate irritating factors (light, sounds, etc.), especially if the child has suffered a traumatic brain injury.
- When vomiting, the head position should be elevated and turned to one side to prevent aspiration of vomit.
- If there are signs or the child himself has told that poisoning has occurred with drugs or other substances, try to lavage the stomach with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. As prescribed by a specialist, sorbents are recommended: activated carbon, Enterosgel, etc. Hospitalization is required in this case!
- After vomiting, encourage your child to rinse their mouth with warm water.
- Offer your child a drink, preferably alkaline water (Borjomi, Essentuki, etc.) or Regidron - diluted powder according to the instructions for use.
- In no case should you give your child painkillers or antispasmodics containing analgesics, as this can erase the picture of appendicitis that has begun.
- To calm vomiting, you can give your child valerian tincture 7 drops (how old you are, so many drops of medicine) in a small amount of water.
- If it is proven that vomiting was a consequence of a side effect of the drug, it must be discontinued immediately. You can give your child, on the recommendation of a doctor, antihistamines: Suprastin, Ketotifen, Tavegil, etc.
Do not try to treat something you have no idea about yourself. Many conditions, especially in children, do not proceed according to the script as described on the Internet. Self-medication can not only harm your child, but also lead to tragedy. Only a doctor who has the appropriate skills and laboratory diagnostic methods can make an accurate diagnosis. Timely treatment is the success of a quick recovery, do not forget about this! Take care of your children!
Alla Pasenko, pediatrician-neonatologist, especially for Mirmam.pro
Diet after vomiting
It is not enough just to stop the child from vomiting; you need to make sure that the unpleasant urge does not arise again. This can be achieved by following a diet. The child's nutrition in the first days of illness should be fractional and gentle . The diet includes only healthy and natural products. It is unacceptable to give your baby fried and smoked foods, as well as food that is richly flavored with spices.
You need to include protein-rich foods in your meals. These are lean meats - chicken, rabbit and veal. Dairy products – bifidokefir and low-fat cottage cheese. It is not recommended to give your child confectionery products, especially those made with yeast dough, as they will provoke fermentation and a new attack of vomiting. The child should receive carbohydrates from porridges - buckwheat, oatmeal and rice.
In the first days, you should not load your stomach with fresh fruits and vegetables . You can give baked apples with honey or well-ripe bananas. It is better to cook light soups from vegetables using a second broth. All food is prepared by steaming or in the oven; it is also allowed to boil foods.
After bouts of vomiting, a child should not be offered dishes made from cabbage and legumes. They cause severe bloating and are difficult to digest.