Nausea and vomiting – what helps, and when to get help
Nausea medication, rehydration and warning signs for adults and children in South Africa — including when home care is not enough.
Nausea has more than one cause
Nausea is the feeling that you may vomit. It can come with a stomach infection, food poisoning, pregnancy, a medicine side effect, migraine, motion sickness or another illness. The treatment that helps one cause may do nothing for another, so repeated or severe nausea deserves more than a random tablet.
Vomiting adds a second risk: losing fluid and salts. The immediate priorities are to look for warning signs, replace small amounts of fluid and work out whether the cause needs medical attention.
Nausea medication in South Africa
A pharmacist can check your symptoms and advise whether you need a clinician. Depending on the cause and setting, medicines used in South Africa include cyclizine (Valoid), metoclopramide and prescription options such as ondansetron. This list is not a recommendation to self-treat.
Medicines used for different causes of nausea or vomiting — some require a prescription:
Cyclizine — Valoid, Marzine
Nausea; vomiting; motion sickness; vertigo; post-operative nausea
Metoclopramide — Maxolon, Clopamon, Reglan, Primperan
Nausea and vomiting; GORD; gastroparesis; chemotherapy-induced nausea
Ondansetron — Zofran, Alepet
Nausea and vomiting (chemotherapy, post-operative, pregnancy-related refractory)
Fluids and food while you recover
- Take small, frequent sips of water or oral rehydration solution rather than a large glass at once.
- If you are vomiting, pause briefly and restart with tiny sips. If you cannot keep fluids down, get medical advice.
- Eat small, simple meals when you can. Avoid fatty food while the stomach is unsettled.
- Continue breastfeeding a baby. For a child, watch urine, tears, alertness and wet nappies as well as the vomiting.
Oral rehydration salts replace fluid and electrolytes when vomiting or diarrhoea causes losses:
Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) — Rehidrat, ORS sachets, Dioralyte, Electrolit
Dehydration due to diarrhoea or vomiting
When nausea needs urgent care
- A baby, older person or someone with a serious long-term condition who is becoming dehydrated.
- Vomiting that prevents any fluid staying down.
- Nausea and vomiting that keep returning, are getting worse or last longer than expected.
- Vomiting after a head injury, suspected poisoning or taking too much medicine.
- Uncertainty about the cause, especially with significant pain, fever or weight loss.
Common questions
- What medicine is good for nausea?
- There is no single best medicine for every cause. A pharmacist can assess your symptoms and advise whether you need a clinician; options used for different causes include cyclizine (Valoid), metoclopramide and prescription medicines such as ondansetron.
- What helps nausea at home?
- Take small frequent sips of fluid, use oral rehydration solution when fluid losses are significant, eat small meals when able and avoid fatty food. Get advice if you cannot keep fluids down or develop warning signs.
- When should I see a doctor for nausea and vomiting?
- Get urgent help for blood in vomit, severe pain, confusion, breathing difficulty, fainting, severe dehydration or sudden allergic symptoms. Arrange medical review if it persists, keeps returning, is worsening or the cause is uncertain.
Sources
- Primary Healthcare Standard Treatment Guidelines and Essential Medicines List, 8th editionNational Department of Health, South Africa
- Symptom-based integrated approach to the adult in primary care: nausea and vomitingNational Department of Health, South Africa
- Registered anti-nausea medicines and patient information leafletsSouth African Health Products Regulatory Authority
Last reviewed 11 August 2026.