Nausea and Vomiting in the Pharmacy

Abstract

Nausea and vomiting are not diseases but are common symptoms that may be caused by a variety of physical and psychological conditions.¹ Vomiting may be voluntary or involuntary, but is commonly an involuntary, uncontrollable reflex that expels the contents of the stomach through the mouth. Nausea is a term used to describe the uneasiness in the stomach that precedes vomiting, although the patient may experience nausea and not actually vomit.^{1 2,3} Dry heaves or retching is the movement of the stomach trying to vomit when there are no contents remaining, but the impulse to vomit is still present.^4,5