Stop Dry Heaving

Dry heaving is that sensation you feel when you are about to vomit but nothing comes out of your mouth. This condition is commonly seen in pregnant women, but it can happen to anyone. In most cases, you can stop dry heaving by putting the right food or drink in your stomach -- usually something bland, sweet, or cold -- or by using over-the-counter medication like an antihistamine or anti-nausea drug, depending on the underlying cause and your current medical condition. Dry heaving usually goes away with home care, but when it happens incessantly, then it is best to seek prompt medical attention.

Steps

Using Home Remedies

1. Drink plenty of fluids. One of the main causes of dry heaving is that there are not enough fluids circulating in your body, causing fluid imbalance. Your best course of action, then, is to drink plenty of fluids. Remember the rule: drink at least 8-12 glasses of water every day. Sports drinks with electrolytes are good, too, to correct this imbalance.
   • If you cannot tolerate liquids due to the bad taste in your mouth, then rehydrate gradually – start by taking small sips of water, apple juice or mint tea.
   • Dehydration due to dry heaving causes a lot of problems. With the loss of mucus, your body signals your heart to work harder and your kidneys to work double time. When vital organs are stressed it can further lead to total shut down, which, in worst case scenarios, can lead to death.
2. Eat something sweet to get your blood sugar up. Low blood sugar (or hypoglycemia) is a signal that your body is missing some nutrients that you need to fully function. This can cause dry heaving and also serve as a warning. Luckily, it can be quickly remedied by eating a popsicle or some candy.
   • Maintaining your sugar levels not only prevents hypoglycemia and dry heaving but also helps in keeping you focused. Eating something sweet will bring glucose to your brain and will also help in transporting oxygen to your blood so that it can properly circulate in the different parts of your body.
3. Eat bland food, like toast or soda crackers. These dry, light or somewhat tasteless foods decreases palate sensitivity in the tongue, which reduces dry heaving, gets rid of that bad taste in your mouth, and may even prevent the urge it from getting worse. They should be soft, not spicy, and low in fiber. Good sources of bland foods are:
   • Soup, broth, bouillon
   • Cereals (oatmeal, cream of wheat, corn flakes)
   • Pudding and custard
   • Eggs
   • Tofu
   • Toast
   • Soda crackers
4. Eat small meals often. Eating a large amount at one time may bring about dry heaves or full on vomiting. Instead of eating 3 full meals a day, split each meal into two and make a 6 meal plan – you're eating the same amount, just throughout the day.
   • Do not allow your stomach to be empty. This is correlated to maintaining your blood sugar level, too, in addition to taking pressure off your gastric sphincter. While an empty stomach is a trigger for dry heaving to occur, hypoglycemia should also be taken seriously as it can cause myriad other problems like light headedness and nausea.
5. Quit consuming caffeine. Caffeine is a powerful and addictive stimulant that our bodies easily react to. Since it is such a powerful chemical, it can cause the gastrointestinal tract to become hyperactive, leading to dry heaves and vomiting when too much is consumed. To avoid this, limit your caffeine intake to 250 milligrams per day.
   • Coffee, tea and chocolates are not the only goods with caffeine content. See the label for the amount of caffeine on each product you consume.
6. Have something cold. Cold drinks decrease the stimulation of the gastrointestinal system. If you choose something with sugar, that's two benefits in one. However, be sure to only consume what you can tolerate. Start out with a small amount and increase it if you can. Good examples are:
   • Cold, decaffeinated soda
   • Ice chips (put in your mouth and let it melt)
   • Popsicles
   • Sherbet
   • A frozen yogurt bar

Using Medical Treatment

1. Take antihistamines (Benadryl). These medications are taken to manage allergic symptoms caused by triggers that can also cause vomiting. Taking antihistamines will help in managing the pain that histamines bring about in case you are dehydrated due to dry heaving. One or two tablets of an antihistamine like Benadryl should help stop the urge to vomit.
   • Histamine is actually an essential chemical messenger in the brain. Also, it manages water intake as well as drought management in the body. It's when these chemicals flare up in allergic reaction that an anti-histamine comes in handy.
2. Consider taking anti-vomiting/nausea drugs. Medications like Bonine and phenothiazines can be taken to help settle gastric contents in your stomach and help stop vomiting. These should be taken once daily or as needed whenever symptoms arise. Talk to your doctor about what's appropriate for you – the dosage will depend upon the severity of your condition.
   • Phenothiazines (Compazine and Phenergan) block dopamine receptors that trigger neurotransmitters for involuntary vomiting. Once these neurotransmitters are blocked, retching will likely cease.
3. Talk to your doctor about anti-anxiety medications. Quite clearly, anxiety causes stress. When you are stressed, a horde of symptoms manifests which can lead to dry heaving. Taking Ativan or Xanax as needed or when anxiety attacks manifest may greatly help if you suspect stress may be the cause of your dry heaving.
   • Alprazolam (Xanax) is usually prescribed in a dosage of 0.25 mg thrice a day for short anxiety attacks. However, correct dosing of anxiolytics (anti-anxiety medications) should be at your psychiatrist’s discretion. These are “downers” and need to be taken carefully as they slow and decrease everything from heart rate to organ functioning, etc.
4. Consider alternative measures like acupuncture, too. Sometimes alternative measures such as acupuncture and acupressure are also considered to be effective against dry heaving, especially for pregnant women. The principle involved here is that when energy is unbalanced, illness will develop. In order to restore balance, certain points need to be stimulated in order to reduce episodes of dry heaving as well as relax the gastrointestinal tract. This is where acupuncture comes in.
   • If you're not fond of needles, consider acupressure or a deep tissue massage. Mention to your masseuse that you're interested in relieving pressure points for the sake of your health.

Preventing Future Episodes

1. Hydrate before consuming alcohol. Before a night of drinking, try to drink at least 750 mL of water, or however much you can tolerate. Drinking a lot of water before drinking prevents you from being severely dehydrated. With enough water in your system, alcohol gets diluted and its absorption is slowed, therefore delaying the negative effects of overconsumption, like vomiting and dry heaving.
   • After consuming too much alcohol, alcohol replaces the water in the body making you dehydrated. You end up vomiting until there's nothing left. That's when dry heaving starts. With more water in your system, dry heaves can be avoided.
2. Eat food high in fats. Fats reduce alcohol absorption in your body. This too works the same way as taking in more water. It slows the absorption of alcohol to the body thereby delaying its effects. However, there is a difference between healthy fat and unhealthy fat. Here are some sources of fat that will keep you feeling energized and healthy:
   • Fatty fish, like salmon, mackerel, and herring
   • Walnuts, almonds, and other nuts
   • Olive, grapeseed, and flaxseed oils
   • Avocados
3. Relax. Anxiety and stress is something we all experience. People who have difficulty coping with stress experience signs and symptoms in the body that should be physiological in nature. This is called a “conversion” type of defense mechanism against stress and anxiety. Nausea, vomiting and retching (dry heaving) appears with no exact cause. In order to avoid this, stay relaxed!
   • Apart from taking anxiolytics, introduce yoga, meditation, or deep breathing exercises into your routine. If those aren't up your alley, take a vacation. Even if it's half an hour of "me-time," it'll help.
4. Avoid triggers like bad smells. An awful and stomach-turning smell can give you the urge to dry heave. Common nauseating odors include smoke, perfume and certain food smells. These should be avoided if you're feeling especially sensitive to odors, light, and sound. If you cannot avoid it, wear a mask to cover your nose and mouth or simply use a handkerchief.
   • Odors trigger dry heaves by sending too much chemical stimuli to the brain. Your olfactory system is highly connected to your digestive system, producing the urge to vomit.
5. Stay put. Plenty of people feel the urge to vomit when they're suffering from motion sickness. This happens when what we see and what our body thinks is our position isn't in conjunction. Simply driving down a windy road can cause it, as can being on a boat, roller coaster, or any other up-and-down, left-and-right, jostling experience.
   • Try not to listen to people talking about motion sickness. For some unknown reason, a person who listens to people who say that they have motion sickness may get it too. It's like yawning – sometimes it's contagious.
   • To combat this urge, look at a fixed object (example: the horizon) in travelling in any vehicle. Fixed views do not stimulate the brain, reducing the urge to heave.

Tips

• In case dry heaving is not totally remedied with home treatments, then it is best to pay your doctor a visit to get prescription drugs to manage the symptoms.
• High in fat, spicy, and raw foods should be avoided while on this diet to avoid further gastrointestinal problems.

Sources and Citations

• Lippincott, W. ET. Al. (2007). Medical-Surgical Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!
• Smeltzer, S. ET. Al.(2008). Brunner & Suddarth’s textbook of medical-surgical nursing
• Weber, C.G (2013). Clinical Gastroenterology (Clinical Medicine Series)
• Carrau, R & Murry, T (2012). Clinical Management of Swallowing Disorders

See also

• Overcome a Vitamin D Deficiency
• Cope with Psoriasis at Work
• Maintain Strong Bones when You Have Crohn's Disease
• Treat Dermal Filler Infections
• Check for a Hernia
• Cure Goiters
• Avoid Whey to Alleviate Lactose Intolerance
• Treat Fluid Retention
• Avoid Sea Sickness
• Treat Anemia

Read more ...