What should you know about consistent nausea?

Nausea can accompany acid reflux, gastritis, gastroenteritis, food poisoning, or gallstones. Heat exhaustion, hypoglycaemia, and Hepatitis A can also present with nausea, often alongside clues such as sweating and weakness, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, shakiness, fever, dark urine, or yellowing of the eyes. New medicines, migraine, anxiety, pregnancy, and dehydration are other possibilities. Nausea is a symptom rather than a diagnosis, so its timing, triggers, and associated signs guide the next step.

Take small, frequent sips of water or an oral rehydration drink and choose bland foods when tolerated. Avoid large meals, strong smells, alcohol, and strenuous activity in heat. Rest somewhere cool if nausea follows heat exposure. Keep track of fluids, urine output, meals, medicines, pain, fever, and vomiting. Do not take another person’s anti-nausea medicine or stop essential treatment without advice. A pharmacist or clinician can help select a safe option based on the cause and your health.

Arrange a medical review when nausea persists, keeps returning, limits food or fluids, or follows a new medicine. Seek urgent help for severe abdominal pain, chest pain, confusion, fainting, blood or green vomit, signs of dehydration, high fever, yellow skin or eyes, or suspected heat illness. People with diabetes should respond promptly to nausea with shakiness, sweating, or unusual weakness and check their glucose plan if available.

Ask whether your symptoms fit a stomach infection, reflux, heat illness, medication effect, or another cause; which fluids are suitable; and how long you should monitor before review. Give the clinician a full medicine list and describe any pain, bowel changes, fever, or recent travel.