The indiscriminate use of anti-nausea medication can lead to serious consequences, including missing or masking symptoms of hazardous conditions such as appendicitis, encephalitis, or brain tumors…
Nausea is a reflex action of the body that expels contents from the stomach and the upper part of the small intestine through the mouth. It can be a manifestation of various gastrointestinal and abdominal conditions, such as acute gastritis or enteritis, appendicitis, and peritonitis. However, nausea can also arise from conditions outside the abdominal cavity, commonly from the central nervous system (such as encephalitis, meningitis, brain tumors, or intracranial hemorrhage), renal and urinary tract disorders, or infections in the upper respiratory tract…
Therefore, prescribing anti-nausea medication is not as simple as many people think; it requires precise medical indications after identifying the cause and mechanism of the nausea, and diagnosing or ruling out dangerous conditions for which nausea is merely a symptom. Incorrect prescriptions or indiscriminate use of anti-nausea medications can lead to overlooking or masking the symptoms of a severe illness, or experiencing the very common and complex side effects of these medications.
The commonly used anti-nausea medications today are categorized into two main groups. The first group acts on the vomiting center and includes several medications such as Vogalene, Plitican, Kytrin, Zophren, Scopoderm, Nautamin, Nausicalm, and Dramamine. The second group prevents nausea and reflux by regulating the motility of the upper gastrointestinal tract, including Prepulsid (which increases esophageal, gastric, and intestinal motility), Motilium (which accelerates gastric emptying), and Primperan (which enhances esophageal, gastric, and intestinal motility).
Dr. Nguyen Van Bang
