Coping with nausea

January 2007     View PDF     En español

Causes and clues

Drug-related nausea is caused by a large number of medications, including anti-HIV drugs and drugs used to treat HIV-related infections. This kind of nausea is generally the most severe during the first few weeks of starting a new drug, before the body has become accustomed to it. For most people, nausea decreases or disappears as the body adjusts to a new treatment. This usually lasts four to six weeks. In other cases, nausea develops when a new combination of drugs is taken at the same time. Some drugs are much more likely than others to cause nausea.

If nausea occurs without a recent change in medication, it is probably not a drug side effect. If it persists or worsens despite your steps to treat it, nausea may be telling you that you have an infection, especially if it’s accompanied by other symptoms like fever, diarrhea, abdominal pain, etc. In women, it may be an early sign of pregnancy. Nausea might also be due to or worsened by other lifestyle factors and everyday things, such as diet, yeast, odors, chronic pain, etc.