Definition

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Nausea and vomiting are common signs and symptoms that can be caused by numerous conditions. Nausea and vomiting most often are due to viral gastroenteritis — often called stomach flu — or the morning sickness of early pregnancy.

Many medications or substances can also cause nausea and vomiting, including marijuana (cannabis). Rarely, nausea and vomiting may indicate a serious or even life-threatening problem.

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.

We use the data you provide to deliver you the content you requested. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, we may combine your email and website data with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, we will only use your protected health information as outlined in our Notice of Privacy Practices. You may opt out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the email.

Dec. 07, 2023

See also

  1. Acute coronary syndrome
  2. Acute liver failure
  3. Addison's disease
  4. Adrenal fatigue: What causes it?
  5. Airplane ear
  6. Alcohol intolerance
  7. Alcohol use disorder
  8. Allergy medications: Know your options
  9. Allergy-proof your home
  10. Alleviating migraine pain
  11. Anaphylaxis
  12. Anaphylaxis: First aid
  13. Aneurysms
  14. Angina
  15. Anthrax
  16. Antibiotic-associated diarrhea
  17. Ascariasis
  18. Aspirin allergy
  19. Astrocytoma
  20. Autoimmune hepatitis
  21. Beating Ovarian Cancer
  22. Bee sting
  23. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
  24. Blastocystis hominis
  25. Botulism
  26. Brain aneurysm
  27. Brain tumor
  28. Brain tumor FAQs
  29. Bump on the head: When is it a serious head injury?
  30. Burkitt lymphoma
  31. CA 125 test: A screening test for ovarian cancer?
  32. Calcium supplements: A risk factor for heart attack?
  33. Carbon monoxide poisoning
  34. Cardiac asthma: What causes it?
  35. Cardiogenic shock
  36. Celiac disease
  37. Chest pain
  38. Cholecystitis
  39. Chronic daily headaches
  40. Chronic granulomatous disease
  41. Chronic kidney disease
  42. Chronic kidney disease: Is a clinical trial right for me?
  43. Chronic sinusitis
  44. Churg-Strauss syndrome
  45. Cirrhosis
  46. Concussion
  47. Concussion in children
  48. Concussion Telemedicine
  49. Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
  50. Constipation in children
  51. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
  52. COVID-19 travel advice
  53. COVID-19 vaccines for kids: What you need to know
  54. COVID-19 vs. flu: Similarities and differences
  55. COVID-19: How can I protect myself?
  56. COVID-19: Who's at higher risk of serious symptoms?
  57. Craniopharyngioma
  58. CSF leak (Cerebrospinal fluid leak)
  59. Cyclic vomiting syndrome
  60. Debunking coronavirus myths
  61. Dengue fever
  62. Diabetic coma
  63. Diabetic Gastroparesis
  64. Diabetic ketoacidosis
  65. Diabetic neuropathy
  66. Different COVID-19 vaccines
  67. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
  68. Diffuse midline glioma (DMG)
  69. Digestion: How long does it take?
  70. Diverticulitis
  71. Dumping syndrome
  72. E. coli
  73. Ear infection (middle ear)
  74. Ectopic pregnancy
  75. Effectively managing chronic kidney disease
  76. Egg allergy
  77. Ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis
  78. Encephalitis
  79. Endometriosis
  80. Endometriosis FAQs
  81. Esophagitis
  82. Fecal transplant treatment of C. difficile at Mayo Clinic
  83. Fight coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission at home
  84. Flu masks
  85. Flu vaccine: Safe for people with egg allergy?
  86. Food allergy
  87. Food allergy or intolerance?
  88. Food poisoning (foodborne illness)
  89. Fructose intolerance: Which foods to avoid?
  90. Gallbladder cancer
  91. Gallbladder polyps: Can they be cancerous?
  92. Gastritis
  93. Giardia infection (giardiasis)
  94. Glaucoma
  95. Glioblastoma
  96. Guide to different tick species and the diseases they carry
  97. H1N1 flu (swine flu)
  98. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
  99. Headaches and hormones
  100. Headaches in children
  101. Headaches: Treatment depends on your diagnosis and symptoms
  102. Heart attack
  103. Heart attack prevention: Should I avoid secondhand smoke?
  104. Heart attack symptoms
  105. Heart Attack Timing
  106. Heart failure
  107. Heart failure action plan
  108. Heart failure and sex: Is it safe?
  109. Heat exhaustion
  110. Heatstroke
  111. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection
  112. Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)
  113. Hemophilia
  114. Henoch-Schonlein purpura
  115. Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C: What’s the difference?
  116. Hepatitis C
  117. Hepatitis C: How common is sexual transmission?
  118. Hepatitis C: What happens in end-stage liver disease?
  119. Herd immunity and coronavirus
  120. Hirschsprung's disease
  121. How do COVID-19 antibody tests differ from diagnostic tests?
  122. How kidneys work
  123. How well do face masks protect against COVID-19?
  124. Hypercalcemia
  125. Hyponatremia
  126. Infant reflux
  127. Infographic: Multiple Myeloma
  128. Intestinal ischemia
  129. Intracranial hematoma
  130. Intussusception
  131. Is hydroxychloroquine a treatment for COVID-19?
  132. Jellyfish stings
  133. Kawasaki disease
  134. Kidney disease FAQs
  135. Kidney stones
  136. Lead poisoning
  137. Listeria infection
  138. Liver cancer
  139. Liver disease
  140. Liver hemangioma
  141. Living with Brain Tumors
  142. Long Term Brain Cancer Survivor
  143. Long-term effects of COVID-19
  144. Low blood sodium in older adults: A concern?
  145. Low-phosphorus diet: Helpful for kidney disease?
  146. Malaria
  147. Mantle cell lymphoma
  148. Marathon and the Heat
  149. Marginal zone lymphoma
  150. Mayo Clinic Minute: Avoiding summer E. coli infection
  151. Mayo Clinic Minute: Meningitis 101 for college students
  152. Mayo Clinic Minute: Prevent migraines with magnetic stimulation
  153. Mayo Clinic Minute: Weathering migraines
  154. Mayo Clinic Minute: You're washing your hands all wrong
  155. Mayo Clinic study reporting increased incidence of C. difficile infection
  156. MCAD deficiency
  157. Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS)
  158. Medulloblastoma
  159. Meningitis
  160. Migraine
  161. Migraine FAQs
  162. Migraine medicines and antidepressants
  163. Migraine treatment: Can antidepressants help?
  164. Migraines and gastrointestinal problems: Is there a link?
  165. Migraines and Vertigo
  166. Migraines: Are they triggered by weather changes?
  167. Molar pregnancy
  168. Morning sickness
  169. Multiple myeloma
  170. Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C)
  171. Myocardial ischemia
  172. New Hep C Treatment
  173. New Test for Preeclampsia
  174. Nighttime headaches: Relief
  175. Nighttime panic attacks: What causes them?
  176. Norovirus infection
  177. NSAIDs: Do they increase my risk of heart attack and stroke?
  178. Ocular migraine: When to seek help
  179. Orchitis
  180. Orthostatic hypotension (postural hypotension)
  181. Ovarian cancer
  182. Ovarian cancer: Still possible after hysterectomy?
  183. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome
  184. Pain Management
  185. Pancreatic cysts
  186. Pap test: Can it detect ovarian cancer?
  187. Parvovirus infection
  188. Peanut allergy
  189. Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
  190. Peritoneal carcinomatosis
  191. Peritonitis
  192. Pilocytic astrocytoma
  193. Pinworm infection
  194. Pituitary tumors
  195. Plague
  196. Polio
  197. Polymorphous light eruption
  198. Porphyria
  199. Postpartum preeclampsia
  200. Preeclampsia
  201. Pregnancy and COVID-19
  202. Preventing Kidney Stones
  203. Pseudomembranous colitis
  204. Punk Guitarist Survives Brain Tumor
  205. Pyloric stenosis
  206. Radiation sickness
  207. Recurrent breast cancer
  208. Rhabdomyolysis
  209. Ricin poisoning
  210. Rotavirus
  211. Ruptured eardrum (perforated eardrum)
  212. Safe outdoor activities during the COVID-19 pandemic
  213. Safety tips for attending school during COVID-19
  214. Salmonella infection
  215. Salt craving: A symptom of Addison's disease?
  216. Scarlet fever
  217. Scrotal masses
  218. Self-care for the flu
  219. Sex and COVID-19
  220. Shaken baby syndrome
  221. Silent heart attack
  222. Smallpox
  223. Social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
  224. Spider bites
  225. Spinal headaches
  226. Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD)
  227. Staph infections
  228. Strep throat
  229. Subarachnoid hemorrhage
  230. Sulfa allergy
  231. Swallowing gum: Is it harmful?
  232. Tapeworm infection
  233. Testicular torsion
  234. Thunderclap headaches
  235. Toxic shock syndrome
  236. Types of diabetic neuropathy
  237. Vascular rings
  238. Vasovagal syncope
  239. Ventricular fibrillation
  240. What is a migraine? A Mayo Clinic expert explains
  241. What is cirrhosis? A Mayo Clinic expert explains
  242. What is kidney disease? An expert explains
  243. What is stomach cancer? A Mayo Clinic expert explains
  244. Wheat allergy
  245. White stool: Should I be concerned?
  246. Whooping cough
  247. Whooping cough
  248. Why isn't there a hepatitis C vaccine?
  249. Wilson's disease
  250. Zollinger-Ellison syndrome