# Medicine taken via IV still made me vomit--why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 23, 2007, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicine-taken-via-iv-still-made-me-vomit-why/431057 "2007-12-23T22:12:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicine-taken-via-iv-still-made-me-vomit-why/431057/1 "2007-12-23T22:12:12Z")
I always thought that certain pain medications made me sick to my stomach because they were irritating to the stomach itself. I was (unpleasantly) surprised, however, when a dose of Demoral, given through my IV not long after back surgery, made me feel almost instantly queasy. Sure enough, 10 minutes later, I was calling for the nurse to come clean me up–and bring an anti-nausea shot. Once I had that shot, I felt grrrrrrrrrreat (seriously, turns out that Demoral is good stuff)…but I have been curious ever since what the mechanism is in my body that says “Anesthesia? Demoral? Darvocet? PUUUUKE!” (Vicodin , Motrin, and Tylenol are fine.) My body is so annoying. The littlest thing like, oh, back surgery sends my blood pressure to the double-digits and my tummy on full revolt. ---
**Author:** ![xiix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/d6d6ee/32.png) [@xiix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xiix)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicine-taken-via-iv-still-made-me-vomit-why/431057/2 "2007-12-24T00:03:08Z")
_insert generic IANAD disclaimer here_ I don’t know much about Demoral, but other drugs (is Demoral an Opiate too?) like Heroin are known to induce nausea when smoked or injected, so that leads me to believe that nausea isn’t necessarily a product of interaction with the stomach (though there are definitely drugs that make one nauseous as an result of their interaction with the stomach). ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicine-taken-via-iv-still-made-me-vomit-why/431057/3 "2007-12-24T02:31:08Z")
Well, I don’t know about people but with animals certain medications given IV have to be given slowly or they may cause vomiting. I have no idea why though. We don’t use demerol in animals though so it’s not one of them. Well, that was absolutely no help. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicine-taken-via-iv-still-made-me-vomit-why/431057/4 "2007-12-24T02:43:50Z")
One of the newer drugs for diabetes, Byetta, is injected like insulin. Many people start puking from it, others have no problem. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicine-taken-via-iv-still-made-me-vomit-why/431057/5 "2007-12-24T02:49:27Z")
A lot of medications (opiates in particular) can cause gastropariesis, or sudden cessation of stomach emptying. Stomach fills up, doesn’t empty, person feels queasy and yorks. ---
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicine-taken-via-iv-still-made-me-vomit-why/431057/6 "2007-12-24T03:54:18Z")
Qagdop, could I expect the same reaction from morphine? The nurses wanted to try that for me next, but I didn’t want to york (great word!) again and opted just for Motrin. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicine-taken-via-iv-still-made-me-vomit-why/431057/7 "2007-12-24T04:07:51Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] …yorks. [/QUOTE] Is that the medical term now? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Cyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyn)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicine-taken-via-iv-still-made-me-vomit-why/431057/8 "2007-12-24T04:16:59Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] A lot of medications (opiates in particular) can cause gastropariesis, or sudden cessation of stomach emptying. Stomach fills up, doesn’t empty, person feels queasy and yorks. [/QUOTE] IIRC isn’t there a non trivial percentage of people who are allergic to demerol, and could this have generated the effect? ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicine-taken-via-iv-still-made-me-vomit-why/431057/9 "2007-12-24T04:40:32Z")
Nausea and vomiting can result from both peripheral (GI tract) problems such as irritation or obstruction, or it can be central (within the brain) in origin. Many drugs including demerol (and many chemotherapeutic agents) produce nausea and vomiting that is of central origin. Inner ear problems can of course also produce nausea and vomiting that is considered to be central. Nausea and vomiting from demerol is a side effect but not an allergic reaction in the proper sense of the term. ---
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicine-taken-via-iv-still-made-me-vomit-why/431057/10 "2007-12-24T05:00:44Z")
And you know, the nurse chided me when I said, “Demerol?? Ohh, that makes me sick…” “But you didn’t tell us that when we asked about medications you’re allergic to!” Um…when I think allergic, I think of the hives penicillin gives me, not the barfing Demerol causes me. So now I know. :rolleyes: FTR, I do have a laaaaaaaaaaaaaaamely sensitive inner ear. I get motion sickness (Dramamine is my friend) very easily in certain conditions. I find if I keep up on my allergy meds–my sinuses rebel against dust and whatever else the Santa Ana winds bring–then I don’t get motion sickness or vertigo. So perhaps that sensitive equilibrium was offended by the meds? Odd to me, as I was lying on my side perfectly still (half asleep) when I received the dose–however, nothing my inner ear does surprises me. It’s, like I said, laaaaaaaaaaame. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicine-taken-via-iv-still-made-me-vomit-why/431057/11 "2007-12-24T05:02:58Z")
[QUOTE=Ruffian] Qagdop, could I expect the same reaction from morphine? The nurses wanted to try that for me next, but I didn’t want to york (great word!) again and opted just for Motrin. [/QUOTE] Possibly, morphine would cause the same problem. Nowadays, in my area at least, more and more people are using hydromorphone (Dilaudid) instead of morphine because it is said to produce less nausea. When I’ve prescribed it (usually for cancer patients, but sometimes for relatively acute pain such as might result from a fracture), my sense is that does indeed produce less nausea than morphine. And, speaking anecdotally again, as someone who’s had seven surgeries in the last few years, receiving morphine after some and hydromorphone after others, I’d agree - it does seem like the hydromorphone gave me significantly less nausea. In fact, I didn’t have any most of the time. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicine-taken-via-iv-still-made-me-vomit-why/431057/12 "2007-12-24T06:31:24Z")
I don’t know why that is, but it definitely works that way. For me, it’s morphine and vicodin that give me the barfies. Demerol, Darvocet and Tylenol with codeine don’t make me hurl. I got my knee operated on when I was 17, and afterward, they gave me intravenous morphine on one of those little pump gizmos. I felt ok, until I ate, then about 15 minutes later, I raised my head up a little, and projectile vomited toward my toes. I managed to clear my body, and only caught my toes. The nurse seemed kind of impressed that I managed to puke on the floor past my feet, despite being flat on my back. Demerol is good stuff. I can see why some people might get addicted to drugs that make you feel like that- it’s hard to describe beyond “instant euphoria”. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicine-taken-via-iv-still-made-me-vomit-why/431057/13 "2007-12-24T08:17:21Z")
By the way, [here](http://www.springerlink.com/content/n132010521u72um6/) is a very recent study supporting the notion that hydromorphone (Dilaudid) causes less nausea than morphine (although pain control may also be less, too). From [here](http://www.springerlink.com/content/n132010521u72um6/): > [@](#): > > Numerical rating score of nausea (M 2.5 vs. HM 1.5; p = 0.01), incidences of emesis (M 0.7/d vs. HM 0.1/d, p = 0.0001), the consumption of antiemetics (M 26 vs. HM 14, p = 0.01), and the number of constipated patients (M 8 vs. HM 2, p = 0.04) were higher in the morphine group ---
**Author:** ![RoniaBorkason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9dc877/32.png) [@RoniaBorkason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RoniaBorkason)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicine-taken-via-iv-still-made-me-vomit-why/431057/14 "2007-12-24T19:00:10Z")
Well, just a confirming anecdote - my husband has gotten injected with Dilaudid for his migraines, and it made him high for half an hour, then sick for the next four hours. Vicoden or Norco make him queasy, but he doesn’t usually york. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicine-taken-via-iv-still-made-me-vomit-why/431057/15 "2007-12-24T19:21:06Z")
[QUOTE=bump] I don’t know why that is, but it definitely works that way. For me, it’s morphine and vicodin that give me the barfies. Demerol, Darvocet and Tylenol with codeine don’t make me hurl. [/QUOTE] Tylenol with codeine doesn’t make me sick, but then it doesn’t do much else either. Hearing the latter statement, the ER doc prescribed me vicodin (5/500) for my broken wrist. Turns out it makes me throw up about 90 min after taking it (with or without food) - but only if I’m awake. To me, it feels like the nausea is in my throat, rather than a “stomach upset” and apparently I can sleep through it just fine, but if I’m awake I’m screwed. Rather than deal with it, I just stopped taking the vicodin completely.