Many people doubt whether activated charcoal helps with nausea if there are no other medications in the home medicine cabinet, and the unpleasant discomfort requires quick elimination. Undoubtedly, treatment of nausea and nausea should begin based on the cause of the painful symptoms.
In most cases, the body reacts with an attack of nausea due to exposure to the vomiting center of toxins and toxic substances that enter the general bloodstream and come from food or from the external environment in another way (inhalation of chemical vapors, exposure to household poisons on the skin). Therefore, the question of how you can reduce or stop nausea is always relevant in order to alleviate your condition.
Causes of nausea and vomiting
Nausea and vomiting are unconscious reflexes of the body; they cannot be controlled or suppressed by willpower. Signs of vomiting and nausea can have different causes:
simple motion sickness in transport; age-related processes in infants - intolerance to the proteins and carbohydrates present in the nutritional mixture or overfeeding; food poisoning; gastrointestinal tract infections; toxicosis during pregnancy; intoxication; intracranial disorders; severe migraine or headache; vomiting in adolescence associated with signs of bulimia, anorexia; diseases requiring surgical intervention: appendicitis, peritonitis; viral and bacterial brain lesions; pulmonary infections or urinary tract diseases.
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This is not a complete list of diseases that may cause nausea. Everyone felt it approaching.
Nausea is felt by salivation, dizziness, frequent swallowing reflex, general malaise, and muscle weakness.
Vomiting is the process of contraction of the abdominal muscles, during which, with forward movements, food debris enters the esophagus, and the contents of the stomach are released out. This is the body’s protective reaction to the ingestion of harmful substances, pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Dehydration often occurs after vomiting. To stop nausea and vomiting in everyday life, use a proven remedy.
When application is ineffective
Correct use is associated not only with the dosage of the drug, but also with assessing the severity of the condition of the victim from intoxication
The effectiveness and efficiency of activated carbon is negligible if vomiting and nausea are not associated with food or poisoning.
The drug is not used for the following conditions:
- gestosis of pregnant women in late stages;
- acute appendicitis;
- migraine, chronic headaches associated with high blood pressure, increased intracranial pressure;
- intoxication caused by viral or bacterial diseases;
- chronic pathologies of the kidneys and liver;
- exacerbation of cholecystitis;
- history of pancreatitis.
Often, nausea or vomiting is a harbinger of myocardial infarction, a clinical picture of an “acute abdomen” with peritonitis, overheating or sunstroke, or hypertension. If severe discomfort occurs, associated with vomiting, sweating and cooling of the skin, as well as fainting, the patient should be kept at rest and an ambulance should be called.
Activated carbon and its analogues
Activated carbon is one of the powerful drugs that remove toxic substances from the body. It helps with diarrhea, flatulence, poor digestion of food, dysentery, intoxication, allergic reaction, food poisoning, gas formation. Activated carbon is a herbal medicine. It absorbs, retains and removes toxins, ensuring the body is cleansed of harmful bacteria. Toxic substances are eliminated through the gastrointestinal tract. The effect of the drug begins immediately after ingestion.
Contraindications
Activated carbon is considered to be a harmless and safe medicine, but even it has certain contraindications. Although their list is small, it primarily concerns children. Thus, treatment with this sorbent is prohibited for erosive lesions of the digestive organs, as well as intestinal or gastric bleeding. In addition, the drug is not used in cases of hypersensitivity, which, although extremely rare, occurs in some children. Activated charcoal should not be given to children suffering from intestinal atony when vomiting.
White coal
In pharmacies the drug is sold in two forms: white and traditional black.
Their indications for use are the same.
White coal is a new generation drug that has a high ability to remove harmful substances from the body. It is taken quantitatively less than black (1 tablet per 10 kg of weight).
Black has contraindications - a tendency to constipation, white, on the contrary, accelerates the removal of toxins and has no contraindications. The drug accelerates the breakdown of nutrients and, accordingly, increases the rate of their absorption in the body.
For children, it can be difficult to swallow several tablets, then the white equivalent will come to the rescue. Its dosage is less than that of black.
The white analogue contains additional substances: powdered silicon dioxide, microcrystalline cellulose, powdered sugar, potato starch.
It is believed that the white analogue is more effective. But consumers trust proven medicine more, especially since it is cheaper. There are other analogues of activated carbon.
Overdose
If the recommended dosage is exceeded in children, the following pathological signs may occur: nausea, general weakness, severe diarrhea, headache or vomiting. Since the medication is not absorbed, in this situation, symptomatic remedies can be used until the child’s condition returns to normal.
An overdose of activated carbon threatens the body’s loss of useful substances - potassium and calcium, which is extremely dangerous for the heart and blood vessels, and also threatens the development of dysbacteriosis and decreased immunity.
Can activated charcoal be combined with other medications for vomiting?
How to relieve symptoms of food poisoning
If there are signs of overeating or food poisoning, accompanied by weakness, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, it is necessary to cleanse the stomach with charcoal.
Prepare 10 liters of lukewarm boiled water, dilute the charcoal at the rate of 2 tablets per glass of water. Try to give the patient to drink as much as possible. This will cause increased vomiting. It’s good if the vomit caused by drinking too much becomes transparent, which means the body is being cleansed.
After some time, the patient should be given activated charcoal to drink, following the dosage: 1 tablet of 250 mg per 10 kg of body weight for an adult.
The drug is better absorbed if the tablet is crushed into powder. Take orally no more than 3-4 times a day. Frequent use of the drug may lead to constipation.
Using activated charcoal to relieve nausea and vomiting in a child
Nausea and vomiting in a child caused by food poisoning is not a reason to panic. Parents should keep charcoal tablets on hand. They are indicated for use even in infants. The drug has virtually no contraindications. Sold without a prescription at a low price in any pharmacy.
A little history
One of the earliest references to the purifying properties of coal refers to Ancient Indian records, which describe the process of purifying drinking water . It was recommended to distill it through coal, then settle it in copper vessels and heat it in the sun.
The ancient Egyptians knew very well what this remedy helps with. They used it to heal wounds. Actively used as an antidote. It is a known fact that 1 gram of chitin that entered the human body was neutralized by 15 grams of activated carbon.
In ancient times , people placed charcoal in a closed clay pot and cooked it.
Modern technologies for the production of carbon tablets increase its adsorbing properties many times over.
For a long time, exclusively charcoal has not been used in its composition. The production is based on coconut shells, fruit seeds, and organic polymers. A unique technological line produces up to a thousand pores per gram. The enormous temperature conditions of manufacturing transform the raw materials into a substance covered with pores, with a large number of microcracks that tend to close the space. The absorbent properties of the drug are effectively used in pharmaceuticals.
The most popular type of adsorbent is tablet.
The drug consists
- Activated carbon,
- sugar or black salt
- starch, which allows you to maintain the round shape of the tablet.
Preliminary actions before taking
Dehydration from vomiting occurs faster in a child than in an adult, and can lead to impaired kidney function and even cardiac dysfunction.
The primary measure for food poisoning is gastric lavage using activated carbon tablets diluted in water. It is recommended to drink a lot of liquid, but not immediately, but from small containers.
Parents do not need to be afraid that after drinking liquid, vomiting follows. This is a natural reaction to the appearance of a foreign mass in an irritated stomach. Through vomiting, further cleansing of the body occurs.
In case of high fever, diarrhea and constant incessant vomiting, call a doctor immediately.
There are no age-related contraindications for use; you can start taking it at any age. But it is better not to give your child any medications for up to two months without consulting a pediatrician.
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What do charcoal tablets help with?
- Its adsorbing properties are used for food, alcohol and drug poisoning.
- If you experience intestinal disorders, abdominal pain, nausea that turns into vomiting, you can immediately take charcoal tablets.
- In addition, it will help get rid of flatulence.
- Reduces the amount of toxins in the intestines.
- Eliminates heartburn.
- Improves skin conditions.
- Makes your breath fresh.
- May speed up the healing of external injuries, ulcers and cuts. To do this, pound it and sprinkle it on the damaged area.
- Coal cleanses alcohol well, even simply shaking charcoal powder in a bottle of wine improves the quality of the drink.
- It captures natural gas, which allows it to be used in the manufacture of military gas masks.
Dosage for a child
Recommended doses of the drug for a tablet weight of 250 mg: up to one year, 1-2 tablets per day in the form of crushed powder, from one year to 3 years, 2-4 tablets per day, from 3 to 6 years – 4-6 tablets, after 6 years – 10 tablets or more depending on the child’s body weight.
To calculate the exact dosage, you need to multiply 0.05 grams by the baby’s body weight. A single dosage is up to 0.2 mg per 1 kg of child weight. The tablet must be ground into powder and diluted in a small amount of water.
The period of use of such drugs should not exceed 3-5 days. Otherwise, this will lead to the absorption of important substances from the body, including vitamins and amino acids.
It is recommended that children take the drug for more than three days only as prescribed by the treating pediatrician.
Drug interactions
Due to the strong adsorbing effect, the drug “Activated Carbon” is not recommended to be given to children simultaneously with other medications, since this reduces their absorption, which leads to a weaker therapeutic effect.
For this reason, the sorbent and other medications should be taken with a break of two hours.
Now it’s clear how to give activated charcoal to a child when vomiting.
