6 Foods That Can Help You Fight Off Nausea From Antibiotics

Antibiotics are one of the wonders of modern medicine — they cure infections that just a few decades ago would’ve been deadly. But, like all medications, they can cause unpleasant side effects, like upset stomach and nausea. The good news is that you can take steps to prevent nausea associated with antibiotics. Let’s take a look at foods that can relieve your sour stomach while your antibiotics fight off infection.

Why do antibiotics cause nausea?

There are several reasons antibiotics cause nausea:

• Stomach lining irritation: Some antibiotics irritate the gut, which causes cramping or a burning feeling in your stomach after you take the medication. Gut irritation can lead to nausea and vomiting.

• Disrupted gut microbiome: Antibiotics don’t just kill bad bacteria — they take out a lot of good gut bacteria, too. Good gut bacteria help you digest food, create essential vitamins, and detox harmful substances. When your microbiome gets out of balance, you can develop an upset stomach, indigestion, and diarrhea.

• Acid reflux: Antibiotics can irritate the esophagus by causing acid from inside the stomach to move into the esophagus. This leads to heartburn and nausea. 

While many antibiotics can cause nausea, doxycycline and erythromycin are the most common culprits. 

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What are the best foods to eat with antibiotics to prevent nausea?

If you need to take antibiotics that are hard on the gut, there are steps you can take to minimize (or totally avoid) antibiotic-associated nausea. First, you can adjust your diet to protect your gut microbiome. A healthy microbiome can help you avoid the stomach problems that develop when “bad” bacteria take over. 

Here are six foods that can help maintain the normal balance of bacteria in your gut.

1. Fiber-rich foods

High-fiber foods can reduce inflammation in your gastrointestinal system and protect your microbiome. High-fiber foods to add to your diet while you’re taking antibiotics could include:

• Leafy greens like kale and spinach

• Beans

• Oatmeal

• Fruits

• Chia or flax seeds

2. Cultured or fermented foods

Cultured and fermented foods are a great source of probiotics, live yeasts and bacteria that support the natural flora in your gut microbiome. Foods you can add to your daily diet include:

• Yogurt

• Cheese

• Kimchi

• Sauerkraut

• Miso

• Natto (fermented soybeans)

• Buttermilk

• Kombucha

• Fermented vegetables

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Check food labels to make sure items were made with live cultures or “active cultures,” including Lactobacillus or Bifidobacteria.

3. Garlic

As a prebiotic, garlic prevents bad microbes. Prebiotics are basically food for good gut bacteria. Lab studies show that garlic boosts the growth of good bacteria. 

You’ll want to eat raw garlic for best effects. Eating raw garlic cloves may not sound appealing. But try adding chopped, raw garlic to salad dressing or guacamole. You can also rub cut garlic cloves on toast. 

If pungent foods are your thing, raw onions and leeks are also great prebiotics to add to your diet.

4. Dark chocolate

It turns out chocolate can be good for you. Good gut bacteria ferments cocoa in chocolate to create anti-inflammatory compounds that can help protect your gut. Cocoa also contains dietary fiber and antioxidant compounds (catechin and epicatechin). Dark chocolate contains more cocoa than other types of chocolate. Try adding a small square of dark chocolate to your daily diet when taking antibiotics. 

5. Probiotic supplements

Like cultured and fermented foods, probiotic supplements contain probiotics like Lactobacillus, which can rebuild your gut microbiome. Probiotic supplements come in many forms, including capsules and powders. Some manufacturers add probiotics to beverages and other foods. 

There’s good data to support using probiotics while taking antibiotics. But the quality of probiotic supplements can vary widely because the FDA doesn’t regulate supplements. A healthcare professional can help you choose a reputable probiotic. But many health experts recommend sticking with foods that are naturally high in probiotics instead of turning to supplements.

6. Ginger

Ginger has long been used as an alternative treatment to help prevent and treat nausea symptoms from a variety of causes. 

Most research on ginger has been focused on its benefits in treating pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting. But there’s emerging research that ginger is useful in medication-related nausea — namely chemotherapy. Given the mounting evidence that ginger is useful for nausea and its low likelihood of side effects, it might be worth a try to prevent nausea from antibiotics as well. 

Ginger is available in almost any supermarket. You can take ginger in teas, as a ginger shot, as a spice, or as candied ginger. If you have nausea while taking antibiotics, ginger is a great home remedy to try. 

What foods should you avoid when taking antibiotics?

Just like there are foods that may help prevent nausea and vomiting when taking antibiotics, some foods may make you more prone to stomach upset. Here’s a list of foods you may want to avoid when taking antibiotics.

1. Spicy foods

Spicy foods irritate the protective lining of your stomach and can worsen symptoms like nausea, vomiting, or stomach cramping. You should avoid spicy foods if antibiotics are irritating your stomach, or if you have nausea or vomiting while taking antibiotics. 

2. Acidic foods

If you have an upset stomach from antibiotics, eating acidic foods can cause your symptoms to worsen. Like spicy foods, acidic foods can irritate the stomach lining. This can cause symptoms like heartburn, nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps when taking antibiotics. Examples of acidic foods are:

• Lemons

• Limes

• Grapefruit

• Pineapple 

• Oranges

• Tomatoes

• Cider

• Soda

3. Caffeine

Nausea is a common side effect of caffeine. So if you have antibiotic-associated nausea and vomiting, avoid caffeine from coffee, tea, energy drinks, and soda. If antibiotics are already making you nauseous, it’s best to avoid caffeine, since it could make your symptoms worse.

What other steps can you take to avoid antibiotic-associated nausea?

Aside from adding some gut-friendly foods to your diet, there are a few other steps you can take to avoid feeling queasy while taking antibiotics. These tips may help prevent antibiotics from irritating your stomach: 

• Take your antibiotics with a meal or snack.  

• Drink a glass of water with your antibiotics and stay hydrated throughout the day.

• Wait 30 minutes after taking your antibiotic before lying down.

• Ask your prescriber if you should take heartburn medication while you’re taking antibiotics.

What should you do if your nausea persists when taking antibiotics?

Side effects like nausea can make it tough to finish a course of antibiotics. But it’s important to finish all your antibiotics so that your infection doesn’t get worse or come back. 

So, if you’re having symptoms that make it hard for you to take your medication, let a healthcare professional know. There are prescription medications that can relieve nausea and vomiting from antibiotics. And sometimes you may need to switch to a different antibiotic that may not make you feel as nauseated. 

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Written by:

Christine Giordano, MD

Christine Giordano, MD, is board-certified in general internal medicine. She received her medical degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and completed residency at Thomas Jefferson University.

Edited by:

Karla Robinson, MD

Karla Robinson, MD, is a medical editor for GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified family physician with almost 20 years of experience in health through varied clinical, administrative, and educational roles.

Reviewed by:

Farzon A. Nahvi, MD

Farzon Nahvi, MD, is an emergency medicine physician and author of “Code Gray: Death, Life, and Uncertainty in the ER.” He works at Concord Hospital in Concord, New Hampshire, and teaches at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.

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