I Threw Up My Medication. Should I Take Another Pill?

A common side effect of many medications is nausea and vomiting — sometimes casually referred to as “throwing up.” Many health conditions and life situations can also lead to nausea and vomiting.

If you vomit after taking an oral medication, you may be curious if the medication will still work, or if you should retake it. Ultimately, a healthcare professional can best answer this question. But you can still empower yourself to consider a few factors when deciding what the best course of action may be.

Here, we’ll discuss some of the common questions and concerns that you may have if you throw up soon after taking a medication.

What commonly causes nausea and vomiting?

Nausea and vomiting have a variety of causes. Examples include medications, illness, and even severe anxiety. People often experience other symptoms along with nausea and vomiting, too. But the feeling of nausea is often a warning message your body sends after swallowing a potentially toxic substance. Sometimes, your body can interpret a medication as one of these substances. 

Examples of medications that cause nausea include:

• Chemotherapy medications, such as cisplatin (Platinol)

• Pain medications, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)

• Heart medications, such as digoxin (Lanoxin)

• Diabetes medications, such as metformin

• Antivirals, such as acyclovir (Zovirax)

Certain situations — such as driving in a car, being on a boat, or flying in a plane (motion sickness) — can also cause nausea and vomiting. Various illnesses or medical conditions can also cause these effects. The feeling of nausea usually happens before vomiting, but not always. 

If I vomit, should I retake the medication?

Maybe. It depends on the medication and situation.

As mentioned, there are a few things to consider when deciding if you should retake a medication after vomiting. It’s important to talk to your healthcare team if you’re taking a medication and vomit after taking it. But there are still some questions that you can ask yourself. 

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1. What does the label recommend?

In some cases, a medication’s label (package insert) can tell you when to potentially retake the medication if you vomit. The FDA’s website is a helpful resource to find your medication’s label.

Your pharmacy may also provide you with information about what to do if you vomit soon after taking a medication. Be sure to keep any printed information that the pharmacy provides.

For example, consider Yaz (drospirenone / ethinyl estradiol), a common birth control pill. Yaz's labeling suggests that if you vomit within 3 to 4 hours of taking it, it's considered a missed dose. Since birth control doses can be tricky, the label provides a detailed list of instructions for what to do next.

2. How long after taking the medication did you vomit?

Again, this depends on the medication and situation. But some research is available to help answer this question. 

One small study surveyed 65 pediatric healthcare professionals to see what they would do if one of their patients threw up soon after taking a pill. More than half of them said they would give the medication again if a child vomited within 30 minutes of taking a dose. This is generally about the amount of time it takes for a medication to dissolve. About one-third of them said they’d give the medication again if vomiting occurred within 15 minutes. 

In this same study, healthcare professionals generally agreed that medications shouldn’t be taken again if someone vomited 60 minutes or more after a dose. This is because your digestive system breaks down oral pills over time. Once a medication is fully broken down and absorbed through the digestive tract, vomiting shouldn’t affect how it works.  

3. What’s the impact of not taking the medication?

Certain medications may cause more harm than others if you potentially miss a dose or vomit before your body has the chance to absorb the medication.

For example, missing a dose of Truvada (emtricitabine / tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) — a common medication used to prevent HIV — can be risky. This medication needs to be taken every day to be effective. Missing a dose puts people who take it at a higher risk of getting HIV.

Some medications like ivermectin (Stromectol) may also be prescribed as a single-dose treatment. This means you may only need one dose. If you vomit the medication without it being absorbed by your body, the medication may not work.  

If I retake my medication, how long should I wait?

If you decide to retake your medication, you may have another question: When should I retake it? 

You’ll want to make sure that you’re no longer feeling nauseous. If you believe you may vomit again, it’s best to wait until you no longer feel like vomiting.

What’s more, if you can see the medication you took in your vomit, you may have an idea of how much medication your body absorbed. If you can see most of the pill, discuss retaking the medication with your healthcare team. You may be able to take another dose.  

Are any other medication types affected by vomiting?

In addition to standard capsules and tablets, liquid medications also pass through your digestive tract. If you vomit shortly after swallowing a liquid medication, it’s possible that your body didn’t have the chance to absorb all of it. Your body absorbs liquid medications at different speeds, depending on a few different factors. This includes the amount of liquid consumed and if there’s food in your stomach.

Are there any specific medication types that I shouldn’t retake if I vomit?

Yes, some types of medications don’t need to be taken again if you vomit. This is due to how they’re designed.

Medications that dissolve under your tongue (sublingually) or in your cheek (buccally) are absorbed quickly. They may only stay in your mouth for about 5 to 10 minutes before dissolving. Orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs) are placed on top of your tongue and typically dissolve in less than a minute.

These medications don’t go through your digestive tract. They dissolve in your mouth, enter your bloodstream, and spread throughout the body that way. Because they don’t go through your gut, vomiting doesn’t affect them as much. It’s generally unnecessary to retake sublingual, buccal, or ODT medications for this reason.

Common examples of medications that come in sublingual, buccal, and ODT forms include:

• Olanzapine (Zyprexa Zydis)

• Ondansetron ODT (Zofran ODT)

• Nitroglycerin (Nitrostat)

• Vitamin B12

If I vomit frequently, are there any types of medications that I can take aside from oral pills?

Medications come in different forms aside from oral pills. If you frequently throw up after taking a prescribed medication, it’s recommended to talk to your healthcare team. They may be able to offer some alternative treatment options. Several medications avoid the digestive system, and vomiting doesn’t alter their effectiveness.

Examples of medication forms that don’t pass through the digestive system, or that are less likely to cause vomiting, include:

• Sublingual medications

• Buccal medications

• ODTs

• Nasal sprays

• Injections or infusions

• Suppositories

• Topical medications

Other ways to lower your chances of vomiting after taking medication include:

1. Taking medications with food: Many medications may cause nausea when you take them on an empty stomach. Consider taking these medications with a meal or snack. But always be sure to ask if a medication needs to be taken on an empty stomach. Select medications are less effective if there’s food in your stomach. 

2. Crushing pills: If a pill is large and difficult to swallow (or you have trouble swallowing pills in general), you may be able to crush the pill and mix it in a food or drink. But certain pills should never be crushed. A pharmacist or medication label can tell you if a medication can be crushed or not. 

3. Opening capsules: Some capsules may be opened and sprinkled over drinks or soft foods, such as applesauce or yogurt.

It’s recommended to talk to your prescriber or pharmacist before following any of the methods listed above.

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Written by:

Abe Amos, PharmD

Abe Amos, PharmD, is a clinical advisor for health plans and has experience working with large national government-funded programs. He is a postgraduate year 1 (PGY-1) managed care residency coordinator and also has community retail pharmacy experience.

Edited by:

Joshua Murdock, PharmD, BCBBS

Joshua Murdock, PharmD, BCBBS, is a licensed pharmacist in Arizona, Colorado, and Rhode Island. He has worked in the pharmacy industry for more than 10 years and currently serves as a pharmacy editor for GoodRx.

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