Kids with cyclic vomiting syndrome have repeated episodes of severe nausea (feeling sick to the stomach) and vomiting. They may also have belly pain, sweating, and a headache. These episodes usually last for 1–2 days and happen about once a month. In between the episodes, the child has no symptoms.

Cyclic vomiting syndrome can be triggered by (set off by) things like excitement, stress, infections, certain foods, or not getting enough sleep.

Treatment usually includes avoiding triggers, making changes in everyday habits, preventing dehydration (not enough water in the body) during episodes, and sometimes medicine. In most kids, cyclic vomiting syndrome gets better by the early teen years.

• Follow your health care provider's recommendation for giving your child any medicines. Pay close attention to when to give the medicines. For kids who get symptoms like nausea and sweating at the start of an episode, you may need to give the medicine before vomiting starts.
• When a vomiting episode begins:
  • Give your child any medicines the health care provider prescribed.
  • Have your child rest in a dark, quiet room.
  • When your child isn't vomiting, offer small sips of liquids like oral electrolyte solution (such as Pedialyte^®, Enfalyte^®, or a store brand), frozen electrolyte pops (such as Pedialyte^® or a store brand), shaved ice, and flavored gelatin. If your health care provider says it's OK, they can also drink plain water or water with a splash of clear fruit juice (like apple or white grape juice).
  • Once the vomiting stops for a few hours, you can slowly go back to your child's regular diet.
• To identify triggers, keep a diary of the episodes. Include the time, any symptoms, what your child was doing when the episode started, and when it stopped. Common triggers include certain foods or additives, such as chocolate, cheese, and monosodium glutamate (MSG), as well as overexcitement, stress, physical exhaustion, extreme heat, or lack of sleep.
• Avoid the triggers when possible. This might mean avoiding certain foods.
• Everyday healthy habits may prevent episodes. Help your child:
  • Get plenty of sleep and keep a regular sleep schedule
  • Manage stress through relaxation techniques, regular exercise, or talking to a therapist
  • Drink plenty of liquids
  • Have a regular meal schedule so they don't get too hungry
  • Get regular exercise (without overdoing it, especially in hot weather)
• Older kids should avoid alcohol since it can trigger an episode. They should also avoid marijuana since frequent use can lead to vomiting.

Your child:

• Is vomiting for more than 24 hours
• Has a very bad headache that isn't getting better with the treatment your health care provider recommended
• Seems to be losing weight

• Your child:
  • Isn't drinking anything or can't keep anything down
  • Isn't drinking liquids or has signs of dehydration, such as a dry or sticky mouth, sunken eyes, peeing less often, darker than usual pee, or crying with little or no tears
  • Has severe belly pain
  • Is very tired or hard to wake up
  • Seems unsteady when walking
• The vomit is greenish-yellow, contains blood, or looks like coffee grounds.

What causes cyclic vomiting syndrome? It's not clear what causes cyclic vomiting syndrome, but it's likely from a combination of different things. Problems in how the brain interacts with the gastrointestinal tract or how certain cells work, hormonal changes with menstruation, food allergies, or frequent marijuana use are all possible causes. People who have migraines are more likely to have cyclic vomiting syndrome, so these two conditions may be related. Also, the condition can run in families, so there may be a genetic (inherited) cause.

What other treatment is sometimes needed for cyclic vomiting syndrome? Sometimes if the vomiting is very severe or lasts a long time, kids need to go to the hospital for intravenous (IV) fluids. The IV fluids prevent dehydration. The health care provider may also give medicine through the IV to help stop the vomiting.