Funny thing, I've been using this remedy for myself for over 60 years...As a kid, if I had a belly ache or a headache, my parents would soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and I would sniff it. IN a few minutes the aches were gone. And it was so calming. DIdn't realize it was actually researched and proven until recently.
Im so glad i found this post. Back in 2013 I suffered severe nausea from anxiety and somehow found out myself that sniffing alcohol pads helped. Tried looking it up and nobody was talking about it. Glad they are now. It helps so much .
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I would be less nauseaous, with or without sniffing alcohol, if Trump was out of the Oval Office.
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While suffering with gastroparesis, a condition that affects the proper stomach emptying due to inadequate stomach muscles, I suffer tremendously for nausea. While consuming a multitude of nausea medication nothing seems to do the job. Next time I am confronted with nausea I will definitely consider sniffing a bottle of rubbing alcohol.
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@Zoe it would be better to get a piece of cloth and put the rubbing alcohol on there and sniff. There is a difference I find.
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My gallbladder was removed in 2006. As I came out of anesthesia in the recovery room, I realized I was nauseated and moaned, "Oh, I don't want to be sick." A savvy nurse wafted an alcohol wipe under my nose and I instantly felt OK. I remember the wonderful relief and gratitude I felt!
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I learned when I was a teenager that opening up the tin where my mother stored her teabags and getting a whiff of the tea would cure my nausea. After that, when nauseated, I'd open the tin and sniff.
Somehow I don't think it would work for nausea caused by chemotherapy drugs.
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Radiology nurses have been doing this for YEARS.
I am a cancer survivor and had bi-annual CT scans with contrast .... and I am a primary care provider. IV contrast made me wretch every single time and an amazing nurse waved an alcohol pad under my nose and the nausea vanished immediately. Incredible.
In summary - please just listen to nurses and do exactly as they say.
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As long as you make sure the nauseous person is not an alcoholic in recovery...
Would isopropyl alcohol cause them problems? It's a very different alcohol than ethanol.
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The alcohol pads don’t have ethanol in them. It’s a completely different compound.
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@Chancey Garrett The PI (Package Insert) for Antabuse (Disulfuram) warns against using rubbing alcohol or even after shave lotions. They may be different compounds, but both can cause reactions.
PACU nurses have been doing this for years for post-op patients. Put an alcohol pad in an emesis basin and have them take a brief whiff every few minutes. Sometimes it helped, sometimes we had to give meds but it was usually worth a try. Less costly & no side effects.
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I can attest that sniffing vodka (or probably any high proof alcohol) works. I disembarked from a ferry ride in the Caribbean green-gilled and a dockside bar-tender talked me into it. Splashed my hands, which I held up to my nose. It felt like a miracle.
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A nurse showed me that trick when I was nauseated during labor; he had me sniff an alcohol wipe, and I felt better almost immediately. I hadn't heard of it before that, but it did the trick, and has worked every time I've needed it since. Glad to see that it helps others too.
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Will this work for motion sickness?
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So motion sickness usually has to do with the semi-circular canals in the middle ear. Different than chemo or oncologic nausea, but worth a try.
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Try Bonine, over-the-counter
New to me.
I started using ginger - easier to take in capsule form - for bouts of nausea. It seems to help. Maybe combined with a sniff of rubbing alcohol it would help more.
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Worth a try. I went to the ER a few years ago with dehydration secondary to nausea. While a couple of liters of fluids took care of the dehydration, they had no med which helped the nausea, which was the worst I'd ever had...
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The cure for nausea is Starbursts. Sugar shock. Works for morning sickness, viruses, whatever.
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A quick search online suggests inhaling isopropyl alcohol can be dangerous.
https://www.livestrong.com/article/150516-side-effects-of-inhaling-isopr...
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No. Inhaling is dangerous, sniffing is very different.
Plus cisplatin is dangerous, but we still use it to kill cancer.
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There are safety concerns for Zofran in the first trimester in pregnancy, and yet this drug is frequently prescribed for severe nausea and vomiting. I would love to know how sniffing alcohol stacks up in terms of safety.
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however Zofran itself is a safe medication with zero abuse potential that is a godsend to those of us with nausea from other sources (hint: more people use Zofran than those going through chemo. I've used it for years. I don't have cancer).
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But Zofran does nothing for some people such as me.
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What about ethyl alcohol instead of isopropyl?
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Alcohol prep pads are isopropyl alcohol also called rubbing alcohol - this is the kind that the article is talking about. You would need to do a different study comparing ethyl alcohol to zofran or ethyl alcohol to isopropyl alcohol.
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Is it safe to sniff alcohol for "a half-hour" treatment for nausea?
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Are you kidding? "...a half-hour AFTER treatment."
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