Vomiting and diarrhea: Causes, treatments, and remedies

Viral or bacterial infections may cause diarrhea and vomiting, but these symptoms can also occur with other health conditions, like anxiety and parasites.

Though a virus is usually the culprit, certain medical conditions and side effects of medications can also lead to vomiting and diarrhea at the same time.

Causes of vomiting and diarrhea at the same time
Vomiting and diarrhea can happen for a number of reasons.

A stomach virus or bacterial gastrointestinal (GI) infection is the most likely cause in children, but these infections can also affect adults.

A number of other reasons exist for these symptoms, such as drinking too much alcohol. Often, vomiting and diarrhea occur together with fever, but not always.

Viral gastroenteritis
Viral gastroenteritis is an intestinal infection and it’s often referred to as the stomach flu. It is, however, unrelated to influenza (the flu) since it is caused by different viruses.

Common causes of gastroenteritis include:

• norovirus
• rotavirus
• adenovirus
• astrovirus

Food poisoning

Food poisoning is an infection of the GI tract often caused by bacteria, parasites, or viruses.

You can get food poisoning by eating contaminated food. This can happen at home or in restaurants when food is handled incorrectly or not cooked properly.

Traveler’s diarrhea

Traveler’s diarrhea is a digestive tract disorder that’s most often caused by viruses, parasites, or bacteria in water or food. It’s most likely to occur when you’re visiting an area with a different climate or sanitation practices than what you’re accustomed to at home.

Traveler’s diarrhea generally clears up within a week. Watery diarrhea and cramps are the most common symptoms, but traveler’s diarrhea can also cause:

• nausea
• fever
• flatulence (gas)

Stress or anxiety

Gastrointestinal function may be influenced by the stress response. In fact, stress and anxiety commonly cause a number of gastrointestinal symptoms, including:

• nausea
• constipation
• indigestion
• heartburn

Pregnancy

The body goes through numerous changes during pregnancy. Morning sickness is the most common cause of vomiting in pregnancy. Despite its name, morning sickness can occur at any time of the day.

Some people develop hyperemesis gravidarum, a condition that causes severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.

Vomiting and diarrhea in pregnancy can also be caused by hormonal changes, new food sensitivities, and dietary changes. Prenatal vitamins also cause diarrhea in some people.