How to Avoid Getting Sick from Anesthesia? Your Comprehensive Guide

October 10, 2025 •

4 min read

Approximately 30% of general surgery patients experience postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), a figure that can increase to 80% in high-risk individuals. Understanding how to avoid getting sick from anesthesia? is a key concern for many preparing for a procedure and can be addressed with proactive measures in consultation with your medical team.

Quick Summary

This guide provides expert strategies for preventing post-anesthesia sickness. It covers identifying individual risk factors, the importance of preoperative communication, and a variety of preventative measures, including optimized anesthetic techniques, medication options, and non-drug interventions. Post-surgery care tips are also outlined to minimize discomfort and support a smooth recovery.

Key Points

Preoperative Communication: Inform your anesthesiologist about any history of motion sickness, previous anesthesia issues, or general anxiety to help them tailor your care plan.
Fasting Guidelines: Always follow pre-surgery fasting instructions to reduce the risk of aspiration, a dangerous complication of general anesthesia.
Multimodal Prevention: High-risk patients benefit most from a combination of antiemetic medications that target different brain receptors, significantly reducing the chance of sickness.
Intravenous Anesthesia (TIVA): Ask about the possibility of using TIVA with propofol, which is less likely to cause nausea than inhaled anesthetics.
Judicious Opioid Use: Minimizing opioid medication during and after surgery can help prevent nausea, as these are a common cause of PONV.
Gentle Recovery Diet: In recovery, start with small sips of clear liquids and progress to bland, easily digestible foods as tolerated to avoid upsetting your stomach.
Mindful Environment: Limit motion, avoid strong smells, and rest in a cool, quiet room to help manage symptoms after your procedure.

Understanding Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting (PONV)

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a common and distressing complication that occurs after anesthesia. It is consistently ranked as one of the most undesirable side effects of surgery by patients. While improvements in anesthesia techniques and antiemetic medications have significantly reduced its prevalence, it remains a concern, especially for those with specific risk factors.

The mechanisms behind PONV are complex and involve multiple pathways in the brain. Anesthetic agents, particularly volatile gases, can stimulate the chemoreceptor trigger zone, a part of the brain that controls nausea and vomiting. Other contributing factors include the use of opioid pain medication, surgical site manipulation (especially in the abdomen, ears, or eyes), and motion sensitivity.

Identifying Your Risk Factors

Before your surgery, your anesthesiologist will assess your individual risk of developing PONV, often using a scoring system known as the Apfel Simplified Risk Score. Your risk is a critical piece of information that helps guide the prevention strategy. Key risk factors include:

Gender: Women are at a higher risk of PONV than men.
History of motion sickness: A history of experiencing motion sickness or previous PONV is a significant predictor.
Smoking status: Non-smokers are more prone to PONV than smokers.
Opioid use: The use of opioids post-surgery for pain management increases the risk.

Proactive Steps Before Surgery

Preparing for your procedure is the first and most crucial step in preventing sickness. A frank and honest discussion with your anesthesiologist is vital.

Discuss Your History: Tell your anesthesiologist if you have ever experienced nausea or vomiting after anesthesia, have a history of motion sickness, or are prone to sea sickness.
Follow Fasting Instructions: Adhering to the specific food and drink restrictions before surgery is essential to prevent stomach contents from being regurgitated and inhaled during anesthesia, a serious complication known as aspiration.
Stay Hydrated: Unless advised otherwise, drinking clear fluids up to two hours before your procedure can help prevent dehydration, which can cause low blood pressure and contribute to nausea.
Avoid Smoking and Alcohol: Quitting smoking and abstaining from alcohol in the days leading up to your procedure is strongly advised. Both can affect how your body responds to anesthesia and impact your recovery.

Intra-operative Anesthetic Techniques and Medication

Your anesthesia care team can use several techniques and medications during your procedure to lower your risk of PONV.

Optimized Anesthetic Choices

Regional Anesthesia: Where appropriate, using regional anesthesia (numbing a specific area of the body) instead of general anesthesia can significantly reduce PONV risk.
Total Intravenous Anesthesia (TIVA): This technique uses intravenous drugs like propofol, which has antiemetic properties, and avoids the volatile gas anesthetics that are more likely to cause nausea.
Minimizing Opioids: Reducing the dose of opioids or using non-opioid alternatives for pain management can decrease the likelihood of nausea.

Prophylactic Medication For patients with a higher risk profile, the anesthesiologist will often administer a combination of antiemetic medications before, during, or at the end of surgery. Combining different classes of antiemetics, known as a multimodal approach, is highly effective.

Comparison of Common Antiemetics


Medication Class	Generic Name (Example)	Mode of Action	Typical Timing	Pros	Cons	Recommended for
Serotonin Antagonist	Ondansetron (Zofran)	Blocks serotonin receptors in the brain and gut	End of surgery	Highly effective for prophylaxis and rescue	Can cause headache and QTc prolongation	Wide range of patients
Corticosteroid	Dexamethasone	Reduces inflammation and acts directly on the vomiting center	Beginning of surgery	Effective and low cost	Transient blood sugar increase, controversial effect on wound healing	Prophylaxis, often in combination
Anticholinergic	Scopolamine (patch)	Blocks acetylcholine receptors in the brain	Night before or day of surgery	Long-lasting effect (up to 72 hours)	Dry mouth, blurred vision, not for elderly	High-risk patients needing extended coverage
Neurokinin-1 (NK1) Antagonist	Aprepitant	Blocks NK1 receptors in the vomiting center	Before induction (oral)	Very effective, especially against vomiting	Higher cost, limits use to high-risk patients	High-risk patients

Managing Your Recovery at Home

Even with preventative measures, some patients still experience lingering nausea. Careful management during recovery can help alleviate symptoms.

Diet and Hydration

Start Small: Begin by drinking small amounts of clear fluids, such as water, apple juice, or broth, and sucking on ice chips. Electrolyte drinks can also help combat dehydration.
Eat Bland Foods: Once you tolerate liquids, advance to bland, soft foods like crackers, toast, rice, bananas, and applesauce. Avoid spicy, fatty, and hard-to-digest meals in the first 24-48 hours.
Time it Right: If you are taking oral pain medication that causes nausea, eat a little bit of food first to help settle your stomach.

Environmental and Non-Drug Comforts

Control Your Surroundings: Avoid strong smells, including perfumes, flowers, and heavily scented cleaners, as they can trigger nausea. Rest in a cool, dimly lit room.
Limit Movement: Reduce sudden head movements and unnecessary activity, as motion can exacerbate nausea.
Consider Acupressure: Applying pressure to the P6 acupoint on the wrist (three fingerbreadths below the wrist crease, between the two tendons) has been shown to be effective for some. Acupressure wristbands are available for this purpose.
Utilize Aromatherapy: Inhaling the scent of peppermint, spearmint, or ginger essential oils can provide relief.

Conclusion

While postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a common side effect of anesthesia, it is not an unavoidable one. By proactively communicating with your healthcare team about your risk factors and history, you can work together to create a personalized prevention plan. This multimodal approach, which combines strategic anesthetic choices, prophylactic medications, and mindful recovery practices, is highly effective in minimizing discomfort. A smoother recovery is within your reach with the right preparation and support from your medical providers. For more information, refer to the guidelines from the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

Frequently Asked Questions

The anesthetic medications themselves, particularly volatile gases and opioids, are a common cause of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) by stimulating a nausea-triggering area in the brain.

Certain types of surgery are associated with a higher risk, including craniotomy, ear, nose, and throat surgery, gynecological procedures, major breast surgery, and laparoscopic surgeries.

Nausea and vomiting typically subside within the first 24 to 48 hours after surgery. However, the duration can vary depending on the individual and the medications used.

No. It is crucial to follow your doctor's specific fasting instructions, typically nothing to eat or drink for several hours before surgery. This ensures your stomach is empty to prevent aspiration.

Yes, several medications, known as antiemetics, can be given to prevent sickness. These include Ondansetron, Dexamethasone, and Scopolamine patches.

Non-drug strategies include acupressure on the P6 wrist point, aromatherapy with scents like ginger or peppermint, staying hydrated, and a slow return to bland foods post-surgery.

Total Intravenous Anesthesia (TIVA), which uses drugs like propofol, is associated with a lower incidence of PONV compared to inhaled volatile anesthetics.