Are antacids useful in preventing vomiting?
A. Quite the opposite. If you find that taking an antacid reduces your nausea, it is only acting as a placebo. But then a lot of nausea exists only in your head to begin with. As has been mentioned, one function of the stomach is to serve as an acid bath for incoming nutrient. Sometimes the stomach is a bit overzealous in this function, and the acid can become overpowering, especially when the stomach or (usually) the duodenum contain ulcers or the acid makes its way into the esophagus. At these times, taking an antacid can be quite useful in neutralizing the stomach acid. But it is strictly a chemical reaction; the antacid really has no medical effect on the body. So taking an antacid for something other than acid will not help one bit. Q. But you said it was the opposite of useful in preventing vomiting. A. Yes. The side effect of reducing the stomach’s acid is reducing the stomach’s prophylactic function. In this way, the antacid is minimizing the body’s ability to suppress poisons
