On 5/15/2008
rose01 wrote:
On 5/15/2008
Defjoeb wrote:
Hi Rose,
I had terrible nausea and vomiting from Cisplatin. The Emend is an antiemetic which stops vomiting. I had that and Zofran. Although they helped somewhat I found that it worked a whole lot better when I (hang with me here) smelled orange peels and sucked on dried ginger candy. I'm not kidding, those things worked better for me than the meds alone. I took some orange peels and put them in a plastic sandwich bag and would sniff them when I felt sick. I would also suck on or chew and spit out ginger candy (I couldn't swallow). I got that tip from a doctor from India and it worked great. I think the meds helped stop or slow down the vomiting and the peels and candy helped sooth the nausea. Hope this helps.
Good Luck,
Joe
Joe -
Thanks for the suggestions. Where's a good place to find ginger candy? My husband will have another round of Cisplatin/Taxatiere next Wednesday so I want to be prepared.
My husband has SCC of the tonsil with lymph involvement. My husband has only had two doses of Cisplatin(one last week and one this week) along with eight sessions of daily radiation. The chemo nurses give him Aloxi IV an anti-emetic before the chemo is infused and it lasts up to 5 days....so far so good with just mild nausea--no weight loss or vomiting. We have prescriptions for Zofran and Phenergan if he has any breakthrough nausea. You guys may want to try a few other drugs if your insurance will not cover Emend because of the cost factor. Zofran can cause constipation which escalates the nausea problem so a laxative may be needed. Aother option we have been offered is Compazine. Compazine and Pherergan both cause sedation. The Aloxi's has minimal sedative effects but can cause headaches. Another drug that has been used for nausea with a lot of success with chemo patients but is considered anti-anxiety is Ativan. Drug Formularies list Ativan as a good anti-nausea drug for chemo patients. My husband was put on Ativan at the time of diagnosis before he started treatment ---to dull the emotional side of things. Ativan can be dissolved under the tongue if the nausea is too severe to swallow.
I am sorry he is having such severe nausea and vomiting and I wish him well.
DeniseB