Anti Nausea Remedies Please Help Me!!!

 




Can someone help me? My husband was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer, he's going through radiation ( First full week), taking hormone treatment, He's having a really hard time keeping anything down. He has a sour stomach, and he asked the staff yesterday if there was something he could take, and they just told him to just "keep trying" to eat, but he's lost 4 pounds since Friday, and all he has had in his system is milk, Boost, juice , half a portion of chicken soup , mashed potatoes and water. They perscribed him something, but his Medicare and Supplemetal Insurance will only cover one day's supply!!  What can I do?Please help me!!




Comments

  • Clevelandguy
    Clevelandguy Member Posts: 980 Member
    Anti nausea drugs

    Hi Kburgos,

    Can't his doctor prescribe some anti nausea drugs for several weeks?  I know when I had a strong antibiotic several years ago I had to eat bland foods(microwaved chicken, canned fruit, ect) untill my stomach settled down.  Small light meals with no seasoning helped me.
    Chicken soup, mashed potatoes is at least a start. Ginger and pepermint are two common remedies for nausea.

    Dave 3-4

  • KBurgos
    KBurgos Member Posts: 19

    Anti nausea drugs

    Hi Kburgos,

    Can't his doctor prescribe some anti nausea drugs for several weeks?  I know when I had a strong antibiotic several years ago I had to eat bland foods(microwaved chicken, canned fruit, ect) untill my stomach settled down.  Small light meals with no seasoning helped me.
    Chicken soup, mashed potatoes is at least a start. Ginger and pepermint are two common remedies for nausea.

    Dave 3-4

    We went today and they

    Dave,

    We went today and they prescribed something , but then the insurance would not cover it .She said that she would appeal it, but it would take too long. I am desperately trying to get him to eat, but for now it seems the only thing he can take is protein shakes, liquids, half a serving of soup, and a little bit of mashed potatoes. We talked to the pharmacist, and we were able to get one dose of the medicine for $26.76!! He also recommended a specfic OTC medicine, but when he came home I noticed that he didn't buy it. I am going to see what I can do this weekend. He eats a little bit, starts vomitting, and then refuses to eat unless I literally put the spoon almost in his mouth. At least for now he's keeping hydrated, what little stays inside. We have had the "if you don't try to eat you're going to die"talk, and that's how I accomplished him eating the soup and mashed potatoes, but after that it was back to liquids. I'm really scared and frustrated. My best friend is withering away...Thank you for your concern.

  • eonore
    eonore Member Posts: 174 Member
    edited September 2020 #4
    Insurance

    Do you have prescription coverage along with the Medicare and supplement?  If so, there must be some medication that is included in the formulary.  I would lean on patient assistance at the hospital to give you a hand with this, and maybe schedule an appointment with a gastroenterologist.  Your husband shouldn't have to go through this.

     

    Eric

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,638 Member
    Radiation induced Nausea/vomiting drugs

    I wonder what medication has been recommended to your husband. Zofran is typically used in cases of nausea from radiation but this drug is expensive and not covered by most insurances. However, you can try a substitute like Emetrol that is the same substance sold generic at lesser than half price.

    Other good drugs to treat nausea that arise from intestinal affected radiation are Nauzene tables or Ginger-gum anti-nausea pills. Antihistamine type of drugs, like Benadryl, are cheap and may also work well in a situation of your husband. In any case, you need approval from the doctor attending your husband. Just get the list of drugs and inquire (call the hospital) before doing anything.

    https://www.drugs.com/condition/nausea-vomiting.html

     

    Best wishes,

    VG

  • Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 Member Posts: 3,803 Member
    KBurgos said:

    We went today and they

    Dave,

    We went today and they prescribed something , but then the insurance would not cover it .She said that she would appeal it, but it would take too long. I am desperately trying to get him to eat, but for now it seems the only thing he can take is protein shakes, liquids, half a serving of soup, and a little bit of mashed potatoes. We talked to the pharmacist, and we were able to get one dose of the medicine for $26.76!! He also recommended a specfic OTC medicine, but when he came home I noticed that he didn't buy it. I am going to see what I can do this weekend. He eats a little bit, starts vomitting, and then refuses to eat unless I literally put the spoon almost in his mouth. At least for now he's keeping hydrated, what little stays inside. We have had the "if you don't try to eat you're going to die"talk, and that's how I accomplished him eating the soup and mashed potatoes, but after that it was back to liquids. I'm really scared and frustrated. My best friend is withering away...Thank you for your concern.

    Nausea

    KB,

    Five years before I got PCa, I had advanced Lymphoma.   Blood cancers like Lymphoma (and Leukemia) are treated almost exclusively with chemo, almost always in groups of several chemos at once.  I was on a set of five drugs abbreviated as R-ABVD.   Virtually all chemo drugs cause nausea, and all five of mine ordinarily do.   I took a prescription known as EMEND (aprepitant).   I never had nausea once during my seven months of chemo.  EMEND is given either via a set of pills or in IV drip. 

    I did have chemo-induced anorexia and loss of sense of taste for long periods, but never nausea.

    Ask the doctors specifically about EMEND.  Hopefully it will be affordable for him.

    max

  • KBurgos
    KBurgos Member Posts: 19

    Radiation induced Nausea/vomiting drugs

    I wonder what medication has been recommended to your husband. Zofran is typically used in cases of nausea from radiation but this drug is expensive and not covered by most insurances. However, you can try a substitute like Emetrol that is the same substance sold generic at lesser than half price.

    Other good drugs to treat nausea that arise from intestinal affected radiation are Nauzene tables or Ginger-gum anti-nausea pills. Antihistamine type of drugs, like Benadryl, are cheap and may also work well in a situation of your husband. In any case, you need approval from the doctor attending your husband. Just get the list of drugs and inquire (call the hospital) before doing anything.

    https://www.drugs.com/condition/nausea-vomiting.html

     

    Best wishes,

    VG

    Nausea

    Zofran was what they gave him. Not only was it not covered, but the precious little we could afford ( One day's dose) stopped the vomitting and left him in pain. Right now, today he didn't ask for anything else for nausea when we went to the doctor. I'm not sure what to do.

  • Bill91101
    Bill91101 Member Posts: 81 Member
    KBurgos said:

    Nausea

    Zofran was what they gave him. Not only was it not covered, but the precious little we could afford ( One day's dose) stopped the vomitting and left him in pain. Right now, today he didn't ask for anything else for nausea when we went to the doctor. I'm not sure what to do.

    Hi,
    Hi,
    When my wife was pregnant, she would wear anti-nausea wristbands because she didn’t want to have to take any meds and they worked very well. I’m a (former) medical device engineer and I am skeptical of things like acupuncture, but if it works, it works. And my wife has a solid background in nursing.
    I tried the wristbands while playing video games. Worked great. Some games gave me motion sickness and I originally took Dramamine for that, but I was able to stop the Dramamine if I used the wristbands.
    The wristbands were not expensive and available at the pharmacy, certainly cheaper than the prescription prices you mentioned. Might not be effective for severe nausea.
    Alternatively, have you looked on GoodRX (or similar?) for the anti-nausea meds your husband needs? Before I got on Medicare I was able to save a couple of bucks here and there with GoodRX.
    My suggestions might be worthless, but on the off chance that they could work, great.
    All the best to you guys!
    Bill
  • KBurgos
    KBurgos Member Posts: 19
    Bill91101 said:

    Hi,
    Hi,
    When my wife was pregnant, she would wear anti-nausea wristbands because she didn’t want to have to take any meds and they worked very well. I’m a (former) medical device engineer and I am skeptical of things like acupuncture, but if it works, it works. And my wife has a solid background in nursing.
    I tried the wristbands while playing video games. Worked great. Some games gave me motion sickness and I originally took Dramamine for that, but I was able to stop the Dramamine if I used the wristbands.
    The wristbands were not expensive and available at the pharmacy, certainly cheaper than the prescription prices you mentioned. Might not be effective for severe nausea.
    Alternatively, have you looked on GoodRX (or similar?) for the anti-nausea meds your husband needs? Before I got on Medicare I was able to save a couple of bucks here and there with GoodRX.
    My suggestions might be worthless, but on the off chance that they could work, great.
    All the best to you guys!
    Bill

    Bill,

    Bill,

    Thanks for the suggestion. I will see where I can find these wrist bands. Right now we are also trying Aloe Vera juice, hopefully it works. I have tried GoodRx, and it helped some, at other times it helps more, but it helps. We are both recovering from a car accident ( that's how they found the cancer), so money is hard to come by, but we keep going. I will keep trying to find more solutions as we go along. If you know of anything else, please let me know. And now, we are working with his patience, at least when it comes to me. It's funny, we only have to work on that with him when it comes to me. I'm not saying this to complain or because I'm clueless to his pain, I've been through ovarian cancer too, but it's a battle right now. One breath at a time. And just to let you know, no advice is worthless. It may not work for one situation, but it never means that it won't work for another. Right now, every chance we take is precious.

    Thank you for your time and advice,

    Kareen

  • KBurgos
    KBurgos Member Posts: 19
    eonore said:

    Insurance

    Do you have prescription coverage along with the Medicare and supplement?  If so, there must be some medication that is included in the formulary.  I would lean on patient assistance at the hospital to give you a hand with this, and maybe schedule an appointment with a gastroenterologist.  Your husband shouldn't have to go through this.

     

    Eric

    Eric,

    Eric,

    We have insurance and supplement, which is what amazes me because neither one would cover the nausea meds, yet they're covering everything else so far. We spoke to his doctor and are still trying to find another alternative. We are giving Aloe Vera juice a try. I would love to schedule a gastro appintment, but he has treatments every single day, and he is in awful pain almost around the clock, so getting anywhere past his treatment sessions is extremely hard. We are working on virtual visits if we can. You see , all this started because we had a pretty bad car wreck, lost the car and everything. His cancer was found during a routine check within the accident. So for things like transportation, right now everything is scheduled, or delivered not leaving much time for any other travel or much break from the pain. Some days are better than others, but I'l keep you posted.

    Thank you for your cooncern,

    Kareen

  • KBurgos
    KBurgos Member Posts: 19

    Nausea

    KB,

    Five years before I got PCa, I had advanced Lymphoma.   Blood cancers like Lymphoma (and Leukemia) are treated almost exclusively with chemo, almost always in groups of several chemos at once.  I was on a set of five drugs abbreviated as R-ABVD.   Virtually all chemo drugs cause nausea, and all five of mine ordinarily do.   I took a prescription known as EMEND (aprepitant).   I never had nausea once during my seven months of chemo.  EMEND is given either via a set of pills or in IV drip. 

    I did have chemo-induced anorexia and loss of sense of taste for long periods, but never nausea.

    Ask the doctors specifically about EMEND.  Hopefully it will be affordable for him.

    max

    Max

    Max

    Thanks for the advice, I will ask them about the EMEND. My father has Lymphoma, I understand what you're going through. I hope things get better.

    Thanks,

    KB

  • Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 Member Posts: 3,803 Member
    KBurgos said:

    Max

    Max

    Thanks for the advice, I will ask them about the EMEND. My father has Lymphoma, I understand what you're going through. I hope things get better.

    Thanks,

    KB

    Yes

    Thank you, K.   I have been lymphoma-free for 10 years now.

  • hamster4all
    hamster4all Member Posts: 1
    edited November 2020 #13
    i take my medicine from india

    i take my medicine from india which are really affordable. since i keep on travelling to countries (not currently due to covid) i dont get to utilize my insurance in many countries. so i buy meds from india and its really very very cheap and affordable. and acts the same like we buy in UK or USA