Folfox//Nausea/Marinol

Fitlisa
Fitlisa Member Posts: 99
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Hi All,

I started my chemo on June 2nd and have my 3rd and 4th treatments this Wed. and Thurs. I need some insights from you if possible.

I am on Folfox and had quite a battle with nausea - it started the morning of my second treatment and continued 24 (continual queasiness and vomiting after eating anything) hours a day for the next 9 days. My onc tried Ativan, Compezine and Phenergan on me and none worked. As a result of the nausea I was wiped out for days and felt like total crap. I am not a baby and am ready to fight this beast with everything I can but when I felt like that it was hard to stay focused on the goal. As an aside, my chemo started just 2 weeks after my resection surgery which mightnt have been the best idea in hindsight..but I wanted to press forward asap after my diagnosis.

This cycle we are armed with Zofran, Emend, and Marinol. I am curious if any of you have ever tried Marinol and, if so, how did it work for you. I have a bottle ready to go in my fridge and am hoping that, since this is the big gun, it will work.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks all.

Lisa

Comments

  • RMGill
    RMGill Member Posts: 20
    #2
    I started to feel very sick near the end of one treatment, and the nurse gave me a Zofran tablet that disolved in the mouth. I quickly felt better and never threw up, so it really worked for me. I take the zofran now proactively with each treatment and have had no other nausea. I have chronic hiccups the day after though, nothing makes them go away. Not as bad as nausea, but still a bit disruptive to life. Hang in there, hope the new meds work for ya.

    Rick
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #3
    My husband had nausea starting two weeks after his surgery for almost 11 days back in July 2003 (stage III right colon cancer with four nodes involved). They did not start chemo on him until August when everything had "settled" a little. His first four months were with 5fu/leuc and in January, when we switched oncs, as added "insurance", oxilaplatin was added. Fortunately, nausea has never been a side effect for my husband however, he is given an anti nausea pill (Zofran) before each treatment. Whether that does the trick or not, we really don't know. Since being on Folfox, he's always taken the pill. However, while just on 5fu/leuc, he wasn't given an anti nausea med and again, nausea was not a problem for him. Hope you feel better real soon.

    Monika
  • cindy262
    cindy262 Member Posts: 2
    #4
    hi...I am on Chemo.....and am given Kytril
    http://www.kytril.com/
    information at that link. It sort of helps. I usuallly feel nauseated and fuzzy for 2 or 3 days after the chemo, but then it gets better.
    Persevere, you will get through this. This discomfort is transient..persevere., and Bless you.

    Cindy
  • nanuk
    nanuk Member Posts: 1,358 Member
    #5
    Hi Lisa: they have a number of anti-nauesa drugs which are given IV with the Folfox protocol,
    and I don't remember their names, but I know one is a steriod, and tho it stopped my vomiting
    it didn't stop the nausea. The only thing that seemed to work a little was Ativan. The Emend
    seems to work for the late onset nausea, but I have tried all the drugs mentioned below, and
    none of them have worked totally. One thing that will help is hydration-they send me home with
    two large bags of saline solution to be pumped along with the 5fu for 2 days. Also, keep well
    hydrated before your treatment. If the marinol doesn't work, you might try the real thing..
    Bud
  • Kanort
    Kanort Member Posts: 1,272 Member
    #6
    Hi Lisa,

    I left a message for you in your inbox on my reactions and side effects to Folox. (Didn't want to bore those whom it didn't apply!)

    I hope this round is much easier.

    Hugs,

    Kay
  • kangatoo
    kangatoo Member Posts: 2,105 Member
    #7
    Kanort said:

    Hi Lisa,

    I left a message for you in your inbox on my reactions and side effects to Folox. (Didn't want to bore those whom it didn't apply!)

    I hope this round is much easier.

    Hugs,

    Kay

    Hiya Lisa--sorry yu are having a hard time of it.Over here in OZ they use different meds in some cases--although some are the same with different brand names--I only did 5fu/leucovorin without the Oxal.and had a bad time with vomiting.
    Onc. put me on a drug called metoclopramide--brand name PRAMIN over here.It worked exceptionally well but did not stop that "nausea feeling"If it is available over there yu might like to enquire about it--it may just work.
    Hope yu find something Lisa--upchucking is just not a fun thing.
    luv n huggs--thinkin of yah-kanga n Jen
  • mikajean
    mikajean Member Posts: 1
    #8
    Hello Fitlisa, Sorry to hear your having sucah a problem with nausua. My husband has been doing Folfox4, and he has decadron (which is a steroid) adminstered first, and then he takes compazine which really helps him.

    It doens't look like meds are helping you much. How about drinking lots of water, and foods like soups and jello - it really seemed to help him.

    Once he got the nausea under control, he felt so much better.

    Good luck,

    Jean

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