Before I had my first chemotherapy treatment I was told that to prevent from getting nauseous and vomiting as a side effect that I could take a pill. I mean, what is worse than being nauseous all the time? Not too many things. I was prepared after my first chemotherapy of Adriamycin and Cytoxan to be leaning over the toilet for a long time. This vision was what I expected to happen and I tried to be ready for it knowing that the anti-nausea drugs given aren't always effective for everyone. I did end up spending a lot of time near the toilet after taking Zophran, an anti-nausea medication, but I spent that time on the toilet, not leaning over it!
The drug Zophran belongs to a general class of drugs called serotonin antagonists. It is one of many anti-nausea medications given to help prevent one of the main side effects from chemotherapy treatments. The drug worked for me. It worked so well that I hardly felt nauseous at all and did not vomit during my treatments. However, I did not listen when the oncology nurse said to take Senokot, a laxative, for the side effect from the medication that helps another side effect. That is what usually happens with cancer treatments. You can take one drug to prevent one thing and then another drug on top of that one to combat that drugs side effects. Zophran can cause constipation and I guess I just thought I could take the Senokot if I did become constipated. That wasn't such a good idea and I learned the next time to take the laxative with the anti-nausea medication.
I did think it was neat that a drug could stop me from getting nausea and vomiting. How does this work? Well, It has nothing to do with your stomach. It all has to do with your brain. The drug that I took, Zophran, is a serotonin antagonist that works by blocking the serotonin pathway to the vomiting center of the brain so the brain no longer receives the vomiting message.
Zophran is the drug my oncologist gave to me. Your oncologist might offer a different anti-nausea medication. My tips for today would be:
- Make sure you tell your doctor if the anti-nausea medication he prescribed is not working for you. Switching to a different drug might do the trick.
- If one of the side effects from your anti-nausea medication is constipation... take that laxative now, not later!
