Zofran/ondansetron Question

[Jacquie802]

Hi Everyone,

I feel like a stranger since I haven't been on here for a while!

Since I have tried a number of anti nausea meds and I still have severe nausea my GI doc has decided to try Ondansetron/Zofran. My insurance doesn't cover it and I need a Prior Authorization. I'm just curious to see if others have had a hard time getting the med approved?!

Also, I'd like to know if Zofran does work well for the nausea for most people. I have heard that this is the strongest anti nausea med, so I'm hoping it does. Thanks for taking the time to respond, once I'm feeling better I hope to be able to be on here more often.

Jacquie

[Sunfish]

hi jacquie -

zofran is now available in generic, which i've found to be just as effective as the name brand. it did used to be quite an ordeal to get the name brand (even when no generic was available) b/c zofran truly is VERY expensive. my rx insurance is quite good & while they did allow me one fill of the prescription (15 8mg sublingual tabs i think?) after that it required paperwork, prior auth, etc. i was always able to get it but to be honest with you it's now likely to be actually more difficult to get the name brand since there is a generic available. unless you can prove that you're truly allergic to something that's in the generic & not the name brand version, it's not likely that your insurance will allow you to try the name brand without first trying the generic. if the generic doesn't work for you then your doctor may be able to convince them to let you give the name brand a try. i really haven't been able to tell the difference between the two though (other than packaging). over the years some generics haven't worked for me as well as the name brand & once i've actually had a generic work better for me than the name brand; in this case, however, the med is interchangeable.

for me zofran doesn't do anything for my low-level nausea that i have almost all of the time, nor does any other med. it does, however, take the edge off for me most of the time when i have a huge flare/ burst of nausea, i.e. vomiting &/or dry heaving or very close to it. IV zofran actually works best for me but the ODT (sublingual tabs) are certainly better than nothing. i've found recently that taking meclizine hcl, another anti-nausea med, in combination with the zofran, helps me more than either one of them alone. if you haven't tried that med it may be another option for you, and is certainly much cheaper & thus easier to get than even the generic zofran. if you're actually vomiting it may not be as helpful as i'm not sure if it comes in a form other than a pill. i can manage the pill only b/c i have to put all of my "oral" meds into my J tube anyway, which means they can get into my system even if i'm vomiting (is my stomach is bypassed). while zofran is definitely considered to be one of the "best" nausea meds, the reality is that everyone is different so what is best for you is what works for you. and i know many people in the gp community who have found that zofran isn't ultimately the best anti-nausea for them.

i do hope you're able to get your hands on some form of the med to try & that it then brings you much relief!

melissa

[dsdmom]

I LOVE Zofran! (except for its constipating properties...). I was prescribed Zofran during my pregnancy and it was very difficult to get my insurance to pay for it. At the time it was not offered in generic, but I believe the generic is still pretty pricey, just not as pricey. Hopefully your insurance will cover that.

[nadine]

I also use zofran and did get preauthorization for this and had no problem getting approval. This is done yearly, but also just started getting the generic in last order. I haven't tried it yet, but assume it will be pretty much the same. I have pretty good insurance so it is of almost no cost to me-- but it cost thousands of dollars, very expensive medication.

Melissa-

I found it interesting that you stated it doesn't do much for the "low- level nausea"- I find the same and I also use it for more intense flare ups or riding distances as I have a lot of motion sickness now. It does help. IV Zofran was a must for me on a regular schedule when i was hospitalized a couple dift. times. It is something I never leave home without for sure.

Good luck Jacquie

[cardiactec]

hey jacquie,

i too feel like a stranger, have been super busy and havent been posting/adding replies here.

i wanted to chime in and ask you if you have tried tigan - tigan and zofran are the most potent kinds of anti-emetics you can get, i believe. i take both, but find that tigan actually seems to help me a tad bit more than zofran. check into tigan if you have never before.

take care and feel better.

[Jacquie802]

Hi guys,

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my post.

Melissa-I meant to say that my doc prescribed Ondansetron, which I found out got approved by my RX insurance after having all the PA forms filled out. They actually paid for 90 pills!! Talk about lucky, lets just hope that they do infact work for me!

I did try Meclizine a while back when I had an inner ear infection which left me off balance, I don't remember if it helped much or not?!

Thank you again for letting me know how Zofran/Ondansetron worked for you. I hope you are hanging there, I haven't seen any updates, please when your feeling up to it, let us know how you are doing!

DSDmom/Nadine-The RX was definately expensive, my insurance paid well over $1000.00 for the pills, as I said earlier I'm really hoping this helps alot.

CardiacTech-I'll look into that med. if the Zofran doesn't work!!

Thanks again for everyones input!!

Jacquie

[DancingLight]

dsdmom,

Wow! I didn't know others found Zofran constipating too! Thanks for stating that. I try not to take it b/c of the issues I have to face later after I take it! But, I do LOVE it and it is an amazing med. Sometimes I'll take the constipation over the extreme nausea!

I just got some generic to try so I'll see if I think it works just as well--Sunfish--I'll report in!

Jacquie--hopefully now that it is generic you won't have to fight as hard for it.

Emily

[Ernie]

Hi,

I just got the generic today. My insurance only covered part of Zofran and I had to pay 200$ for 30 pills which is over the limit of what I can afford. The generic was much more affordable.

I am a bit worried about the side effects because my doctor said it cause vasodilation and arythymias.