Nausea!

[cardiactec]

i have HAD IT WITH NAUSEA! i finally had my cardio get ahold of the GI doc to consult with him about what meds i can take for nausea, due to gastroparesis. i cant take most of the GI meds they use to treat nausea/motility issues because i am taking a potent beta blocker that can be fatal when combined with certain meds (most of which are anti-nausea meds!).............

so finally after waiting two whole weeks to get some relief with trying to have my docs come up with a game plan for what med i can take, the cardio finally said i could take zofran. heh. i just went to go pick it up and GUESS WHAT FOLKS?!?!?!? YEP YOU GOT IT. IT'S 180$ A MONTH!!!! i cant afford that! my insurance only picked up like 40$ of it. i asked the pharmacist why the insurance only covered a small percentage and they said it was because there are other meds that are similar to it that are cheaper! UGH! ALL OF WHICH I BET I CANT TAKE BECAUSE OF THE INTERFERANCE IT'LL CAUSE WITH MY BETA!!! i just sat outside crying cuz i am so upset that i have to go through yet another night with such terrible nausea!! i am dropping weight and i cant afford to lose any! i am only 115 at 5'8'!!! i seriously cant take this. i'd rather deal with a heart rate of 200 than a stomach that feels like propelling food out through my mouth every 5 seconds!!!!

[DSM3KIDZ]

Oh sweetie..............I totally understand what your going through. I have been dealing with the constant nausea for the past 2 yrs except recently (2 months) it has settled down alittle bit-unsure why but happy for the break but also scared that it will come back as bad as always.

Nothing works for me except compazine now. Zofran actually made me feel sicker. I would ask for a sample before I paid 180.

Hang in there I know it's hard. I wish I had some answers for you but I'm sending you a big hug!!!!!!!!

Dayna

[MomtoGiuliana]

So sorry for what you are going through with the nausea. Hope you feel better soon.

I can relate to the weight loss--I went through a spell of undiagnosed POTS about 8 years ago where I went down to 118 lbs and I am nearly 5'11".

Is there another beta blocker you can take that would not cause a conflict with a nausea med?

Katherine

[cardiactec]

hey dayna,

thanks for your message. it made me cry! but a good cry! it is nice to know i'm not alone.

actually, five years ago, nausea was my primary and only symptom and it was HORRIBLE! it finally let up about 3 years ago, wasnt as bad and now i am back to where i started five years ago. just feels like i've made one big circle!

i'm gonna give my cardio/GI docs a call tomorrow and hopefully they can be more quick to come to an agreement on some other med and call it in to the pharmacy, all before the offices closes at 5pm for the weekend! yeah right! we'll see if it happens! been there, done that!

thanks so much for your message. made me feel better.

thanks for your message. it is nice to have such wonderful support, especially from those who can relate.

i have tried so many beta's...........atenolol, toprol, lopressor, inderal, etc,etc.........sotalol is the latest and greatest. seriously. it has done wonders to keep the rates down with minimal minimal side effects. all the others i have taken have just caused me more symptoms if anything and they didnt really take care of my rates.....the electrophysiologist is more concerned with getting the rates down from 220 and keeping them down and my GI doc is more concerned with making sure i dont feel like puking on myself every day and not dropping off weight that i dont have to lose..........it's obvious that their concerns for me lie within what field of medicine they are in! argh. actually my electrophysiologist has been good to try and consult with my GI doc about anti-nausea meds i might be able to take that dont conflict with my sotalol, but i think he just doesnt know what to do anymore to make things better.......ha, i sense his frustration as he does mine! i have great docs, i really do, but i'm just really tired of having to deal with all this........it is so tiring, on top of the already fatigue that POTS causes. double whammy. my electrophysiologist told me on the phone a couple days ago that if we had to, he'd take me off the sotalol, even though he doesnt want to cuz it would be a shame to go off it since it's worked so well with the heart rates, but if i have to, in order to have a better selection of meds to treat what REALLY aile's me through the day, than we'll do it. i told him i could deal with a heart rate of 200, but i CANNOT AND WILL NOT deal with nausea/vomiting.

thanks for your message. it is nice to have such wonderful support, especially from those who can relate.

i have tried so many beta's...........atenolol, toprol, lopressor, inderal, etc,etc.........sotalol is the latest and greatest. seriously. it has done wonders to keep the rates down with minimal minimal side effects. all the others i have taken have just caused me more symptoms if anything and they didnt really take care of my rates.....the electrophysiologist is more concerned with getting the rates down from 220 and keeping them down and my GI doc is more concerned with making sure i dont feel like puking on myself every day and not dropping off weight that i dont have to lose..........it's obvious that their concerns for me lie within what field of medicine they are in! argh. actually my electrophysiologist has been good to try and consult with my GI doc about anti-nausea meds i might be able to take that dont conflict with my sotalol, but i think he just doesnt know what to do anymore to make things better.......ha, i sense his frustration as he does mine! i have great docs, i really do, but i'm just really tired of having to deal with all this........it is so tiring, on top of the already fatigue that POTS causes. double whammy. my electrophysiologist told me on the phone a couple days ago that if we had to, he'd take me off the sotalol, even though he doesnt want to cuz it would be a shame to go off it since it's worked so well with the heart rates, but if i have to, in order to have a better selection of meds to treat what REALLY aile's me through the day, than we'll do it. i told him i could deal with a heart rate of 200, but i CANNOT AND WILL NOT deal with nausea/vomiting.

thanks for your message. it is nice to have such wonderful support, especially from those who can relate.

i have tried so many beta's...........atenolol, toprol, lopressor, inderal, etc,etc.........sotalol is the latest and greatest. seriously. it has done wonders to keep the rates down with minimal minimal side effects. all the others i have taken have just caused me more symptoms if anything and they didnt really take care of my rates.....the electrophysiologist is more concerned with getting the rates down from 220 and keeping them down and my GI doc is more concerned with making sure i dont feel like puking on myself every day and not dropping off weight that i dont have to lose..........it's obvious that their concerns for me lie within what field of medicine they are in! argh. actually my electrophysiologist has been good to try and consult with my GI doc about anti-nausea meds i might be able to take that dont conflict with my sotalol, but i think he just doesnt know what to do anymore to make things better.......ha, i sense his frustration as he does mine! i have great docs, i really do, but i'm just really tired of having to deal with all this........it is so tiring, on top of the already fatigue that POTS causes. double whammy. my electrophysiologist told me on the phone a couple days ago that if we had to, he'd take me off the sotalol, even though he doesnt want to cuz it would be a shame to go off it since it's worked so well with the heart rates, but if i have to, in order to have a better selection of meds to treat what REALLY aile's me through the day, than we'll do it. i told him i could deal with a heart rate of 200, but i CANNOT AND WILL NOT deal with nausea/vomiting.

thanks for your message. it is nice to have such wonderful support, especially from those who can relate.

i have tried so many beta's...........atenolol, toprol, lopressor, inderal, etc,etc.........sotalol is the latest and greatest. seriously. it has done wonders to keep the rates down with minimal minimal side effects. all the others i have taken have just caused me more symptoms if anything and they didnt really take care of my rates.....the electrophysiologist is more concerned with getting the rates down from 220 and keeping them down and my GI doc is more concerned with making sure i dont feel like puking on myself every day and not dropping off weight that i dont have to lose..........it's obvious that their concerns for me lie within what field of medicine they are in! argh. actually my electrophysiologist has been good to try and consult with my GI doc about anti-nausea meds i might be able to take that dont conflict with my sotalol, but i think he just doesnt know what to do anymore to make things better.......ha, i sense his frustration as he does mine! i have great docs, i really do, but i'm just really tired of having to deal with all this........it is so tiring, on top of the already fatigue that POTS causes. double whammy. my electrophysiologist told me on the phone a couple days ago that if we had to, he'd take me off the sotalol, even though he doesnt want to cuz it would be a shame to go off it since it's worked so well with the heart rates, but if i have to, in order to have a better selection of meds to treat what REALLY aile's me through the day, than we'll do it. i told him i could deal with a heart rate of 200, but i CANNOT AND WILL NOT deal with nausea/vomiting.

oopps! i think i messed up that message! one was for dayna, the other for momtoguiliana! lol. sorry!

[marnian]

You might be able to get special permission from your insurance company to take Zofran with a normal copay. It's at least worth looking into. One of my doctors was able to convince my insurance company that Zofran would keep me out of the hospital (definitely true!). Since Zofran is so darned expensive it's tricky, but it's still much less expensive than hospitalization. Even insurance companies can do that math!

[Guest dionna]

nausea... i am actually watching the cola wars on the history channel. one of the facts is that coca-cola has a lot of sugar in it. anti-nausea meds are mostly made of sugar. if meds aren't helping you... maybe you could try a coke? it actually started out as a cure all, not as a beverage but over the years it has changed a lot. (it first had wine, cocaine, and caffeine as ingredients). i think i am going to try it next time even though i don't like it.

dionna

[the_dancer_grl]

hey, my dad is epileptic and he has the same deal as you but the doctor wrote something about do not substitute on his Rx and the copay went down somewhat, call the insurance and doctor and see what can be worked out. i feel for you on the nausea, i hate it too.

[SunsetParadise49]

I'm in the same boat as you right now. My GI doc wants me to start taking Zofran, well, that's $1600 a month! We have no money for that so the next thing for us to do is to make an appeal to our insurance company. It's ridiculous, meanwhile, I'm feeling nausous and have found absolutely nothing that helps it!

[dawn]

I have always had constant nausea and took Zofran. For some reason since I started on Celexa 5mg at bedtime in July my nausea is gone. It bothered my stomach for the first 2 weeks or so and since then it has stopped the nausea. I too have gastroparesis (mild) and the other thing I do is chew papaya tablets when I eat (they help with constipation too). They are a natural digestive enzyme-my sister-in-law has slow GI system and she convinced me to try them. They sell them everywhere, even Walmart.

I know how miserable nausea is. I saw that someone mentioned Coke, they do sell coke syrup, I buy it at Walgreen's and have it on hand if anyone gets the stomach-flu it really is sometimes the only thing that you can keep down.

Good Luck

Dawn

[cardiactec]

hey all, well first, the med my doc prescribed was zelnorm (even though i am not taking it for IBS but for gastroparesis since i cant take the "typical" meds prescribed for gastroparesis cuz of the beta blocker i'm taking)...........anyway, SOMEONE screwed up along the way and i was just able to get the prescription filled for a co-pay of only 35$. thank GOD! i have tried zelnorm like 4 years ago when nausea was at it's worst for me but all i remember it doing was causing severe heartburn! but i am willing to give it a go again. back when they first prescribed zelnorm for me they hadnt run the GI motility study on me, so they concluded back then it was IBS. heh. NOT! try gastroparesis! argh! anyway, zelnorm didnt help back then, i am hoping it does now but from what i read, it is really a pro-motility med or does it just help prevent nausea? does anyone know? i'm not familiar or knowledgable in the GI meds, only cardiac! lol! hence the name cardiac-tec! lol!

[bttrflyamby1981]

you poor girl! Vomiting is the worst! I hope the med will work for you this time around.

I have nausea all the time, but to actually vomit all the time! My heart goes out to you. I actually have gained weight because of the nausea, I eat in order to feel better. Sometimes it works and somtimes it doesn't.

I'm glad someone mentioned cola syrup, I'll have to look into that.

Take care hun, and FEEL better.

Amber:)

[labas_2u@shaw.ca]

Hi Cardiatec

I have nothing to offer but sympathy, but am sending (((((huggs))))))) and best wishes..........

Keep us updated.....

We are here for you......

Maggs

[cardiactec]

amby and maggs, thanks for the support! you all are great! HUGGGS to all of you.

i'll let you all know how the zelnorm works.

if any of you have ever tried zelnorm or been prescribed it for nausea/vomiting, let me know how you did with it/if it made things better for you. i am hoping this does SOMETHING to take the edge off.

[Kitsakatsa]

I get Zofran IM/IV. It is much much better than the pills and it works faster.

CHECK ON YOUR HOME HEALTH BENEFITS!

Mine is through home health because it goes in my picc line. Therefore, it is expensive- but after the max out of pocket it is free!! If you don't have a picc- it may be worth it to get one just for the drugs!! Also, I had my doc write for NS, so I can give myself fluid. At one point, I even got vitamins in the NS. I highly recommend discussing the benefits and risks of a picc with your physician if you decide to go this route. It is not for everyone. For me- it is better than nausea. I can inject it and Bam! You also might be able to get it under that benefit without a picc. It is injectable right into the top of your thigh or shoulder. They can give you 25 fr (diabetic) needles.

If it is not covered- I would appeal, appeal, appeal. They may say its too expensive, but they get a write off and a discount and after all of that- they really don't pay too much.

Have you tried Marinol? It made me dizzy, but took the horrible edge off of the nausea and has built-in munchie drivers if you are worried about getting your nutrients! (Marajuana base)

Anyway, get away from the Zofran pills. They are expensive and don't work as well.

[juliegee]

My son also has an orthostatic intolerance and gastroparesis and is dependent on zofran. We have UHC and he is entitled to 21 8mg pills a month. My son needs 2 a day to attend school. His motility specialist has him cut the pill in half (4mg) and often that works. We didn't think it would as 8mg barely helped at times, but 4mg seems to have the same effect. You may want to try that.

We have an appeal for more zofran pending. We have been outsourced to an independent abitrator and are awaiting results. Do appeal. It can work.

Also, my son got a prescription for Kytril (almost as good as zo') and UHC allows him 14 a month without an appeal. the combination of zofran (cut in half) and kytril is getting him through while we wait on our appeal. Keep in mind, you can have concurrent prescriptions for anti-nausea meds at the same time. Get your zo, kytril, marinol, etc.. Hopefully, you will find a combination that works and is affordable.

Hugs-

Julie

[nadine]

just wanted to say Zofran was the most helpful for me and I ditto all the comments about appeal to insurance company if your physician can document need for this vs. other meds, my insurance company has done this for 2 dift. meds.

[Brwneyedchica]

Cardiactec,

I've been dealing with nausea on and off for about 8 years now. It seemed to get worse this past year with me doing several stints in the ER... with unrelenting nausea and vomiting (think neverending stomach-flu). My GI doc started me on Zofran and it is the only thing that works for me. I know how you feel, it's a terrible feeling and I hope you find some relief.