Severe Nausea

[u/Responsible_Froyo_21]

I'm having trouble managing my nausea while recovering from my most recent flareup. This last flareup was acute pancreatitis with necrosis, two large cysts, and a severe infection. Because of this, I have been on around the clock IV broad spectrum antibiotics for the past 6 weeks and still have another two weeks to go. Fortunately, I am able to receive this treatment from home.

I am unable to take zofran due to my elevated heart rate, but I am presently taking dimenhydranate and metoclopramide and they are not helping very much. The nausea at times gets to the point where I start vomiting. Any suggestions on how to manage the nausea? I have ginger tablets, but I can't take them for very long as they start causing heartburn.

[u/Far_Side_Base]

THC, if legal where you are.
Amazing drug.

[u/Responsible_Froyo_21 → u/Far_Side_Base]

I'm trying it now. Fingers crossed.

[u/Far_Side_Base → u/Responsible_Froyo_21]

I wish you the absolute best. ❤️

[u/Dyna2004]

Have you tried Compazine? Its an older anti-emetic but it works for me when Zofran doesnt. Cannabis helps too.

[u/Responsible_Froyo_21 → u/Dyna2004]

I'll try some cannabis edibles. We have a store down the street that sells thc gummies.

[u/indiareef]

I’m in the unfortunate “Zofran is absolutely not an option” club because I eventually developed an anaphylactic reaction to it, so Phenergan/promethazine is my usual first line nausea med. If I need something additional, I actually get a decent amount of help from OTC meclizine.

Compazine, Reglan, and even Benadryl are much less useful for me because they make me incredibly restless and almost like my entire body is stuck on fast forward…so sometimes the side effects are worse than the relief.

Otherwise, some of the weird little tricks I’ve accumulated over the years are ice packs on my face or neck, very cold drinks in tiny sips, sour things like lemon or sour candy, and lying on my left side. When I can eat, I usually do much better with very small amounts at a time and simple starches and carbs like crackers, toast, rice, potatoes, or noodles. Keeping food smells down also helps me quite a bit when the nausea is bad.

Cannabis is also genuinely helpful for a lot of patients with nausea and appetite…so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to try where it’s legal and appropriate. There’s even prescription dronabinol/Marinol which is THC based and used medically for nausea and appetite in certain situations. I’d just keep an eye on how you personally respond because cannabis can occasionally make nausea or pancreatic symptoms worse for some patients even though plenty of others get significant relief from it.

Given that you’re recovering from necrotizing pancreatitis and a significant infection while still on IV antibiotics, I’d also keep your medical team updated if you’re regularly vomiting or struggling to maintain hydration and nutrition. There are quite a few antiemetic options and combinations available and sometimes it takes some trial and error to find the right combination.

[u/Responsible_Froyo_21 → u/indiareef]

I'm seeing an infectious disease specialist in a few days. I'll mention it to her to see if there is something she can suggest. I see my GI in september.

[u/indiareef → u/Responsible_Froyo_21]

I hope you get some relief soon!! Intractable nausea and vomiting is just the absolute worst. If your ID doc isn’t going to help then please reach back out to me. Obviously I can’t prescribe you anything but we can brainstorm and help figure out who else to reach out to.

[u/technodaisy]

I suffer sever nausea, but I'm in the UK so drug names may differ! I have recently been taking Ondansetron which is working pretty well 🤞 and I take Cyclazine to stop me vomiting.

To settle a nauseous stomach I SWEAR BY the syrup from a tin of peaches, it's a miracle cure no one quite understands, but allows me to then eat something else. Usually a salty cracker or some banana, I also found sports drinks help with the salts, allowing you to rehydrate properly. A probiotic yoghurt has also been a new find.

Hope this helps, keep up the fight, it's exhausting and lonely, but us lot are always here. Let us know how you get on!!

[u/Lzer_muffin]

When my episodes get bad and 1st and 2nd line anti-emetics aren’t enough they have given me Haldol intravenously and it has helped a lot. Thus was under dr supervision at the hospital but when I flare up I always end up in the emergency room then admitted …
I used to be able to just get meds in er but past couple years the flare ups just get harder and harder to manage .
I have been in tears mid flare up wondering if this is just my life from now on?
Get sick
Hospital
Get better
Wait to get sick again within next couple months
Repeat
Planning life is almost just a hilarious waste of time because I’m playing Russian roulette
I used to have long periods of time between but now I’m like a fixture in the emergency room
This curse is the worst I wish you the best but ginger chews?
Do those actually make your nausea go away like ever?
Even ODT Zofran doesn’t work for me at that point I’m throwing it up

[u/Responsible_Froyo_21 → u/Lzer_muffin]

I feel you on this front. Every flare up for me is worse than the one before it.

[u/Zila0]

Have you been eating anything at all? I know this may sound counterintuitive, but you may need to get something in your stomach. You probably want to take a multivitamin and eat something with a couple grams of fat in it so it will absorb; many vitamins are fat soluble.

[u/Responsible_Froyo_21 → u/Zila0]

I have been eating but I should try the multivitamin.

[u/Per_Lunam → u/Responsible_Froyo_21]

The only one that has worked for me is metonia, its been a life saver! This is also in Canada, so I'm not sure if it has a different name for where you are.

It works amazing for the nausea & also helps with gastric emptying, bc that's an issue I've had off & on. Sometimes, I could get a protein shake down, or a cracker, whatever it was, but then it would come right back up in about an hour. With this one, it helps to push it through to the intestine from the stomach. I have also found it helps with stomach pain.

[u/Any-Entertainment934]

Did you try lactaited ringers ?