emend for Adriamycin

rodeogirl

i had my first treatment none of the nausea meds worked and ended up in hospital- can someone tell me if you are supposed to get emend every day for 3 days ? i was reading this somewhere- i did not get it onlydexamethasone and metocloppramide- or is this the norm

Artista928

Emend could be rx'd by your onc. It's not something your are 'supposed' to get per se but talk about it as an option with your onc. I tried Zofran, Compazine and they didn't work and then I got Phenergan and it worked pretty well. Just keep trying different meds to see what works. It's all different for each of us in what works. Good luck.

MargaretEleanor

I am so sorry that you had such a bad experience. I did AC-TH and the AC was much harder for me than the T.

When I did AC, I skipped the dex (dex turned me in to an angry, raving lunatic and I was afraid I was going to end up in jail) and took Emend. If I remember right, I was dripped Emend (or something similar) on chemo day and then took the pills for a couple of days after. I remember that the pills came in a folder like blister pak and were insanely expensive for just a couple of pills (thank doG for insurance). I also remember that the Emend, coupled with Zofran and Ativan worked really well for me.

While I was going through chemo, I thought I would NEVER be able to forget any detail of the experience. It's taken over five years, but my memory is fading. I'm hoping your next treatment goes much better and your memory of the last one fades quickly.

rodeogirl

thanks for your reply girls- i had a terrible time- 2 days on drip- 2 days sleeping with ears ringing and flashing lights- next week- chest pain trouble breathing- not able to walk far- maybe from bone mets- days 16 first day feel normal but have huge mouth ulcer and red raw sinus- arg- margaret i had the emend in drip and the tablet- i noticed the pill cost 150 dollars- it worked because i didnt get sick till later that night when it wore off- i was wondering if its because of the price and the fact im only on medicare why i didnt get following ones. oh on day 5 my mouth was burning and my tounge went black- that scared the crap out of me - it went away in 2 days

jbdayton

I was prescribed Emend which I took the day of treatment and the next 2 days. I was given Aloxi in my drip during treatment. I did not need any other home nausea meds.

I was very lucky my insurance covered the Emend for only $35 copayment each cycle. It was considered a specialty drug. The retail charge would have been about $450 per cycle.

I will say a special prayer that your next infusion goes much smoother as they make adjustments from what they learned this round.

Kicks

When I did neoadjuvant DD A/C, I had no nausea issues. I was given/took Emend, Zolfran (ondansetron). Was also given Reglan (metoclopramide) if additional nausea meds were needed. (Never were.). Was also given oral Dexamethasone to prevent allergic reactions.

On 12 weekly adjuvant Taxol, again I was given Zolfran but only took one shortly before infusion and never had any nausea issues. For possible allergic reactions I was given via port - Pepcid (famotidine), Benadryl (diphenhydramine) and Dexamethasone.

Did you have a lot of Morning Sickness? I was told that Morning Sickness or no Morning Sickness can sometimes be a predicted of how you will be effected by Chemo nausea. I had no Morning Sickness with either of my boys and had no Chemo nausea at all.

MargaretEleanor

Kicks, my oncologist told me the same thing. He said if you had morning sickness when you were pregnant, or were prone to motion sickness, you would likely have more nausea with chemo. On the other hand, he said if you were a very heavy drinker, you were likely to have very little, if any nausea. He said the chemo drugs effect the same parts of the brain morning sickness, motion sickness, and alcohol effect. That is the same part of the brain Emend acts on. I had totally forgotten we had that conversation until you mentioned it.

Since I am a light-weight, wimpy drinker I knew heavy drinking would be no help to fight off chemo nausea. And while I was pregnant, I had morning sickness so bad that I slept with a bucket next to the bed, and saltine crackers and flat ginger ale on the night stand. But, luckily, I have never experienced motion sickness. I LOVE all kinds of amusement park rides; road trips in any seat of any vehicle; I LOVE the motion of the ocean in tiny little paddle boats, ginormous cruise ships and every other size boat, ship and manner of water travel; and flying any kind of airplane from a fun little Cub or aerobatic 152, to a fully loaded 727, turbulence or smooth air.

I think my brain was so mixed up that I ended up with average, yet very well controlled, nausea from chemo.

One other thing I just remembered my oncologist telling me...Nausea is best controlled proactively. Meaning, take the main nausea meds (Emend and Zofran for me) as scheduled, then supplement (for me it was Ativan) the minute you begin to feel nauseated. For me, it could be a smell or a taste that triggered nausea. Even a memory triggered it once. There are so many weird emotional and psychological things that happen with treatment.

Rodeogirl, I don't think you weren't given Emend because you're on Medicare. Even though Emend is expensive, it's still a whole lot less $ than the ER or hospital. Please ask your oncologist to revisit your nausea meds. For mouth sores, I have a couple of ideas. For your remaining treatments, put ice chips in your mouth as soon as you see your infusion nurse coming toward you with Adriamycin. Make sure your mouth is nice and cold and again full of ice chips when the push is started. Keep ice chips in your mouth the whole time your're getting Adriamycin. Then, drink cold drinks until bedtime or until your urine returns to its normal color, whichever comes first. Also ask your oncologist for the magic mouthwash. I personally never had to use it and don't know what makes it magic, but, I know there's a magic mouthwash out there and it has helped many people.

Please let us know when your next treatment is. I'd like to keep you in my thoughts that day and the next couple days, surrounded by love, warmth, and comfort.

Kicks

Motion sickness or alcohol consumption was not mentioned to me in regards to Chemo nausea - just morning sickness and that a particular part of the brain is associated with it.

I know my 'brain' is not 'normal' being ADD (yes - women can be ADD and it is life long IF you are) and SAD (Seasonal Affect Disorder) - 'Brain' is a bit different!

Never have had any 'motion sickness' either - on boats, planes, trains or cars. When I was 6 (1952), we went from NYC to LeHarve, France on the second voyage of the United States and went through an 'extra-tropical storm' (ex- hurricane) in the North Atlantic - no problem. I've been on many yachts and all sorts of small(er) boats all my life and never any 'sea sickness' issues. I will not go on a 'big boat' (cruise ship) though but the reasons have to do with other bad things that happened on the United States. Thankfully, when we came home from France 3 years later we flew on a MATS flight.

There is one day of the year I have a Mint Julep (or 2) while I watch the KY Derby. This is something I always did with Daddy (on the radio back then) and I had sugar water and crushed mint over shaved ice back then. He's been gone 30 yrs but I still have my private time watching the Derby with Mint Juleps in our Stirrup Cups. I was lucky enough to be in a box (a cousin's box) to see Secriatarat set the track on fire.

Yes, I have always been told to keep 'whatever' be it pain or nausea until control as it is easier to keep the need control than the o get back under control.

Rodeogirl - I did not know Emend was available in 'drip'.- I had pills. My care was out sourced from VA to the local Cancer Center. VA did insist that the oral meds were sent to me from them instead of the Center. All meds on infusion days were covered at the Center.

Jacklin

Hi rodeogirl,

I had Emend with my A/C treatments. It is a prescription and it required taking 2 tablets the morning of chemo and then 1 tablet for the next 2 days; so a total of 4 pills taken over 3 days. Hope this helps and I surely hope you are feeling better. Be sure to let your MO know about the nausea issues you had.

Take care,Jacklin

rodeogirl

my chemo was cancelled due to low white cells- i have also been very nausea last couple of days- hoping to feel normal before i get it again- its very hard to feeling on top of the world one day- to being frail sick and no hair 3 weeks later my bones have been aching in my back- dont know if its the cancer- trying real hard to put the stone back on i lost- but not having any luck- thankyou everyone i am so greatful for your advice and positive energy

Meadow

rodeogirl, oh my, I hope you feel better soon. Please do try to eat small amounts of whatever tastes good. Take a bite here and there, all through the day. You must keep up your strength and weight as much as possible. Please update us soon, and gentle hugs to you right now.