It has been a bad day
June 2, 2011 1:33 PM Subscribe
what is a good remedy for nausea associated with morphine/pain killers.
Ms. clav got into an auto accident about seven hours ago. fractured Radius/ULNA FX. She was given morphine I assume 5 mg. She is home but can't keep anything down but is sleeping. What are some remedies because she will want a pain killer in about 2-5 hours. Any helpful hints to deal with this injury would be welcomed. To put a differant light on it, we have insurance and a tree fell on the neighbors house this morning which she sort of joked upon just now (no one hurt but the tree guys are making noise)
mods, not chatfilter but just some hints on the nursing part ahead for me would be cool because she admits she is a bad patient.
Ms. clav got into an auto accident about seven hours ago. fractured Radius/ULNA FX. She was given morphine I assume 5 mg. She is home but can't keep anything down but is sleeping. What are some remedies because she will want a pain killer in about 2-5 hours. Any helpful hints to deal with this injury would be welcomed. To put a differant light on it, we have insurance and a tree fell on the neighbors house this morning which she sort of joked upon just now (no one hurt but the tree guys are making noise)
mods, not chatfilter but just some hints on the nursing part ahead for me would be cool because she admits she is a bad patient.
Hard candy is often helpful when you can't keep anything down.
posted by artistic verisimilitude at 1:45 PM on June 2, 2011
posted by artistic verisimilitude at 1:45 PM on June 2, 2011
From experience with morphine and codeine, if she's feeling particularly nauseous and dizzy then the dose is too high for her, cut the pill in half. You can always give her the other half in a little while after the first half starts to work, if she still needs more.
IANAD but my anesthesiologist friend said when I was feeling sick off of morphine (smashed finger bones), the amount of pain I was in wasn't enough to counteract the side-effects. I.e. if I'm not in enough pain, the drugs will make me sick. As she grows resistant to the drugs they won't make her as sick, or be so effective.
posted by lizbunny at 1:45 PM on June 2, 2011
IANAD but my anesthesiologist friend said when I was feeling sick off of morphine (smashed finger bones), the amount of pain I was in wasn't enough to counteract the side-effects. I.e. if I'm not in enough pain, the drugs will make me sick. As she grows resistant to the drugs they won't make her as sick, or be so effective.
posted by lizbunny at 1:45 PM on June 2, 2011
Normally the doctor would also prescribe something like promethazine or ordansetron for the nausea. Do you have a doctor you can call about something like that?
posted by jedicus at 1:46 PM on June 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by jedicus at 1:46 PM on June 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Rest! Sleep.
If she keeps getting sick from the pain killers call her doctor and ask for a different kind.
Popsicle might stay down, and they also provide a little hydration in the process.
posted by royalsong at 1:46 PM on June 2, 2011
If she keeps getting sick from the pain killers call her doctor and ask for a different kind.
Popsicle might stay down, and they also provide a little hydration in the process.
posted by royalsong at 1:46 PM on June 2, 2011
Ginger in various forms (tea, lozenges, raw root, pickled) has worked for me sometimes for nausea, but not consistently.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 1:48 PM on June 2, 2011
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 1:48 PM on June 2, 2011
Try to get some zofran or promethazine or reglan from your doc. I have the same problems with narcotic painkillers.
posted by capnsue at 1:51 PM on June 2, 2011
posted by capnsue at 1:51 PM on June 2, 2011
Ginger - crystalized or make tea. Also ask for an anti-nausea drug. Promethazine is very sedating - Zofran much less so. Hope she heals well and the pain lessens asap!
posted by leslies at 1:51 PM on June 2, 2011
posted by leslies at 1:51 PM on June 2, 2011
Cannabis. It really does work.
posted by handbanana at 1:51 PM on June 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by handbanana at 1:51 PM on June 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
i have a particularly weak stomach. i throw up more pills than i keep down. marijuana is the only anti-nausea treatment that has ever worked for me.
as a kid when i had to take dimetapp (a guaranteed throw up drug for me), my mom would put me in a cool bath with a popsicle. as an adult, i can keep from throwing up with cold water thrown at my neck. neither of those remedies kept the nausea away, but it at least keeps the medicine down long enough to start working.
posted by nadawi at 1:52 PM on June 2, 2011
as a kid when i had to take dimetapp (a guaranteed throw up drug for me), my mom would put me in a cool bath with a popsicle. as an adult, i can keep from throwing up with cold water thrown at my neck. neither of those remedies kept the nausea away, but it at least keeps the medicine down long enough to start working.
posted by nadawi at 1:52 PM on June 2, 2011
There are OTC anti-emetics; look near the diarrhea medication. There are also anti-emetic suppositories that I believe are OTC but you probably have to request from the pharmacist. Or you could have the prescribing physician call in some phenergan or other prescription nausea drug, which is probably the most efficient solution.
posted by Lyn Never at 1:57 PM on June 2, 2011
posted by Lyn Never at 1:57 PM on June 2, 2011
Best answer: I react pretty strongly in this way to most opioids. At times when I've needed them, I find that just drinking a coke helps with the nausea. Coca-cola syrup apparently has some anti-nausea properties, the gas helps me burp, and the caffeine helps cut through a bit of the fuzziness.
My best to Mrs. Clav.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 2:03 PM on June 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
My best to Mrs. Clav.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 2:03 PM on June 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: First line of defense against opioid nausea for me is to nibble on something bland first, so that the stomach's not empty -- saltine crackers and/or applesauce are often good for this. If she can keep something like that down when she wakes up, that may help.
Otherwise, there are definitely anti-nausea meds to get, either by Rx or OTC. Benadryl actually has mild anti-nausea properties as well.
posted by scody at 2:03 PM on June 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
Otherwise, there are definitely anti-nausea meds to get, either by Rx or OTC. Benadryl actually has mild anti-nausea properties as well.
posted by scody at 2:03 PM on June 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'd call the doc and ask about anti-nausea meds or another pain relief mechanism. Make sure to be clear that she can't keep anything down. Some of the common anti-nausea drugs can make you very sleepy, which might be a problem going forward, but I'd at least see if you can get her something in the short-term so she can be more comfortable and rest up. Glad your wife is (relatively) ok!
posted by zachlipton at 2:23 PM on June 2, 2011
posted by zachlipton at 2:23 PM on June 2, 2011
Ask her doctor for a different medication and see if that helps. Different people react differently to meds. Some people throw up on vicodin but are fine on percocet, for example. Ask her doctor if she can take ibuprofen with what she's been prescribed. I know I can intersperse vicodin and ibuprofen for better pain control, for example (but never add tylenol to anything that already has acetominophen in it.)
posted by gingerbeer at 2:27 PM on June 2, 2011
posted by gingerbeer at 2:27 PM on June 2, 2011
I was almost tempted to give up on painkillers after throat surgery because my nausea and subsequent vomiting were so bad. It seemed worse to me than the excruciating pain of post-surgery.
My doctor prescribed me Zofran, and it saved my life. Seriously, I was able to stop worrying about the pain and the nausea and focus on getting better and not heaving.
Ask for it by name.
posted by juniperesque at 2:38 PM on June 2, 2011
My doctor prescribed me Zofran, and it saved my life. Seriously, I was able to stop worrying about the pain and the nausea and focus on getting better and not heaving.
Ask for it by name.
posted by juniperesque at 2:38 PM on June 2, 2011
I don't have a problem keeping food down, but often have 1-2 hours of nausea to lie down for (and don't feel like eating much). Eating before taking it usually helps a lot. And if I forget, I'm usually ok with ginger snaps or ice cream.
posted by K.P. at 2:45 PM on June 2, 2011
posted by K.P. at 2:45 PM on June 2, 2011
I actually just had oral surgery today and was prescribed vicodin. The dentist said that coca-cola can help with nausea. YMMV, etc.
posted by dfriedman at 2:52 PM on June 2, 2011
posted by dfriedman at 2:52 PM on June 2, 2011
Zofran ... Ask for it by name.
Actually, no, ask for ordansetron, the generic version. Brand-name Zofran is horribly expensive.
posted by jedicus at 3:10 PM on June 2, 2011
Actually, no, ask for ordansetron, the generic version. Brand-name Zofran is horribly expensive.
posted by jedicus at 3:10 PM on June 2, 2011
Response by poster: She received the one dose at hospital….9-10 hours ago. Naseau and not eating before the accident etc. seems to be the factor. I looked for rapid heartbeat etc. The family has a history of not taking opiates well. She had Demerol years ago, seems a similar reaction though not as severe The hospital did give her something for nausea We have ginger tea. Sleep seems best.
Pot is advisable but under these conditions adverse side affects could counter-act the benefits.
Well, the tree is gone from the neighbors house with only minor damage.
Thanks filterines.
posted by clavdivs at 5:01 PM on June 2, 2011
Pot is advisable but under these conditions adverse side affects could counter-act the benefits.
Well, the tree is gone from the neighbors house with only minor damage.
Thanks filterines.
posted by clavdivs at 5:01 PM on June 2, 2011
I recommend not taking narcotics on an empty stomach. Also, oxycodone (the narcotic component of Percocet) seems to be the least nausea-creating for most people versus morphine or hydrocodone/Vicodin, although that is not universally true.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 6:03 PM on June 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by treehorn+bunny at 6:03 PM on June 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
Dramamine, emetrol. Sometimes emetrol is in the children's section.
posted by IndigoRain at 6:31 PM on June 2, 2011
posted by IndigoRain at 6:31 PM on June 2, 2011
Best answer: Pain killers -->sleep-->wake up--> vomit
Food-->pain killers-->sleep-->wake up-->no vomit
posted by vitabellosi at 6:42 PM on June 2, 2011
Food-->pain killers-->sleep-->wake up-->no vomit
posted by vitabellosi at 6:42 PM on June 2, 2011
Ondansetron (zofran) has been clinically proven (I don't have a link to the study but one of the doctors I work with did a big clinical study on it) to be the most effective antiemetic for opioid induced nausea. Most of the other anitemetics work on a different mechanism of nausea and are ineffective. Ondansetron's only drawback is the price - it keeps dropping but it's still pretty expensive compared to other antiemetics, but the cheaper ones won't work for opioid induced nausea.
So get a prescription for it.
posted by Silentgoldfish at 9:52 PM on June 2, 2011
So get a prescription for it.
posted by Silentgoldfish at 9:52 PM on June 2, 2011
Best answer: Food, Rx for phenergan (drowsy city), ginger gum from the drug store, dramanine.
If you need to stuff, id recommend the ginger. Fresh ginger boiled with water (tea) is kinda strong for me, but works).
Lots of water.
posted by KogeLiz at 12:50 AM on June 3, 2011
If you need to stuff, id recommend the ginger. Fresh ginger boiled with water (tea) is kinda strong for me, but works).
Lots of water.
posted by KogeLiz at 12:50 AM on June 3, 2011
I'm a big fan of ginger tea. It's soothing, helps with nausea, and tastes good.
BTW: Opiates cause constipation. Milk of magnesia or something like that might be good to have on hand.
posted by rmd1023 at 7:37 AM on June 3, 2011
BTW: Opiates cause constipation. Milk of magnesia or something like that might be good to have on hand.
posted by rmd1023 at 7:37 AM on June 3, 2011
Can't add much to the advice above, except:
1) to give a perspective on the price of antiemetics: Phenergan ($1.50/pill) is way cheaper than ondansetron ($40+/pill).
2) is she taking an NSAID - motrin or some other antiinflammatory? Motrin is a magical pain medication and might augment her pain regimen.
posted by noonday at 8:16 AM on June 3, 2011
1) to give a perspective on the price of antiemetics: Phenergan ($1.50/pill) is way cheaper than ondansetron ($40+/pill).
2) is she taking an NSAID - motrin or some other antiinflammatory? Motrin is a magical pain medication and might augment her pain regimen.
posted by noonday at 8:16 AM on June 3, 2011
Response by poster: all great answers. it was a reaction, by 11:00 she had applesauce and sleep. Had a back up plan in case she did not sleep.
today she ate had a 500mg vic and is up and around.
so, food>sleep> and a low mg. pain killer> on the road to healing.
thanks again folks, I was worried and this has eased my mind and have new tools like ginger tea and dramamine.
posted by clavdivs at 12:31 PM on June 3, 2011
today she ate had a 500mg vic and is up and around.
so, food>sleep> and a low mg. pain killer> on the road to healing.
thanks again folks, I was worried and this has eased my mind and have new tools like ginger tea and dramamine.
posted by clavdivs at 12:31 PM on June 3, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by elder18 at 1:41 PM on June 2, 2011 [2 favorites]