I meant to post this earlier. When I had the Cytoxan back in October, I was worried about the possibility of nausea and vomiting, so I asked for lots of meds to help prevent it. It was 100% effective. The worst side effect I felt was reflux that night.
Ondansetron (Zofran) – 8 mg tabs. I think I had 3 a day.
Dexamethasone – 2 mg tabs
Prochlorperazine (Compazine)- 5 mg tabs
Lorazepam (Ativan)- inj 0.5 ml
When I went home, I had Ativan and Compazine to take every 4-6 hours. That helped a lot, because I felt somewhat queasy for a few days after.
If you’re going to have chemo, and are worried about the nausea & vomiting that can be a side effect of many of these drugs, speak up ahead of time and let your doctor know that you want lots of drugs to try to prevent it. Why suffer? Oddly enough, some docs/nurses wait until you report feeling nauseated before they give anything. I think premedicating and staying on the anti-emetics for as long as needed is the way to go.
Since then, while I’ve been on Velcade + Doxil, I’ve also had Anzemet. This has also worked for me. I have not had any chemo-related vomiting, at least! Whether I would have had without these drugs, I’d prefer not to find out.