Vomiting

Hi SophiaPH

Thanks for getting in touch, and welcome to our online community.

My name is George, and I'm one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line. Sorry to read you have suffered severe nausea and vomiting after your first chemotherapy, but it's reassuring that the cyclizine medication they prescribed is working.

Side effects associated with chemotherapy treatment can be very individual and vary significantly from person to person. Symptoms can fluctuate through your treatments, and it would be impossible to say how you will respond to your next cycle. However, a plan can be implemented to help prevent these side effects from happening next time.

Discussing this further with your healthcare team at your next pre-chemotherapy review would be beneficial. If cyclizine is proving to be effective, they may want to prescribe that so you can take it following your next chemotherapy treatment. There are also other specific medications licenced with chemotherapy and are very effective at preventing chemotherapy-associated nausea when someone has suffered severely during their first chemotherapy. Anti-emetic medication Aprepitant (Emend) can sometimes be prescribed. You take this medication on the day of treatment and for two further days after treatment. This medication can be discussed with your team at your next review before your next cycle of chemotherapy.

There are other ways of managing and helping with the side effects of nausea and vomiting. Support regarding eating problems can be found here. There is an emotional support forum on our online community, which is a place to talk with others who understand what you are going through. Cancer Research does have further information on other ways of controlling sickness.

I do hope this helps answer your question. Please don’t hesitate to get back in contact by email, webchat or phone, if you need further information or support.

The Macmillan Support Line offers practical, clinical, financial, and emotional support. You can call us free from landlines and from most mobile phone networks on 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week, 8am – 8pm.

Best wishes,

George

Our ref: GH/PG