Anzemet works for me
Posted: Mar 20, 2005 4:23 amI wanted to post about my experiences with Anzemet, because most people seem to be taking Zofran.
I'm currently 11 weeks pg and have been HG since about week 6. This is my first pg. It's typical HG and not as bad as many others on the board. I've been to the hospital twice for saline IVs before seeing an OB and was prescribed medication. I was lucky enough to find somebody with a clue on the first try.
He prescribed Anzemet (100 mg) to be taken once per day in the morning and B6 to be taken twice a day. On bad days, I can supplement this with Reglan up to three times. On the days when the pills won't stay down I have Phenergan suppositories. I have not yet had to use these.
Anzemet is a Class B drug, has been tested on pregnant animals, but not tested for treating HG. It's more commonly used with cancer patients undergoing chemo.
http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic2/dolaset_wcp.htm
According to the drug protocols here on helpher.org, it costs less than Zofran. I'm with an HMO and this use of Anzemet is on their forumlary, so I only need to cover the basic co-pay. Some HMOs limit prescriptions to only 5 tablets every 30 days. This does not reflect the safety of the drug. Rather it's a cost control measure and reflects a reasonable protocol for controlling nausea related to chemotherapy.
One big advantage of Anzemet over Zofran is I only have to take one pill, once per day. For maximum effectiveness, I take is a couple of hours before breakfast. I am constipated, but helped a lot by Metamucil 2x/day. Occasionally, there is some slight dizziness, but not very often.
In contrast, Reglan conks me out (usually need to take a 3-hour nap after a dose), and Phenergan completely conks me out (sleep for the rest of the day).
I'm pretty happy with Anzemet. To be sure, I'm not among the worst cases. Nausea and vomiting are still a problem, but I'm back at work for a few hours a day. I find that other aspects of my care regimen are just as important-- eating frequent small meals, not eating and drinking in the same sitting, not working too much, getting extra rest. I'm looking forward to the end of this and I'm crossing my fingers that this will be over in the near future rather than dragging out to the end of the pregnancy.
Susan
I'm currently 11 weeks pg and have been HG since about week 6. This is my first pg. It's typical HG and not as bad as many others on the board. I've been to the hospital twice for saline IVs before seeing an OB and was prescribed medication. I was lucky enough to find somebody with a clue on the first try.
He prescribed Anzemet (100 mg) to be taken once per day in the morning and B6 to be taken twice a day. On bad days, I can supplement this with Reglan up to three times. On the days when the pills won't stay down I have Phenergan suppositories. I have not yet had to use these.
Anzemet is a Class B drug, has been tested on pregnant animals, but not tested for treating HG. It's more commonly used with cancer patients undergoing chemo.
http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic2/dolaset_wcp.htm
According to the drug protocols here on helpher.org, it costs less than Zofran. I'm with an HMO and this use of Anzemet is on their forumlary, so I only need to cover the basic co-pay. Some HMOs limit prescriptions to only 5 tablets every 30 days. This does not reflect the safety of the drug. Rather it's a cost control measure and reflects a reasonable protocol for controlling nausea related to chemotherapy.
One big advantage of Anzemet over Zofran is I only have to take one pill, once per day. For maximum effectiveness, I take is a couple of hours before breakfast. I am constipated, but helped a lot by Metamucil 2x/day. Occasionally, there is some slight dizziness, but not very often.
In contrast, Reglan conks me out (usually need to take a 3-hour nap after a dose), and Phenergan completely conks me out (sleep for the rest of the day).
I'm pretty happy with Anzemet. To be sure, I'm not among the worst cases. Nausea and vomiting are still a problem, but I'm back at work for a few hours a day. I find that other aspects of my care regimen are just as important-- eating frequent small meals, not eating and drinking in the same sitting, not working too much, getting extra rest. I'm looking forward to the end of this and I'm crossing my fingers that this will be over in the near future rather than dragging out to the end of the pregnancy.
Susan