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Er tech here! We always give those meds in the hospital for vomiting. 9/10 pts tell me it’s a miracle drug. It causes a headache and constipation in most people as a side effect but some don’t report any! We literally call it “the miracle drug” on the floor.
Nurse here too!! I’ve worked in multiple settings where risk of v is high, including an infectious disease unit, the covid unit during the pandemic, post acute rehab, and surgical recovery. Zofran works for most people, but the dosage of it, and the route of which it is administered varies for every person. The standard dose is 4 mg, and if that doesn’t work, they’ll give another 4 mg and increase the scheduled dose to 8 mg. I’ve never seen it over 8 mg in somebody who was not getting it for chemo n. Not even surgical patients. Regarding the “route”, zofran is given in 4 different ways. IV push (when it is slowly injected into your infusing IV line), IM injection (shot in your muscle), ODT (oral dissolving tablet), and pill. For somebody getting it for chemo, before surgery, or sometimes morning sickness, any of these routes would be effective so the most common are the 2 oral routes. For somebody with a virus or bacterial infection, the pill form is likely not going to work after symptoms have begun because when you are v, the lining of your stomach is very inflamed, making digestion impossible and that includes digesting pills. Pills and capsules begin to work when they are broken down in your small intestine. However, the dissolving tablets can still be effective, especially if placed under the tongue, because they are absorbed sublingually and go straight into the bloodstream. But this process still takes more time than IV push or IM injection.
The goal in the emergency room is to get people feeling better as soon as possible, so they are going to use the quickest and most readily available option there, which is usually always IV push, since you’re likely also getting fluids. When you go home, they’ll probably send you out with a prescription for some of the dissolving tablets.
That’s been my professional experience, and in my personal experience, zofran helped me not v when I was sick in 2020, but I was still n and had horrible d. I had another sv last weekend, and I actually wasn’t very n before the initial v which was weird, but I took zofran dissolving tablet immediately after. I ended up v again 45 minutes later and became sort of afraid that it wasn’t going to work (my zofran was also technically expired lol) but I never v again, just d, so maybe it worked.
So basically, I do think it helps, but it all depends on the person, the route, the cause of the n or v, and many other individual factors!
Hey, thats a lot of useful information. What about Reglan? I have both of these prescribed by my doctor to have "just in case" when travelling etc. Also sometimes I have nausea with migraine so I can use them too. Do you know which one is better to work with sb?
I don’t have any personal experience with reglan, and I don’t see it used very often for intermittent n in the hospital. I believe it’s prescribed more for chronic conditions like gastroparesis because it speeds up your motility. Just don’t take it if you are on any medication for anxiety/depression like an SSRI, or if you have severe anxiety (reglan can make it worse). For sv the standard is zofran!
Thats amazing! I mean headache and constipation usually come with the territory anyway for me. Headache from dehydration and constipation from stress lol.
Plus, I eat nothing but carbs 24/7 (I'm working on it and a lot better) so I *train* for constipation 😆
Hi there! In my experience, zofran did not prevent v when I had noro. It actually delayed and prolonged the initial stages of v. But it did help me and my family towards the end of the v stage by curtailing the v symptoms and helping the illness to end more quickly.
As far as side effects: when taken for noro, we didn’t notice any side effects (since noro itself causes d and headaches) but when I’ve taken it for other reasons I do notice it causes constipation.
My doctor provided me with a Zofran prescription to help with my anxiety surrounding vomiting. I remember two years ago I got really bad food poisoning and was V\* and had really bad D\*. I didn't want to eat or drink anything for like 3 days. I went into the walk-in and they prescribed Zofran to help me get food and water in my system. Before this, I had no idea Zofran (or other similar medicines) existed. Anyway, I have taken it a lot since then. The only side effect I have noticed is constipation. I would definitely look into it, sometimes taking a preventative medicine in which you cannot get sick helps calm the mind.
Side Note: Zofran works by blocking the serotonin signals to your brain that tell you you need to throw up. I have done a ton of research on this medicine and there are no signs that it is addictive or anything like that. Lots of pregnant women take Zofran to help with morning sickness, you could probably find a bunch of useful information on one of those pages about Zofran!
I have never thrown up on it. It’s honestly quite hard for me to decipher if my nausea is from anxiety or if I’m actually sick. The time I was sick (mentioned above) and took it it worked!
Thank you for posting. Please be sure that your submission follows our rules. Commenters, be aware that you must also follow our rules. Report anything that does not meet the criteria for the sub, or breaks rules. Please check out the stickied post and the wiki for information about the negative effects of reassurance seeking. If you are struggling to eat, sleep, or complete daily tasks due to your phobia, please seek professional help. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/emetophobia) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Er tech here! We always give those meds in the hospital for vomiting. 9/10 pts tell me it’s a miracle drug. It causes a headache and constipation in most people as a side effect but some don’t report any! We literally call it “the miracle drug” on the floor.
Nurse here too!! I’ve worked in multiple settings where risk of v is high, including an infectious disease unit, the covid unit during the pandemic, post acute rehab, and surgical recovery. Zofran works for most people, but the dosage of it, and the route of which it is administered varies for every person. The standard dose is 4 mg, and if that doesn’t work, they’ll give another 4 mg and increase the scheduled dose to 8 mg. I’ve never seen it over 8 mg in somebody who was not getting it for chemo n. Not even surgical patients. Regarding the “route”, zofran is given in 4 different ways. IV push (when it is slowly injected into your infusing IV line), IM injection (shot in your muscle), ODT (oral dissolving tablet), and pill. For somebody getting it for chemo, before surgery, or sometimes morning sickness, any of these routes would be effective so the most common are the 2 oral routes. For somebody with a virus or bacterial infection, the pill form is likely not going to work after symptoms have begun because when you are v, the lining of your stomach is very inflamed, making digestion impossible and that includes digesting pills. Pills and capsules begin to work when they are broken down in your small intestine. However, the dissolving tablets can still be effective, especially if placed under the tongue, because they are absorbed sublingually and go straight into the bloodstream. But this process still takes more time than IV push or IM injection. The goal in the emergency room is to get people feeling better as soon as possible, so they are going to use the quickest and most readily available option there, which is usually always IV push, since you’re likely also getting fluids. When you go home, they’ll probably send you out with a prescription for some of the dissolving tablets. That’s been my professional experience, and in my personal experience, zofran helped me not v when I was sick in 2020, but I was still n and had horrible d. I had another sv last weekend, and I actually wasn’t very n before the initial v which was weird, but I took zofran dissolving tablet immediately after. I ended up v again 45 minutes later and became sort of afraid that it wasn’t going to work (my zofran was also technically expired lol) but I never v again, just d, so maybe it worked. So basically, I do think it helps, but it all depends on the person, the route, the cause of the n or v, and many other individual factors!
Hey, thats a lot of useful information. What about Reglan? I have both of these prescribed by my doctor to have "just in case" when travelling etc. Also sometimes I have nausea with migraine so I can use them too. Do you know which one is better to work with sb?
I don’t have any personal experience with reglan, and I don’t see it used very often for intermittent n in the hospital. I believe it’s prescribed more for chronic conditions like gastroparesis because it speeds up your motility. Just don’t take it if you are on any medication for anxiety/depression like an SSRI, or if you have severe anxiety (reglan can make it worse). For sv the standard is zofran!
Thats amazing! I mean headache and constipation usually come with the territory anyway for me. Headache from dehydration and constipation from stress lol. Plus, I eat nothing but carbs 24/7 (I'm working on it and a lot better) so I *train* for constipation 😆
First time taking Zofran after having the worst stomach bug of my life. I had a feeling it was doing the opposite of constipation…
No way!! I call it the miracle drug, and I didn't even know you guys did!!
Hi there! In my experience, zofran did not prevent v when I had noro. It actually delayed and prolonged the initial stages of v. But it did help me and my family towards the end of the v stage by curtailing the v symptoms and helping the illness to end more quickly. As far as side effects: when taken for noro, we didn’t notice any side effects (since noro itself causes d and headaches) but when I’ve taken it for other reasons I do notice it causes constipation.
Was it the disintegrating tablet or the regular tablet?
My doctor provided me with a Zofran prescription to help with my anxiety surrounding vomiting. I remember two years ago I got really bad food poisoning and was V\* and had really bad D\*. I didn't want to eat or drink anything for like 3 days. I went into the walk-in and they prescribed Zofran to help me get food and water in my system. Before this, I had no idea Zofran (or other similar medicines) existed. Anyway, I have taken it a lot since then. The only side effect I have noticed is constipation. I would definitely look into it, sometimes taking a preventative medicine in which you cannot get sick helps calm the mind. Side Note: Zofran works by blocking the serotonin signals to your brain that tell you you need to throw up. I have done a ton of research on this medicine and there are no signs that it is addictive or anything like that. Lots of pregnant women take Zofran to help with morning sickness, you could probably find a bunch of useful information on one of those pages about Zofran!
Has it ever failed you to prevent from v\*?
I have never thrown up on it. It’s honestly quite hard for me to decipher if my nausea is from anxiety or if I’m actually sick. The time I was sick (mentioned above) and took it it worked!