Antiemetic drugs for chemotherapy: treatment of nausea in cancer patients
People with cancer are often sick because the treatment has a strong effect on the body. Antiemetic drugs for chemotherapy have to be used by patients during and after treatment. Vomiting is dangerous to the body, as it can cause dehydration.
Causes of vomiting
When treating oncological diseases with chemotherapy, vomiting often occurs. This is due to the effect on the body of strong drugs that fight tumors of malignant forms. Most drugs increase the calcium content in the blood( hypercalcemia), and vomiting is a protective action, in which excess substances are excreted.
Vomiting varieties for chemical therapy
During treatment in people with cancer, doctors distinguish two types of vomiting.
These include:
- acute vomiting, which manifests itself within the first 24 hours after initiation of therapy;
- is delayed vomiting, which manifests itself within 2 or 5 days after initiation of therapy.
The acute variety is the most debilitating and frequent. Antiemetic drugs for chemotherapy and acute vomiting should be taken after the appearance of nausea and vomiting. Doctors do not recommend choosing the drug on their own, because the patient can make a mistake with the choice and the remedy will not help him.
With the delayed version, anti-emetic drugs after chemotherapy are taken until the vomiting disappears completely.
Drugs used for vomiting
Treatment for cancer not only helps the body cope with the disease, but also causes some side effects. The most common is vomiting, it can lead to dehydration of the body and worsen the condition of the sick person.
In modern medicine, there are drugs that can prevent the emergence of vomiting.
Most commonly, doctors use the following:
- phenothiazines( Prochlorperazine);
- benzodiazepines( "Lorazepam");
- butyrophenones( "haloperidol");
- corticosteroids( "Methylprednisolone");
- cannabinoids( "Dronabinol");
- metoclopramide( "Reglan").
The above agents do not contain or present minimal side effects. Antiemetic drugs for chemotherapy are released in the form of tablets and injections. They must be used, following all the recommendations of the doctor and strictly on schedule. Interrupt self treatment course is undesirable, so it can lead to complications development and deterioration of the patient's well-being.
There are cases when nausea and vomiting do not stop after a course of treatment of an oncological disease, then doctors recommend taking medications even after therapy. At such times, it is necessary to consult a specialist to prescribe other antiemetic drugs for patients after chemotherapy.
Comparison of antiemetics
| Name of the drug | Form | Indications | Contraindications | Side effects | Price ( rub) |
| "Haloperidol" | Tablets | Tics, vomiting, nausea, hiccups, premedication before surgery, psychosis. | Children under 3.5 years of age, pregnancy, lactation, diseases of the central nervous system. | Arrhythmia, stool disorder, lowering of blood pressure, jaundice. | 25-40 |
| "Lorazepam" | Tablets and injections | Anxiety, depression, vomiting and nausea, psychosis, rigidity of muscles, tremor. | Diseases of the brain, alcohol consumption, pregnancy and lactation, children under 12 years. | Confusion, outbursts of fear and aggression, diplopia, anemia, disorders in the genitourinary system. | - |
| "Dronabinol" | Tablets and solution | Anorexia, nausea, vomiting. | No data | Occurrence of hallucinations. | - |
| "Methylprednisolone" | Tablets | Erythema, dermatitis, vomiting, adrenal hyperplasia, allergy, psoriasis. | Intolerance of the components of the drug, children under 3 years. | Convulsions, gastric ulcer, osteoporosis, gas formation, intracranial pressure, hallucinations. | 70-90 |
| "Reglan" | Tablets | Dyspepsia, nausea, vomiting, preparation for examination of the digestive tract( gastrointestinal tract). | Glaucoma, perforation of the stomach and intestines, epilepsy, pheochromocyt. | Drowsiness, dizziness, headache, depression, gas, stool. | 100-200 |
Principles of anti-emetic therapy
To achieve the best results in the fight against vomiting, doctors have developed a special course of use of funds that prevent emetic pushes.
- Antiemetic drugs for chemotherapy patients should be taken from the first days of treatment.
- In some cases, complex treatment is necessary.
- Preventive measures should be taken to prevent delayed vomiting.
- Antiemetic therapy is used throughout the course of chemotherapy, and not only during vomiting.
- If the use of drugs in the form of tablets and injections is not possible, then doctors prescribe antiemetic drugs for chemotherapy in candles.
If all the rules are followed, the risk of nausea and vomiting is reduced. It sometimes happens that there is still vomiting in the treatment, in such cases it is necessary to consult a doctor to determine the cause or the replacement of the drug. This can happen because of the addiction to the remedy when it is taken for a long time or if the recommendations are not followed.
Vomiting in different people with chemotherapy
Vomiting does not occur in all people in the treatment of cancer. Each patient reacts to such treatment in their own way. Some develop vomiting, others get dizzy.
Most often, vomiting and nausea appear in women under the age of 40 years with no treatment. Antiemetic drugs with chemotherapy, the names of which are described above, help to cope with such an unpleasant side effect as vomiting.
There is a myth that the more a dose of antiemetic drug, the higher its effectiveness is not so. Drugs should be used strictly on the advice of a doctor and follow the prescribed dosage. This is the only way to achieve a better result.
Be Healthy!