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Remedies for Nausea: Any Tips?
There is no doubt in my mind that I’ve been battling some sort of virus for the past few weeks. First it started with a full-blown cold, inclusive of a sore throat, headache, chills, slight fever, etc. While those symptoms have thankfully gone away, I am still left with some unpleasant side effects from some type of virus. I suspect it’s a virus mostly because many of my colleagues are dealing with the same issues, and we share an office space. I also haven’t made any recent changes to my diet, medications or lifestyle otherwise to induce the recent, and random, bouts of nausea.
I would suspect this to come from a new medication, or if I had other symptoms more reflective of a flu bug but thankfully I don’t. Other than extreme fatigue some days (more than normal, I know this is a common occurrence for those of us living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, IPF), the only other thing I’ve been dealing with as a side effect of this virus is nausea, sometimes extreme. Do any of you deal with this periodically or on an unexpected basis?
When I am sick, or have a new drug that they’ve told me to expect some episodes of nausea, my typical go-to remedies for this are:
- Crystallized ginger: typically I can’t stand the taste of ginger, especially in solid form but I find gnawing on little bits of this at a time helps. I can only tolerate this for so long, but I do find it helpful to just take little bites of it when an episode of nausea happens.
- Gingerale: I am also not really someone to ever drink any type of soda, as I don’t enjoy carbonated drinks, so combined with my dislike of ginger – I am surprised I reach for gingerale when I am sick. Perhaps it is a comfort of my childhood when my parents would give it to me when I came home from school feeling unwell.
- Cool cloth on my forehead: I’m not sure why this tends to help, but it does, especially if I lay flat on my back with my eyes closed and put the cloth over my eyes and forehead.
- Gravol: this remedy isn’t always possible because it makes me drowsy (even daytime Gravol) but I often reach for it if the more natural remedies don’t work.
Do you deal with random, but frequent episodes of nausea since your IPF/PF diagnosis?
Do you have any tips on how to relieve this unwanted symptom, preferably naturally?
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4 Replies
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Dear all
Since taking OFEV, I have been feeling nauseated from time to time. By observing in detail what could be the same every time, I realized that often happened during the morning, when I was taking my treatment before making a physical effort, never in the evening or at night.
So I shifted OFEV taking after my morning exercise, I start them earlier and before breakfast, and I then take a good brunch (including OFEV). Since nausea episodes are much unusual.
Unfortunately no efficient tip how to relieve it
Take Care
Jean-Michel
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Hi Jean-Michel,
Thanks so much for sharing your experience with Ofev and contributing to this topic thread. I am always really interested in hearing from others on this drug. I am also on Ofev, and typically never had issues before, but I do wonder if I am becoming more intolerant of it and that is the cause of my nausea? I know other members have suddenly developed an issue with Ofev and remember them saying nausea became an issue for them. That memory wasn’t triggered until now, something I should consider…
Thanks for sharing how to have reduced the nausea, maybe I should re-evaluate when I take it or try taking it a different way to see if I can eliminate the nausea. I just can’t imagine a virus lasting this long without many other symptoms. I hope it isn’t the Ofev, as it’s been pretty good for me up until this point if it is that. Thanks for sharing Jean-Michel, I hope you’re having a nice week so far!
Charlene.
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Oh, my god. Esbriet, even after the reformulation, still makes me sick. Ofev was worse, way worse. In the very beginning of treatment, in 2015, my pulmonologist diagnosed my symptoms as 24/7 morning sickness. In 18 months, I dropped 35 – 40 pounds.
One thing that really helped was THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Of course, I can’t smoke, so I have used edibles and topical products. I believe that this is one of the reasons I didn’t just shuffle off in the last three years, and I advocate its use. You have to start low and slow, but you may find relief.
The other thing, the one that really works, always works – Zofran. If you are on either Esbriet or Ofev, it is my firm opinion that you should have an open scrip for Zofran. My pulmonologist agrees.
Man, best luck.
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Hi Donald,
Thanks so much for writing to us and contributing your experience to this topic thread, although your experience with the anti-fibrotic drugs sounds terrible. So sorry you had to endure that! I’ve heard a lot of people have a hard time with Esbriet, but Ofev tends to be a bit better (for some), although of course everyone is different. Feeling like you have morning sickness 24/7 would be absolutely terrible – I can’t imagine! Thankfully my nausea isn’t that bad, but I am closely keeping an eye on it to ensure it doesn’t get that way. I am wondering now if it is me developing an intolerance to Ofev…
I have a script for Zofran, although waiting to get it re-filled on Thursday when I am at the doctors. Thanks for that reminder, and for the information about THC as well. Will keep that in mind!
Hang in there, and as always, thanks for writing!
Charlene.
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