Emetics don't work.. :c

[Jasmine-alyssa]

I kind of started giving up on anti nausea pills which made my anxiety even worse my bro is alittle bit of a emetaphobe & when he was *n he took a zofran with a phenergan & still *v
it really scares me now that whenever I feel sick I can't just take the pill & feel better anymore my anxiety still seems to be there until the sleepiness kicks in *sigh

[Natiebear]

Remember Zofran takes about an hour to kick in after you take it.

[jkl81]

Unfortunately they are not a guarantee that you won't get sick. I've seen some pretty decent anecdotal evidence from this forum that they work well if taken early enough in the course of a bad situation. I think if you take them after you start feeling bad but before your stomach stops digesting/absorbing things they work pretty well, but if you wait too long they get expelled before they can do any good. The main problem with this is that you can be tempted to take them "just in case" and at every feeling of queasiness, which is also not such a great idea.

[sdfl]

I have gotten sick on anti emetics. That usually only happens when you take them feeling sooooo bad, and they have no time to absorb and kick in before you start getting sick. Some emets can hold it back and give them time to work, some can't. Most non-emetophobics don't try and fight it that long. Promethazine, zofran, diphenhydramine, dramamine, etc. They all take at LEAST an hour to really get into gear. That's why hospitals use IVs. It's absorbed via the blood stream so you don't have any chance of throwing it up. Does that help?

[Jasmine-alyssa]

Thanks guys I'm so scared right now having another anxiety attack

[gumdropper1]

You mean ANTI-EMETICS. Emetics are what you take to make yourself vomit!

[KaydeeJayde]

Though I think we all knew what the OP meant, I'm glad you mentioned it, Doug… It'd been bothering me since the start.

Anti-emetics aren't completely useless but sometimes if you don't take them in time, your body gets to you before the anti-emetic does. Though it's probably a good thing to not get too addicted to them.

[artoo16]

I've heard that letting them dissolve under your tongue, even if they aren't the dissolving kind, can make them kick in faster and you have a better chance of not getting sick. I don't know if that's true though.

[KaydeeJayde]

I've heard that letting them dissolve under your tongue, even if they aren't the dissolving kind, can make them kick in faster and you have a better chance of not getting sick. I don't know if that's true though.

One member here managed to burn underneath her tongue doing just that, I'd suggest against it. Take pills as directed.

[Felle]

One member here managed to burn underneath her tongue doing just that, I'd suggest against it. Take pills as directed.

Didnt said member do it quite a lot though? I bet once or twice is just fine, as long as it isnt close to each other. I always take them as directed, though. Cos they taste crap. :P

[KaydeeJayde]

Didnt said member do it quite a lot though? I bet once or twice is just fine, as long as it isnt close to each other. I always take them as directed, though. Cos they taste crap. :P

I'm pretty sure it was only once that she dissolved them under her tongue. Medication has instructions on how to take it for a reason, the only way that it's really ever okay to deviate from that is on advice from your doctor, because you don't know the exact reasons WHY it needs to be taken that way.

Each to their own though

[Dairyfreelife]

I'm pretty sure it was only once that she dissolved them under her tongue. Medication has instructions on how to take it for a reason, the only way that it's really ever okay to deviate from that is on advice from your doctor, because you don't know the exact reasons WHY it needs to be taken that way.

Each to their own though

Yes. Always as directed unless a real doctor says otherwise. I had to take sedatives recently for a dental procedure...prescribed sedatives by him...and they also give them crushed up and put under the tongue because yes, it does absorb faster that way. He told me they did. However, I was in a dental office with medical staff supervision and was monitored for pulse and heart rate the entire time. So, unless your doctor tells you it's okay to dissolve them under your tongue, you should not. Also, it's really best to not take anti-emetics for this phobia, especially prescription. Those are meant to be given to the very sick, like after surgery or cancer patients or anyone with severe nausea and vomiting, not to pacify a phobia. They are not good to take long term and really, any medication to pacify a fear, unless it's an anxiety medicine designed specifically to calm fears, is really asking for problem. Prescription drug abuse is a huge problem sadly.

[Cynna]

Have you thought about maybe the nausea is not real at all and you do not need them? If it is a mental thing and not a tummy thing then anti emetics wont help.

[jkl81]

I agree that in general it would be better to stay away from antiemetics when it's just anxiety that you have but I think the poster was talking about in the case when you're actually sick. In those cases we can't promise they will work, but I don't see any harm in using them. To be completely honest though, I know there have been quite a few times that I used them when I didn't really need them. The flip side of that is that having antiemetics available has been one of the things that has let me feel comfortable enough to go and do more "normal" things with less anxiety, and maybe sometimes I really needed that placebo effect even when I was just really anxious. It's true though that it's not a good idea to do that too often...not a good practice.

[Maige]

I think it's rare to get sick despite taking them and allowing them time to absorb into you. I've never gotten sick after taking them (but then again I take something that I think isn't available in the US, called gravol) but I have dry heaved a couple times, and I know for sure that was only because of anxiety. You just gotta trust I guess that the medicine will take care of you; and managing that anxiety is a very big part of it as anxiety can make you feel far worse than you already feel.

[Jasmine-alyssa]

Omg I meant anti emetics!
Ever since sv hit my house I completely stopped taking them because I feel like even if I do take them they won't do any good if I'm sick. I used to rely on them whenever I felt sick but now I just deal with my constant nausea & make it go away on its own. I also heard if you take them almost every night like I pretty much did they'll eventually have no effect on you

[SoVerySorry]

I'd really advise placing them under your tongue. I do so sparingly and usually, other than a slight burn, you will find the surface layer of your lingual frenulum (connecting tissue under your tongue) peel off within the next 12 hours. It doesn't hurt, the skin peeling off, but there are risks. Issues like sialoliths (salivary stones) can lead to sialadenitis (infection of the submandibular glands) which you wouldn't want. Though these may be rare, continued use increases the chance of it. If you are to do it anyways, make sure you rinse your mouth out with plain water, then a hydrogen peroxide mouthwash solution. (tablespoon of Peroxide with 4 ounces of Water works for me).



Though I haven't had any of these issues from my use of promethazine under my tongue, I did get a really nasty chemical burn under my tongue which left heavy scare tissue and me unable to lift my tongue for a day or 2. (Tissue was burned and lifting my tongue was tearing the frenulum). Happened... maybe 3 times total. It does curb the nausea, but yea... just don't haha!

If you must put it under your tongue, keep it there for no more than 2 minutes max and rinse your mouth out with normal water, and then hydrogen peroxide.

[jkl81]

I just don't see how come it's so bad to take antiemetics when you are sick. It won't hurt you to not v* from a SV or most kinds of food poisoning. Chemical poisoning is a different story, but most people here are not going to put ourselves in that situation. I sure wouldn't call it prescription drug abuse unless maybe you were using them frequently when you aren't sick just to pacify the anxiety. I think normally educated people can learn about medications and what their risks and benefits are and if they think the benefits associated with a drug justify the risks associated with same even if the way we use the drugs isn't EXACTLY the same as the instructions say. That having been said, antiemetics are not candy and they DO have some significant risks associated with them, but that's mostly related to masking the symptoms of a more serious illness and mixing them with alcohol or other drugs (legal or otherwise). I do suppose in some cases you could also get into trouble if you were suffering from an unknown health condition and started popping these without being under a doctor's supervision. The distinction between prescription and OTC is also maybe not helpful. From what I've seen here, I do think dimenhydrinate is in some cases strong enough to help you not v* from a SV (if taken early enough at a high enough dose) while it also has significant risks if taken at very high doses (much higher than the normal antiemetic dose), while at the same time another commonly used drug here is promethazine which is an OTC drug in parts of Australia and the UK from what I understand. I also don't see why it matters that the intended use is for cancer patients and post operative patients. It's not like we're taking up something that these patients need and can't get because we use it. There is plenty to go around, if there wasn't then I'd get your point.

[Dairyfreelife]

It won't hurt you to vomit either. Every single blah feeling or anxiety nausea doesn't need anti-nausea meds. Having a stomach virus will not kill you and actually with food poisoning, you should vomit. Get the bacteria out and that's a fast way to do it. Really, for stomach bugs, letting it run its course is best. It's usually over within 24 hours in the majority of cases and rarely ever goes beyond 72 hours. So, yeah, you feel bad a one day most of the time and then you are better and that's it. I mean, technically, you don't need to cough and sneeze with a cold either, but it doesn't hurt you either. You just feel miserable for a few days, that's all. When it gets too much with the coughing and sneezing and all, we take a cold pill. But at a little sore throat, people took cold medicine or zicam and tons of vitamin C because they were so afraid of colds, that would not be good. I don't see the use of anti-emetics and all any feeling of nausea as good either.

[SoVerySorry]

I don't feel there is anything wrong is sparingly using anti-emetics but huh... I wouldn't be one to tell people to use them over and over again either. Emetophobes despise feeling nausea, so just knowing that you'll live doesn't help much if at all.

[jkl81]

To me it's like saying don't take something for a headache for the pain is a natural response to whatever is causing the inflammation. Honestly one of the main reasons I have this fear is that whenever I was a kid and would get a SV there was nothing to even try to help the symptoms. It's true that the acute phase of a SV only lasts 12-24 hrs in most cases but what a bad 12 hrs it is! If I can eliminate or reduce that v*ing, I am going to do it. I'm not sure if you are correct about getting rid of the food poisoning bacterial or not...but I have read in the past that in most cases, it's just like a SV, the bacteria are already gone and you're basically having an inflammatory response to the toxins from those bacteria, so in most cases v* doesn't really help much in the recovery process. There may be exceptions to this, but my understanding is that is from fast acting enterotoxins such as those produced by staphylococcus food poisoning. If one is unlucky enough to get this, it usually would cause an overwhelming emetic response before someone could take antiemetics and surely before they'd be effective.

[Dairyfreelife]

When you have a headache, you take an over the counter ibuprofen. You don't take a prescription migraine medication. When you have a bad cold, you take nyquil or sudafed, not tamiflu. Same with stomach bugs. You take pepto-bismol or emetrol, not prescription zofren. Vomiting is not evil. It is not dangerous. It will not hurt you. We must, must, remember that. Stomach viruses are not the end of the world. It is not the worst thing that could ever happen to us. Not by a long shot. I personally wish all doctors who heard someone with a vomit fear ask for a prescription anti-emetic would turn around and prescribe an anti-anxiety medication of some type instead. I do not believe I will convince jk or sosorry that prescription anti-emetics are not necessary. I hope others will heed my advice though. It really is best to ride out a stomach bug or worse, food poisoning, letting it run its course. Just watch for any signs of dehydration. Vomiting is the bodies way to get rid of something bad or is the reaction to something the body perceives as bad. It could be a sign of something serious in some cases, so it's important to learn your body.
http://www.health.govt.nz/your-healt...esses/vomiting
Only way to get over this fear is trying to remember it's really not that bad, it's not.

[Felle]

When you have a headache, you take an over the counter ibuprofen. You don't take a prescription migraine medication. When you have a bad cold, you take nyquil or sudafed, not tamiflu. Same with stomach bugs. You take pepto-bismol or emetrol, not prescription zofren. Vomiting is not evil. It is not dangerous. It will not hurt you. We must, must, remember that. Stomach viruses are not the end of the world. It is not the worst thing that could ever happen to us. Not by a long shot. I personally wish all doctors who heard someone with a vomit fear ask for a prescription anti-emetic would turn around and prescribe an anti-anxiety medication of some type instead. I do not believe I will convince jk or sosorry that prescription anti-emetics are not necessary. I hope others will heed my advice though. It really is best to ride out a stomach bug or worse, food poisoning, letting it run its course. Just watch for any signs of dehydration. Vomiting is the bodies way to get rid of something bad or is the reaction to something the body perceives as bad. It could be a sign of something serious in some cases, so it's important to learn your body.
http://www.health.govt.nz/your-healt...esses/vomiting
Only way to get over this fear is trying to remember it's really not that bad, it's not.

We are aware of all of that, but we just cant "get it" in our heads, its really hard. Some people are recovered enough to realise and understand, some arent. We are all at different stages here, don't forget that.

[Dairyfreelife]

We are aware of all of that, but we just cant "get it" in our heads, its really hard. Some people are recovered enough to realise and understand, some arent. We are all at different stages here, don't forget that.

I didn't forget anything. We can get into our minds. I am an emetophobe myself, so I am included in the we. It's important to remind ourselves that it's not the bad. It's not good for any of us, no matter the stage, to be told we don't need to vomit. That makes vomit seem like something bad, evil, something to avoid. Which it is to us, but outside of us, it is not and the absolute worst thing I can think of for recovery is any reinforcement that vomiting is wrong or bad in any way. Except for something more serious that requires a prescription anti-emetic, they should be avoided. Sorry, but fear of being sick is not enough of a reason to get a prescription anti-emetic. Those should be given to the people who actually need the medicines, not the phobic.
And soverysorry, yes, that's correct. Emetrol is an over the counter anti-emetic. It's not as powerful as zofren and the like, but I hear it does work. My brother was given it as a child when he caught rotavirus because he was vomiting/had diarrhea too much after a couple days and the doctor was concerned about dehydration. It helped him a lot.

[KaydeeJayde]

When you have a headache, you take an over the counter ibuprofen. You don't take a prescription migraine medication. When you have a bad cold, you take nyquil or sudafed, not tamiflu. Same with stomach bugs. You take pepto-bismol or emetrol, not prescription zofren. Vomiting is not evil. It is not dangerous. It will not hurt you. We must, must, remember that. Stomach viruses are not the end of the world. It is not the worst thing that could ever happen to us. Not by a long shot. I personally wish all doctors who heard someone with a vomit fear ask for a prescription anti-emetic would turn around and prescribe an anti-anxiety medication of some type instead. I do not believe I will convince jk or sosorry that prescription anti-emetics are not necessary. I hope others will heed my advice though. It really is best to ride out a stomach bug or worse, food poisoning, letting it run its course. Just watch for any signs of dehydration. Vomiting is the bodies way to get rid of something bad or is the reaction to something the body perceives as bad. It could be a sign of something serious in some cases, so it's important to learn your body.
http://www.health.govt.nz/your-healt...esses/vomiting
Only way to get over this fear is trying to remember it's really not that bad, it's not.

This is something I've tried to articulate here over and over and over. I think next time I need to, I might screen cap this and attach it to my comments. SO well said, and I completely agree.

[SoVerySorry]

Diphenhydramine isn't a prescription though? Also, Emetrol and Doxylamine can stall nausea I think.

[SoVerySorry]

Then how about Dimenhydrinate and stuff? Again, it isn't nearly, at all, easy and it... probabl won't achieve anything. Were it not for my Anti-Emetics, I'd be dead.

[SoVerySorry]

Sorry, I came off harsh. I get the point you are making, but not everybody is the same

[NicManri]

To me it's like saying don't take something for a headache for the pain is a natural response to whatever is causing the inflammation. Honestly one of the main reasons I have this fear is that whenever I was a kid and would get a SV there was nothing to even try to help the symptoms. It's true that the acute phase of a SV only lasts 12-24 hrs in most cases but what a bad 12 hrs it is! If I can eliminate or reduce that v*ing, I am going to do it. I'm not sure if you are correct about getting rid of the food poisoning bacterial or not...but I have read in the past that in most cases, it's just like a SV, the bacteria are already gone and you're basically having an inflammatory response to the toxins from those bacteria, so in most cases v* doesn't really help much in the recovery process. There may be exceptions to this, but my understanding is that is from fast acting enterotoxins such as those produced by staphylococcus food poisoning. If one is unlucky enough to get this, it usually would cause an overwhelming emetic response before someone could take antiemetics and surely before they'd be effective.

There really isn't a need to v* with the stomach flu, it's in your intestine anyway so v* isn't getting it out anyway, and from what I understand its the same with fp. In America antiemetic are prescription but in some other countries there OTC. I rather take something to lessen my symptoms and be comfortable, that's my choice as is it your choice not to take them. My Dr wrote me a prescription for promethizine without my asking or mentioning my phobia. We were discussing my period and how terrible the are and she asked if the nausea disrupted my life and kept me from eating? And it does, but it's not like I have a unlimited access to promethizine I have a certain number of pills to last me 2 years. People can be responsible enough to only take them as needed. For instance I've had stomach problems for ten years and know that my normal nausea isn't going to cause me to v* it's only when I feel really crappy do I take them. Or before flying because they help with motion sickness.

[Mamafear]

I understand both sides and everyone is obviously entitled to an opinion but when you're on your own journey through this miserable phobia, you're the captain and you make the decisions (antiemetics or no) that will stop you from running aground. How another emet chooses to cope in rough seas is their business (particularly when it prevents a shipwreck! :-)