Nausea and Prochlorper

Just in case, I will share my experience on prochlorper.

My oncologist prescribed prochlorper (the least expensive anti-nausea medication) should I experience nausea after first round of taxol and carboplatin: one table (10 mg) every six hours. A friend, a nurse, warned me not to hold off taking my nausea medicine, so I took it exactly every six hours, or a total of 40 mg over a 24 hour period. I experienced no nausea and stopped taking prochlorper after two days. However, during those two days I had a horrible hyper-activity reaction that was unbearable. I visited my dermatologist while on the medication and couldn't sit in any chair for more than a minute (fortunately the visiting room was almost empty as I changed seats at least twenty times in fifteen minutes). At home I also couldn't sit still. I did call my oncologist's office regarding the hyper-activity and was told it was caused by either the benadryl or the steriods given to me before infusion. About a week later I received a call from my oncologist's NP telling me to stop the prochlorper if I were still taking it--I wasn't and the problem had gone away days earlier. I did some research of drug sites and found that 40 mg. of prochlorper could easily cause the hyper reaction.

For my next infusion I was given nothing for nausea or pain. This time around I had nausea and lots of other side effects (including severe pain and constipation) and as a result decided not to continue with chemo--probably a mistake on my part. I should have insisted that I be given a different anti-nausea drug, whatever the cost, and pain medication, but I didn't. Anyway, please be careful if you are given prochlorper for nausea. And if you can, perhaps insist on a different medication. In my research, I determined that my reaction is not that uncommon and I can promise you, it is very unpleasant.

Just a caution!

[Lani]

could cause extrapyramidal reactions such as difficulty speaking, jerky movements of the neck and "seeing spiders " (literally) around the periphery of one's field of vision. As one who received the old anti-nausea drugs around that time I can tell you THOSE were not pleasant! They too were reversed with benedryl, but the duration of "action" of the antinausea drugs was longer than the benedryl, so as it started to wear off the sideeffects reemerged. Luckily my doctor remembered that and forewarned me and made sure there was plenty of benedryl on hand.

Thanks, Lani, for being so informed and for sharing your knowledge. Interesting that Benadryl helped with your side effects. My nurse practitioner blamed the reaction on Benadryl, which it was not. What disturbed me is that I was prescribed this medication in such a high dosage without any warning of its side effects, and with plenty of other medications available for nausea with less serious side effects. Your doctor warned you and provided you with a solution. Mine took a week to figure it out. I worry that others, whose HMO's pay for their medication, may not be getting more advanced medications because of cost.

[juanita]

I quit chemo after 2 tac treatments. Then did rads and then switched oncs. He convinced me that there are other chemos out there I could try without the same side effects. I then did 6 cmf, and had hardly any nauseau(sp?) with it at all. Talk to your onc about your options.

My son age 13 has been sick for 12 days now. He had the terrible stomach flu and couldn't stop vomitting. His doctor perscribed Prochlorper for his nausea. He had a terrible reaction-his neck locked as far backward as it could, his body jerked as if he was having a seizure, he speech was minimal. Our Dr. never warned us of any side effects. Horrible! Horrible!