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6:40am May 17, 2013
[Two large bags full of lots and lots of boxes. One of them has words visible, that say “Promethazine Hydrochloride Suppositories USP, 25 mg”.] So. Um. Week after week. They kept sending me just enough of my butt pills (Phenergan suppositories, for nausea) to last me a week. And my case manager kept saying she was sick of it and demanding they send me enough to last me longer. And they did. o_O BTW I used to loathe Phenergan. That was before I got gastroparesis. After I got gastroparesis, I begged them to let me go on it, despite my having had some worrying side effects in the past. We just give me Benadryl too (which doubles as another nausea med, believe it or not) and that seems to prevent that side effect, fortunately. I don’t like the side effects but I love love love the anti-nausea effects. Over the years, I’ve been on Phenergan through every delivery method I know of – IV (back before that person’s hands turned black), oral, IM, and rectal. Rectal seems to me to get the most effect for the longest. It’s also the only form I can easily take. So not all delivery methods are created equal. Nor all dosages – half this dose does practically nothing for me, even combined with equal amounts of Compazine. They were really worried I wouldn’t be able to self administer this stuff. I had to explain to them that yeah, I know I’m not great at giving myself complicated regimens of meds, but I’m perfectly capable of locating my own rectum. Anyway I’ve never seen such a huge number of butt pills in my life and I found it really amusing that they finally got sick of our nagging and gave us such a huge amount that I don’t even know when I’m going to run out. Apparently the pharmacy had to special order this. My other main nausea meds are Reglan and Marinol. It’s the combination of the three that keeps me going, remove any two and I have problems. Remove my acid reducer and I have problems too. But at least I’m now no longer having to take high doses of six different nausea meds at once. The other three have been relegated to mostly PRN, although I try to take Benadryl most days to keep all the Phenergan from giving me the extrapyramidal reaction from hell. Some day though I want to take a picture of my combined supply of nausea meds because it’s a little scary. But I think the Phenergan should be scary enough on its own. Phenergan is a mild neuroleptic so be aware of that. Not all doctors know it’s a neuroleptic. My first doctor who prescribed it years ago during a three day migraine didn’t know it. He told me it was just an antihistamine, which it also is. But it’s a neuroleptic. And I took it. And I didn’t know why my movement disorders got worse, and I got stiffer, and stuff. Until I was feeling well enough to be capable of reading again. At which point it had this big warning for neuroleptic malignant syndrome. At which point I was pissed because I’d specifically asked the guy if it was a neuroleptic. He’d looked it up in some tiny pocket sized book and said no it’s an antihistamine. As if it couldn’t be both. Later I had a really nasty extrapyramidal reaction but Benadryl made it go away. Just be careful if you’re sensitive to neuroleptics because a lot of nausea meds are either neuroleptics or related to neuroleptics. Like Reglan isn’t one but it can have similar side effects. Anyway I eventually got desperate enough that we all agreed it was okay for me to try it as long as I stayed on some amount of Benadryl most of the time, and I haven’t had a severe reaction since. I don’t like all the side effects but they’re much more livable than constant vomiting is. But I swear whoever designed me to be sensitive to neuroleptics, AND formerly emetophobic, AND have gastroparesis had a sick sense of humor.

[Two large bags full of lots and lots of boxes. One of them has words visible, that say “Promethazine Hydrochloride Suppositories USP, 25 mg”.]

So. Um. Week after week. They kept sending me just enough of my butt pills (Phenergan suppositories, for nausea) to last me a week. And my case manager kept saying she was sick of it and demanding they send me enough to last me longer.

And they did. o_O

BTW I used to loathe Phenergan. That was before I got gastroparesis. After I got gastroparesis, I begged them to let me go on it, despite my having had some worrying side effects in the past. We just give me Benadryl too (which doubles as another nausea med, believe it or not) and that seems to prevent that side effect, fortunately. I don’t like the side effects but I love love love the anti-nausea effects.

Over the years, I’ve been on Phenergan through every delivery method I know of – IV (back before that person’s hands turned black), oral, IM, and rectal. Rectal seems to me to get the most effect for the longest. It’s also the only form I can easily take. So not all delivery methods are created equal. Nor all dosages – half this dose does practically nothing for me, even combined with equal amounts of Compazine.

They were really worried I wouldn’t be able to self administer this stuff. I had to explain to them that yeah, I know I’m not great at giving myself complicated regimens of meds, but I’m perfectly capable of locating my own rectum.

Anyway I’ve never seen such a huge number of butt pills in my life and I found it really amusing that they finally got sick of our nagging and gave us such a huge amount that I don’t even know when I’m going to run out. Apparently the pharmacy had to special order this.

My other main nausea meds are Reglan and Marinol. It’s the combination of the three that keeps me going, remove any two and I have problems. Remove my acid reducer and I have problems too. But at least I’m now no longer having to take high doses of six different nausea meds at once. The other three have been relegated to mostly PRN, although I try to take Benadryl most days to keep all the Phenergan from giving me the extrapyramidal reaction from hell.

Some day though I want to take a picture of my combined supply of nausea meds because it’s a little scary. But I think the Phenergan should be scary enough on its own.

Phenergan is a mild neuroleptic so be aware of that. Not all doctors know it’s a neuroleptic. My first doctor who prescribed it years ago during a three day migraine didn’t know it. He told me it was just an antihistamine, which it also is. But it’s a neuroleptic. And I took it. And I didn’t know why my movement disorders got worse, and I got stiffer, and stuff. Until I was feeling well enough to be capable of reading again. At which point it had this big warning for neuroleptic malignant syndrome. At which point I was pissed because I’d specifically asked the guy if it was a neuroleptic. He’d looked it up in some tiny pocket sized book and said no it’s an antihistamine. As if it couldn’t be both.

Later I had a really nasty extrapyramidal reaction but Benadryl made it go away. Just be careful if you’re sensitive to neuroleptics because a lot of nausea meds are either neuroleptics or related to neuroleptics. Like Reglan isn’t one but it can have similar side effects. Anyway I eventually got desperate enough that we all agreed it was okay for me to try it as long as I stayed on some amount of Benadryl most of the time, and I haven’t had a severe reaction since. I don’t like all the side effects but they’re much more livable than constant vomiting is. But I swear whoever designed me to be sensitive to neuroleptics, AND formerly emetophobic, AND have gastroparesis had a sick sense of humor.

Notes:
  1. withasmoothroundstone posted this