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C99Brook Asked March 2020

Nausea....any suggestions?

Hi Everyone,
My 87 year old mom has multiple health issues and is on at least 14 different medications.
She has Parkinsons (2 meds), high blood pressure, diabetes, anti depressant and others. She's on a walker so taking walks is almost impossible at this time.
She is living in a nice senior home with my dad. My dad can't get away from it and I can't go in due to the current virus situation to give him a break.
Bottom line...the nausea is so intense! This is to be expected considering the meds she's taking and never exercises.
I bought her a new heating pad (state of the art one.)
Medication (yes, another one!) for nausea isn't helping.
Keeping her hydrated.
I have her drinking peppermint tea and sucking on a peppermint candy (doc says that is OK)
Are there any other home remedies that work?
Thank you all!

freqflyer Mar 2020
C99Brook, I also agree, time to evaluate the meds your Mom is taking.

Meds can be tricky, as there are "fillers" in the pills to make the pills large enough to handle. Common fillers are lactose (milk sugar), microcrystalline cellulose, corn starch, sugars, whey and yeast.

There are "binders" in the pills that help make the pill stay together before taking. Some common binders are povidone, xanthan gum and Carbopol (an acrylic resin)

And finally there are "coatings" on pills to help make the pill easier to take. A common coating is shellac - the same as used on wood floors

The above can vary from pharmaceutic manufacturers. Both my Mom and I ran into that issue with our pills. I was surprised when I learned my Mom liked the pills made by one manufacturer compared to others.... and it was the same manufacturer I liked :) Pills from other companies didn't sit well with me.

There is a lot of detective work involved trying to narrow down what is causing the nausea. It may not be the pills but acid reflux which creates a terrible taste in one's throat.

I get nausea if I take Tums after I take my blood pressure pills. But if I take Tums an hour before taking the meds, no problem.

Grandma1954 Mar 2020
Check to see if ginger will be alright with her medications.
Ginger ale, ginger tea might help.
There are wrist bands that have "buttons" that hit pressure points on the wrist that are supposed to relieve nausea. (commonly sold for people that are traveling for motion sickness)
Do you happen to know what particular medication is causing the nausea? If so can that one be split so that it does not effect her as strongly?
And you mention hydration is she actually drinking enough or is it sitting in a glass by a chair? And to go with that is she eating? Given the nausea she might not be eating enough and that can cause a similar feeling in the stomach.

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cwillie Mar 2020
I would be taking a serious look at reducing the number of medications she is taking, especially if the nausea is a consequence - IMO at 87 your focus needs to be on enhancing quality of life rather than worrying about longevity. I know that the decision to focus on palliative medicine can be difficult, when my mom's doctor reduced many of the medications that were "keeping her alive" I was terrified that she would stroke out and die withing weeks, but she managed to live on years without them.
Also, is anyone looking for another reason she is suffering from such a debilitating degree of nausea? Is there any possibility of an infection (norovirus)? Are her bowels moving or could there be a blockage? Could she have developed a food intolerance - gall stones - pancreatitis - ulcer...
And I don't want to alarm you unnecessarily but my mom's primary symptom of angina and heart attack was nausea and stomach upset.

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