Ondansetron for nausea, has anyone taken this?

[Normansglasseye]

I have suffered with digestive issues for decades but since I hit perimenopause around 6 years ago my gut issues have gone crazy. I suffer with a lot of upper gut issues including indigestion, acid and awful waves of nausea which are only eased with burping but the gas builds up again and on it goes. I also get a lot of lower bloating, gurgling and frequent need for the loo and diarrhoea at times.

I have had endless tests and my gastro has prescribed me Ondansetron, she says it will help with the nausea and it can be constipating so could help with my lower gut issues but I am apprehensive as so many meds cause me a worsening of diarrhoea.

Has anyone tried this and did it help them? Did it upset your tummy at all?

I was given it when I had chemotherapy for nausea. I found it helpful .

Me and dc1 have taken it long term for gastric issues and find it helpful. I don't think it's first line prescription as its more expensive but definitely effective. I do get constipated however can't sy if it's down to ondansatron, other meds or bad bowels (I suspect all 3).

I had it when pregnant for hyperemesis. It helped with vomiting a lot, but made me very constipated

Very useful for my cat who had ongoing nausea from kidney disease. By far the best one we tried.
I often think that when human meds work for animals it shows the absolute genuine effect with no possible placebo element.

I’ve been on this for around 4 years now, it’s not first line - it took a year of hospital admissions with stomach issues to be prescribed it because nothing else worked. I found it slightly constipating when I first started taking it but now it doesn’t really affect my stomach in that way unless I’ve been taking the maximum dose for several days in a row during a flare up. It works wonders, it gave me my life back.

Yes, it caused severe constipation to the point of needing suppositories. I can't imagine it worsening diarrhea, I'd be more worried about it still leading to constipation.

Yes but be warned re constipation. Mine was extreme when I took it

Another one who has been prescribed it for hyperemesis during 2 pregnancies, and agree with others - it’s known to be very very constipating but it is very effective for sickness/ nausea. I don’t notice any other side effects with it, unlike other antiemetics which often make you very drowsy.

Thanks everyone. I need to try it as my nausea is very bad ATM but I am a little concerned about being very constipated. I wonder if half a tablet would still help with the nausea?

I take 3 drugs that can cause constipation. I manage it. It's easier to manage than diarrhoea though neither is pleasant.

I think your body does adapt to it over time. In my first pregnancy I used to take 1 8mg tablet a day and got very bad constipation at first (like the worst I’ve ever experienced!) but then my body seemed to adapt. In my second pregnancy I was on 3 x 8mg tablets a day and it wasn’t as bad as the first pregnancy! There were periods when it was worse if I didn’t drink enough or didn’t eat enough fibre, but it wasn’t as bad.

Also, I’m not sure how constipating it is when not pregnant as pregnancy causes constipation itself anyway.

Hopefully you’ll be okay if you try and eat a decent about of fibre and drink enough, but lactulose worked for me alongside ondansetron when the constipation was at its worst.

Yes, I'd rather manage constipation than diarrhea. I have IBS mixed so neither are pleasant but the latter prevents me from going out at times.

It's our first line treatment for it. I've taken it and it's effective.

1 tablet is a very small and minimal dose anyway but on the other hand, you might only need 1 tablet a day and feel fine - don’t worry too much about the constipation - you might not even get it as bad as other people do or at all. Hope it helps OP!

I took this when pregnant also, it was good for the vomiting and nausea but like others say did cause constipation. Lactulose helped with the constipation but caused more vomiting. That said it is worth a try as of the 5 anti sickness drugs I tried it was by far the most effective!

I take it and it's the most helpful anti nausea medicine I've ever tried.