Be sure to keep in touch with the doctors and nurses. People have had success with marinol. You could ask about medical marijuana if available, I have heard it helps tremendously with nausea. My husbands nausea was not too bad. I am sorry you have to go through this.

My brother smokes medical marijuana--yes, it definitely can be a big help for some people. Brother also has found that he feels worse if his stomach is completely empty--he tries to make sure there's something in his system at all times, even if it's just a cracker or two.

I took those three drugs initially, but was taken off of Compazine and instead was prescribed promethazine. I do not remember the dosage of Compazine.

It is very easy to become confused on these drugs because they have a brand name and also the generic name. For me, the following drugs were effective:

Zofran (ondansetron) 8 mg, three times a day
Atavan (lorazapam) 0.5 mg, three times a day
Promethegan (promethazine) 25 mg, three times a day
Marinol (dronabinol) 2.5 mg (or 5 mg) one hour before meals

For several months, I took all four of the above drugs at the same time. Marinol is a marijuana extract.

I would check his doses and frequency and ask his doctor about adjusting them.

Another option to investigate is Reglan (metoclopramide) 10 mg three times a day. This drug was effective in controlling my nausea alone with no other drugs, but it made me jittery and unable to sleep well, which is a common side effect. Not all patients experience this side effect, so it is worth investigating.

He should try eating a little bit to see if the nausea abates somewhat with something in his stomach.

A good oncologist will work with him to try various medications to see what is most effective.

At one point when my nausea was at it's worst, I was given a stick on patch (in addition to the four drugs I was already taking) which had an additional anti nausea drug in it which I absorbed through my skin. The patch helped. It stayed on for about a week and stayed put in the shower. I don't remember what the patch drug was, but his oncologist should know.

Best wishes.

thankyou all so very much!!!! I am going to ask tonight about those 4 drugs...He is on Zofran and compazine, but it is absolutely worth trying the promethegan and marinol. He is way too early in this process to be this sick. We went in today and they gave him decadron and fluids...but the decadron did nothing but raise his blood sugar out of control...he is also diabetic. This group is a life saver!! You folks are a godsend!