Dexamethasone for Nausea/Vomiting, Chemotherapy Induced User Reviews

• Sti...
• April 18, 2012

"I had tried Zofran and Ativan, to no avail. I had dreadful vomiting and nausea from the chemotherapy and was losing weight as everything I ate came back up again. But once I was prescribed the dexamethasone, I was able to get both the nausea and vomiting under control and start eating again. It worked well for me!"

• Luu...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 25, 2016

"I have a brain tumor, and it did the job it had to do, but the side effects were horrendous! Gained 10 kg in 1 month! Moon face, which made me unrecognizable, feeling of depression! Very outspoken to my family, which is totally unlike me! Have been off them for 2 months now, haven't lost any of the weight yet, but my body is starting to deflate, feel like I have mainly water retention."

• Lin...
• December 29, 2014

"When I started chemo again for the third time, I was surprised that I had a lot more issues with nausea and loss of appetite, and also fatigue than I did with the other chemos. The previous times I only had 2 days of loss of appetite. Now I was experiencing 4-5 days of stomach upset, acid reflux, and extreme fatigue. My chemo is Carboplatin and Gemzar. I tried other nausea medicines that weren't very effective or made me very drowsy. The Dexamethasone 4 mg dose - 1 pill in the morning, did the trick. My doctor also gave me a pill for indigestion. I could eat anything and wasn't tired. I know I can't stay on it for very long, but I hope it will be OK for the next 9 weeks I have left of chemo."

• Kur...
• December 3, 2015

Dexamethasone "Been taking this drug for about over a year now. I've got stage 3 multiple myeloma (bone cancer). Really have no bad side effects. The only issue I have is sleeplessness, it really keeps you awake at night, hard time to fall asleep. Other than that, it works great."

• Luc...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 30, 2022

"Taking this as pre-med on chemo day and then for 4 days after. Side effects include: insomnia-I'm still up, it's 5 am, weight gain-I'm always hungry, swollen hands, legs, and feet, blurred vision, lingering dry cough, voice also goes in and out, constant headaches, swollen face and neck, painful bloating, and I'm not overweight. Talked to the doctor, and it was decided that I would only take it on chemo day. Phew!"

• Mag...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 9, 2016

"This steroid nearly killed me. Receiving as part of my chemo, took 2 a day for 3 days straight after chemo. Was only on them for three months when they induced diabetic ketoacidosis. Was on life support for 10 days. Will never touch a steroid again. I have given this a high score on the bar because it did stop me from feeling sick."

• Liz...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 3, 2017

"I receive this drug with chemo and am supposed to take it days 2-4 afterwards. Other than anxiety, it does the trick of improving abdominal pain, but once I stop, I am in agony. Burning pain and cramps, indigestion, back pain, and decreased urine output. I'm ready to give up on the whole thing."

• Bea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 8, 2023

"I am taking the night before and morning of five 4 mg tablets for chemotherapy. I feel like I am getting clean energy to get through the 5 hours of chemo spread out every 3 weeks. Helps me rest and maintain energy to get cleaned up after. I have PCOS, and my glucose has been 150 or 170 in the morning for no food-related reason, so I think it raises my sugars. I'm not diabetic and do take metformin for PCOS. Have had a hysterectomy and was diagnosed with endometriosis-ovarian cancer. Does not affect any anxiety or cravings/appetite. I am able to snack, not eat a big meal, and maintain my energy and helps keep nausea away, so I want to drink and stay hydrated, and I have not had nausea for two sessions so far. I am seeing benefits from it and am thankful!"

• Sma...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 7, 2024

"It seems to help with nausea, but it worsens my prediabetic glucose levels. It also causes fluid retention and decreases urine. It can also cause mild edema in my feet and lower legs. It makes me feel giddy and affects my sleep, reducing the amount I can achieve. I take a higher dose for the three days including chemotherapy day and the two following days of 4 mg. I also take a 1 mg dose daily to give me more energy, and it does seem effective for that. Since I hate vomiting and nausea, I will overlook the effects on my blood sugar and fluid retention since it is only for three days out of 21, as the lower daily dose does not seem to have the same side effects."

• Kin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 14, 2023

"I have stage 2 gastric cancer and receive FLOT chemotherapy. I receive dexamethasone IV on the day of chemo and take 4 mg orally the following morning. I also take ondansetron 8 mg three times a day as needed. I have not had any issues with vomiting, and my nausea is well controlled. The only side effect I have is insomnia on those days I receive dexamethasone. I am not diabetic, so I have no issues with blood glucose."

• Sai...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 4, 2022

"I'm given 8 mg IV dexamethasone prior to chemo. You are then prescribed dexamethasone 4 mg orally at breakfast and lunchtime post-chemo for 3 days. The first time I took it, I thought I was losing my head - the headache was mind-blowing, unrelieved by paracetamol. Never again, I’ll put up with the nausea. My weight also ballooned, and I couldn’t stop eating. Dreadful stuff!!"