Managing the Side Effects of Cancer Pain Medicines
As with almost any medication, narcotic pain medicines such as codeine and morphine can cause unwanted side effects. Because no two people's bodies are the same, the side effects they experience will differ, too. If you experience any side effects from your pain medication, let your doctor know, so you can begin combating them at once. In the meantime, here is a list of common side effects and what to do about them:
Constipation
This is the most common side effect of narcotic pain medicines. Prevention is the best defense against constipation. Eat lots of high-fiber foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, whole wheat bread and bran. Try to drink plenty of fluids, including prune juice, and exercise as much as possible. Walking may help prevent constipation and make you feel better overall.
If you are taking narcotic pain medicines, you should also consider taking medicine to help soften your stools and loosen your bowels. One tablet of non-prescription Pericolace or Senekot-s three times a day, or Doxidan twice a day, should suffice. For better results, start taking these medications at the same time you start taking pain medicine. Whenever you take any medicine, (prescription or over-the-counter), you should discuss it with your doctor or nurse.
If you still have trouble with constipation and have not had a bowel movement in 48 hours, take either two tablets of Senekot or Dulcolax, or a tablespoon of milk of magnesia, at bedtime. If you still have not had a bowel movement 24 hours later, call your doctor or nurse for further instructions.
Drowsiness
This symptom will usually subside after a few days, when your body has adjusted to the medication. In the meantime, you might want to use this adjustment period to "catch up" on sleep you missed due to pain before you started your pain medicine.
Use caution when driving a car or operating machinery. Some people find that drinking caffeinated beverages such as coffee or colas helps decrease the drowsiness. On the other hand, alcohol may increase drowsiness and interact with the pain medicines, so don't drink alcohol while you are taking these medicines. If the drowsiness persists, contact your doctor.
Nausea & Vomiting
These symptoms can be caused by certain pain medications, the pain itself, other medicines or constipation. Nausea will usually subside after a few days, once your body has gotten used to the medication. Your doctor may be able to prescribe medicine to relieve the nausea, depending on the cause. In most cases, this medicine can be discontinued after a few days without prompting the nausea to return.
Here are a few non-medical things you might want to consider trying to help control your nausea:
- Eat small amounts often and slowly.
- Try foods such as toast and crackers, yogurt, sherbet, pretzels, potato chips, angel food cake, oatmeal, soft or bland fruits, clear liquids and ice chips.
- Avoid fatty, greasy, spicy or very sweet foods.
- Drink or sip liquids throughout the day except at mealtimes.
- Use a straw to drink, and sip slowly.
- Rest after meals.
The key to avoiding nausea is to take anti-nausea medication before you get sick. Take these medicines 30 minutes before eating or taking pain medicines. If you should vomit within a half hour of taking your pain medication, it is fine to take another dose of that medication. If more than 30 minutes have passed, however, you should not repeat the medication.
Dry Mouth
Narcotic analgesics often cause the mouth to become dry. Some things you can do to help alleviate this include:
- drinking sips of liquids throughout the day.
- sucking on ice chips.
- sucking on sugarless candy or chewing on sugarless gum.