Any help please?

Former Member · April 2006

Hello.

Well i have this phobia about being sick, my life is taken control by it. Im finding it hard to eat at the moment and have lost so much weight. I've been told if i don't start to put weight on im going to have to go in hospital

. Does anyone know what a strong antiemetic is? i have been given stemetil (Prochlorperazine) by my doctor who said it would stop me being sick in any situation, I just really want to eat and know theres something there if i needed it that badly to stop me being sick, but havnt really spoken to anyone who has had this before when they were ill. If anyone could help, it would be great, Thanks.

Former Member · April 2006

Sometimes the body needs to be sick, like if it needs to remover something from the stomach. therefore its not a good idea to take anti emetics. Plus i know that they can have some really bad side effects. I was on some a few years back.

Maybe you should get to the root of the problem and treat the phobia rather than taking drugs to live with it?

Im sure your doctor would be able to help you get over the fear of being sick. Its obviously really affecting your life so its gone too far. You need to eat

Its a very common phobia too.

Former Member · April 2006

You have got a stong anti-emetic. The doc could have given you Buccastem which is only 3mg prochlorperazine, but he's given you Stemetil which is 5mg. My boss is a pharamcist and we were joking one day about going out and drinking and hangovers etc and he said Buccastem would stop you being sick the next morning, so Stemetil must be very good!!!

Not eating will make you feel sick and being empty and hungry will cause discomfort, then you'll worry it'll make you sick. If your body thinks it needs to be sick, because you're ill, it will be whether theres food in it or not, if there isnt you'll bring up bile which is horrible and burns your throat.
Just eat small amounts throughout the day, that way you're getting food but you wont be full and stuffed.

Former Member · April 2006

antiemetics are not the greatest of ideas for a phobia.

firstly there's the fact that they're not great for you and can have side effects. many of them (including stemetil) are also used as anti-psychotics, so as you can imagine they have a pretty strong effect on your body.

the other reason it's not the greatest of ideas is because phobias feed on avoidance. if you know that you can always take a pill to stop you feeling sick when you eat then it's very likely that sooner or later that'll escalate to you not being able to eat without the pills. then you're in trouble.

look at treating the problem, not the symptom.

Former Member · April 2006

i suffer from this too...though maybe not as badly. I worry about getting food poisioning from meats when i eat out....i avoid fast food because i don't trust it.
But as its been said....you stop eating then your hunger pangs will make you feel sick - vicious cycle. I try to think of it this way....there are much worse illnesses and stuff than being sick, its a natural way your body tries to sort itself.

Former Member · April 2006

theyre used as anti-psychotics in higher doses. prochlorperazine has a usual dose of about 50mg i think.

Former Member · April 2006

Sikorah wrote:

theyre used as anti-psychotics in higher doses. prochlorperazine has a usual dose of about 50mg i think.

i was on up to 10mg 3 times a day (give an emetophobe an antiemetic, you see, and they WILL take the max dose, and lie, cheat and steal to get it). the dose for acute anxiety was the same. iirc, the dose for schizophrenia was not a great deal more.

risks and side effects of these drugs are fine if they outweigh the benefits. but this is a case where taking them would cause more harm than good.

i lied to my doctor to get those prescriptions, i took the pills for nearly a year, and when i was forced to come off them i took a massive step back in dealing with my phobia.

Former Member · April 2006

I have this phobia too but over the years i have learnt to live with it. When i was younger i was in and out of hospital and used to scive off school because of the fear of being sick while i was there. They sent me to a child physchologist because they thought i was being bullied and didn't seem to understand my problem. Anyway over the years i have managed to control it so it doesn't take over my life and although i worry about being ill when i eat certain foods or if someone i know is ill i try and carry on as normal. The only advice i can offer is to be strong and think positivily about fighting you're fear.

Former Member · April 2006

I suffer(ed) from this as well but i've got loads better recently. You have to just take it one step at a time - I used to go to sleep at night with a massive array of pills, mints, water and all sorts of other things by the side of my bed just in case i woke up in the night and felt a bit sick and there was no way I could leave the house with out half a medicince cabinet.

I'm pretty sure your doctor gave you the pills only because they are desparate to get the you to eat at all costs, but I wouldnt' necessarily suggest you take them.

Instead try and think of somethign you've eaten recently that you havent' thrown back up again (i'm guessing you've not actually been sick for ages though). Eat that one thing for tea tonight - if your not sick eat it again the next night, eating something no matter how small will actually make you feel less sick and you really need to try and eat something.

Former Member · April 2006

Dealing with any type of phobia is tough.
Phobias Is TheSite article.

emetonline
This site helps support relatives and sufferers of emetophobia. It gives sufferers the ability to discuss and gain a better understanding of the phobia.

National Phobics Society
Provides information, support & understanding on phobias.

Any help please?

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