Nausea. It’s one of the most common and frustrating reactions that people living with Parkinson’s disease experience — sometimes on a daily basis. Although we can’t offer a miracle pill to remove the problems associated with nausea, we can offer a few tips to help relieve the discomfort it creates.
Have a tall cool one …
Iced cold (non-alcoholic) drinks can be your best ally in fending off a wave of nausea. Water is your best bet, but don’t be afraid to sweeten it up a bit with sugar, artificial sweetener or even honey. A slightly sweetened cold drink of water has been known to help relax the stomach in most cases — whether it stems from Parkinson’s or simply a routine upset stomach. Just remember to stay away from heavily acidic drinks like orange, grapefruit, tomato juice or even your favorite sodas. Acidic juices and overly sweetened soft drinks are a no-no when it comes to easing the discomfort of nausea.
Hold the fries … and the onion rings …
Yes, they are sometimes hard to resist, but if you’re experiencing nausea, you’ll probably want to avoid the ‘fun stuff.’ Make sure to avoid fried food like cheeseburgers, onion rings, french fries and all of the other heavenly items we so often crave. These oily foods — although tasty at first bite — can be hard to process in the stomach and may extend or lead to new episodes of nausea.
Who said you can’t eat crackers in bed???
If you’re in the routine of experiencing nausea when you get out of bed in the morning, keep a box or tin of crackers within reach of the bed. Have a couple of crackers before rising to help ease the discomfort of morning nausea. A little something in your stomach will often go a long way in the morning. And to help even more, try a high protein snack (a slice of cheese or a thinly sliced piece of lean meat) before going to bed. This often helps prep the stomach for the day ahead.
I noticed a suggestion of no
acidic drinks to settle the stomach. Among these was listed grapefruit. What
I read about the drug interaction of sinemet and grapefruit can be serious.
Waiting to take many well known medications including Sinemet can cause
serious interactions – even up to 24 hours – after you drink grapefruit
juice. This includes statin drugs which many of us take to control
cholesterol. I read labels of fruit juices watching for inclusion of
grapefruit in any form. This also includes pomelos and seville oranges as
well. I was surprised to see how often these fruits might be included within
purchased mixed juices. It would seem that to include grapefruit in what
should be avoided if one has a upset stomach, is to miss the crucial reason
why those who have PD, and are on Sinemet, should avoid all grapefruit.