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- • Symptoms associated with jaundice can include severe itching and a general sense of poor health. These
- symptoms can generally be managed with a drainage procedure to bypass the blockage in the biliary tract.
- This procedure may include placing of a tube through the skin or through the stomach. Surgery is rarely
- necessary to bypass an obstruction. If such drainage is ineffective, itching may be relieved by the use of
- diphenhydramine, hydroxyzine or cholestyramine.
- • Pain relief may require large doses of medication. Narcotics must be used carefully, however, since they may
- have excessive side effects and are metabolized by the liver, which may not be working properly.
- • Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be surprisingly effective even against the severe pain associated
- with gall bladder cancer.
- • The use of water pills to reduce fluid in the abdomen or legs may be helpful, but may cause significant
- imbalance in kidney function and can create major problems if not monitored carefully.
- • Nausea can be treated with standard medications, including suppositories.
- • Sleep disturbances are common, but sleeping pills should be used carefully since most are metabolized by the
- liver.
- • Frequent small meals may be necessary since an abdominal mass may encroach on the size of the stomach.
- • Patients with severe loss of appetite may be helped by a drug called megestrol .
