Morning sickness, cyclizine, grumbling

[roary]

I am pregnant with no. 2 now, 8 weeks tomorrow...am pretty sick. Throwing up 3-5 times a day and many, many retches in between. When I was pg with my daughter I was sick in a similar way (probably slightly fewer actual vomits) for 19 weeks. I am feeling quite depressed about the prospect of feeling this way for another 11 weeks! I can't eat anything normal at all, even if someone else makes it. None of this will sound unusual for those of us unlucky enough to have bad morning sickness.

The GP has prescribed me cyclizine, but my husband is INCREDIBLY funny about me taking it - he is paranoid, and pointed out that if something went wrong he would find it hard to forgive me. That probably sounds awful but I was glad he was honest about how he felt. Although after yesterday's vomiting efforts I think he felt pretty bad and if it continues I think he would probably change his views. I have tried to reassure him about the safety of the drug. And to make matters worse my parents, who looked after me in my last pregnancy (they are in Canada, sadly) cannot figure out why I am not taking drugs for the morning sickness!! Argh.

Has anyone taken cyclizine? Anyone else's dp a pregnancy nazi?

Roary

[Firsttimer7259]

I took a little cyclizine about half a week. The risks benefits swung it for me. I was same as you 8 -10 weeks and sick as a dog, although probably ttok it after far less vomiting than you describe. I thought some medication to give me a break was better than getting dehydrated and hospitalised. I cant exactly see how that is good for the baby.

Google it and have a look on a proper medical site at the testing of it and see what you think. Perhaps show this to DP? Dont read the forums etc (too much opinion too liittle fact) look at the medical trials and try to weigh it up sensibly. As far as it goes I thought they currently couldnt tell whether the only side effect - rare cases of cleft palates were a result of the drug or of the MS.

Its cumulative in effect so you need a few days for it to build up. I felt that once I had gotten over what was alomst reflex vomitng because my stomach was so irritated I could cope better with what remained of nausea using gaviscon and white rice until it all thankfully blew over by week 16.

Good luck with finding a solution that works for you

[kathyis6incheshigh]

I am on cyclizine for the third time and thank God it basically works for me - I'm still sick a little bit but if I forget a dose I lose my food, simple as that.

Cyclizine has been used to treat HG/severe MS for years. This is not like thalidomide where some of the children damaged were those whose mothers had been given the drug before it had even finished testing. There have been drugs pulled from the US market because one person has sued over congenital malformations to babies even though there was no evidence they were actually caused by the drug. I truly believe that if there was a problem they would have found it by now.

Malnutrition and dehydration aren't that good for babies, either.

[roary]

Thanks for the reassurance...now just to persuade my husband. He does know he is being paranoid and irrational, which makes it both easier and harder to deal with! I completely agree about malnutrition and dehydration, fortunately I am managing to keep some food down (I mainly vomit on an almost empty stomach). If I were in any danger of dehydration I'd be on the drugs in a flash. It is good to hear that cyclizine does work for other people!

[lovetoshop]

Hi. You have my total sympathy. I am pregnant with No.2 and approx 9 weeks. Feel sick day and night and vomit regularly. Tried ginger,cider vinegar, regular meals etc but basically very little improvement. I am on Buccastem tablets up to twice a day. I am aware of Cyclizine and can reassure you it is a common anti-sickness medication prescribed in early pregnancy. No drug is categorically safe but as the others have said, malnutrition and dehydration are far worse for little one than a low dose of this medication. I understand your DH's worries but reassure him this is a widely used drug that is commonly prescribed in pregnancy. Not only that but its a little unfair to say he would struggle to forgive you if anything happened being that it would be nearly impossible to attribute such a thing to you taking the Cyclizine. It is by far better for you to feel well enough to eat and drink in order to get through the next few weeks. The alternative will be hospital admission where you are likely to be given other drugs and drips that will give rise to yet more anxiety. Be kind to yourself, this is a horrid part of pregnancy, no matter how long you've waited to see those blue lines on the test. I wish you lots of luck and hope you feel better soon

[ib]

Hi, just wanted to offer some sympathy - I am in the same situation, almost 8 weeks and have been throwing up for two already (last pg I only started being sick at 8 weeks).

I'm afraid I have to say I wouldn't touch drugs unless it was that or go into hospital - but that's because I just don't think the trials done are long enough or comprehensive enough (for drugs in general), so the benefits really have to outweight the costs very dramatically for me to consider medication at all.

But then I'm very neurotic when pg - probably due to the fact that we thought we could never have dc and both pgs have a slightly surreal this-can't-really-be-happening feeling.

[ThreeistheNumber]

Hi Roary

I am twelve weeks and feeling exactly the same as you. Dr prescribed me cyclizine a couple of weeks ago after I very reluctantly went asking for help. He was very sympathetic and explained that there was no evidence of problems for the baby and that the benefit outweighed the risk because of the state I was in. He had also prescribed his own wife medication for ms so that swung it for me! Husband was not keen to begin with but was reassured by what the doctor said.
Unfortunately for me, it only worked for about 3 days (most of which I was asleep) and then I started vomiting again. I am seeing how it goes before maybe asking for something different. This is my 3rd pregnancy and I puke until 20 weeks.
Don't feel guilty. You have to do whatever you can to get through this awful time.

[suiledonn]

Hi roary, I had HG on both pregnancies. First time round I received very little medical support other than hospitalisation for re-hydration. I struggled through the entire pregnancy and although dd was fine she was only 6lb and has only recently, at 3.4, started to thrive.

The second time round I happened to meet a very nice young locum at my GPs office who had coincidentally just been reading about the subject. He gave me cyclizine injections and prescribed it for me. I have to say I don't think the drug really agreed with me as such. It made me very spacey and I had to have help to look after dd1 for a few days but it did keep me out of hospital. It gave me a break from the constant vomiting and I believe it did contribute to the sickness going at 13 weeks. DD2 was 8lbs at birth, she is 9 months now and so far has been much healthier and more settled than dd2.

It wasn't an easy decision to take the medication but as others have said the dehydration and starvation can't be good either.

Hope this helps. Best of luck.

[isoldeone]

er I just posted elsewhere on the other thread about hyperemesis.

I felt too gulity , nervous about the drugs that I have taken during this pregnancy DH has been supportive. I did NOT look anything up on internet for I had to take what I had to take- the misery of HG left me with no alternative.

the list of drugs I have taken during this pregnancy are

at 6 weeks
general anethestic and morphine ( emergency op)
stemetil at 10 weeks
cyclizine for 2 weeks
buccastem for 10 weeks
co-codamol up to 36 weeks
paracetomal form about 15 weeks till now
renatadine from 35 weeks ( antacid)
ferrous sulphate (iron tablets)

I'm due today abd I was hospitalised yesterday overnight for d&V . They gave me a cyclizine shot in the leg and I had to have a drip as I'd got myself dehydrated even at this late stage. They monitored baby and he was descibed as happy.

I understand your fears entirely and I can't guarantee there is no long term effects to all the prescription drugs I've taken. I'm not a GP but compared to smoking or food poisoning or drinking heavily- cyclizine is used fairly commonly judging from what I've read on mumsnet and won't hurt your baby.

I may live to regret these words and I maybe an exception to a rule but you have to do what you feel is right for you

good luck x

[YummyorSlummy]

Hi, I suffered from Hyperemesis in my pregnancy and had to take stemetil, cyclizine and zofran. I was hospitalised 6 times, the only think that worked for me was the zofran! I would say don't worry 2 much because if the cyclizine is reducing your vomiting you'll be less dehydrated and less likely to have ketones. These drugs have to go through lots of tests before they are prescribed these days. Hope u feel better soon, its all worth it in the end

[roary]

THanks everyone, I have been feeling both better and worse over the weekend! I'm definitely vomiting more than in my last pregnancy and my husband took one look at me after I threw up because of the smell of boiling water (!!) and said, 'take the drugs!'. I do feel bad for my little girl, we have no childcare for two weeks as our childminder is on hols and I have to say I was really looking forward to it but it is a bit of a struggle right now. So I'm going to take my medicine now and see how it goes.

I have heard different things about whether cyclizine is cumulative: can you just take it at night or do you need to keep doses regular?

roary

[Firsttimer7259]

Hi Roary

I just wanted to see if you are feeling any better. I hope so.

In terms of cumulative ness I guess you should follow how its been prescribed in your case. Maybe some types/dosages are cumulative and others arentt. I imagine those people who ahve injections are not cumulative unless you go back to he GP 3 times a day.

I know from pain relief medication that its important to follw that advice as cumulative medication taken sporadically doesnt work. Problem could be that cyclizine makes you drowsy. I remeber when I took it that it knocked me out pretty much and I thought well it works but its ot a long temr solution unless I sleep for the next xxx weeks.

Anyway I hope things are better

[roary]

Hi Firsttimer
I am not feeling better, sadly.... The Cyclizine made me incredibly restless as well as tired (a bit like being exhuasted but having 18 espressos!). GP has now prescribed prochlorperazine (Buccastem). To be totally honest I would really like to speak to an OB about all of this, I would just feel a bit reassured both about the drugs and about my rice/smoothie diet!

Has anyone else had buccastem?

ROary

[wellieboot]

Hi Roary

I'm on prochlorperazine (currently almost 8 weeks preg). I was prescribed it a couple of weeks ago after 2 days in which I was as you describe yourself in your first post. Not sure whether it was coincidence but 4 hours after taking my first one I was eating a bowl of pasta! I have been up and down since, but seem to have improved over the last couple of days and haven't needed one today (hope I am not speaking too soon)! I'm sure this is due to the fact that I took it for a few days, stayed at home and rested, and most importantly it enabled me to start eating a little bit more. I know what you mean though, I don't like taking anything as it goes against instinct doesn't it - however, if this makes you feel better I also had to take it in my last pregnancy and my now 2 and a half year old DD has turned out just perfect!

As others have said, taking medication is far preferable to starvation and dehydration. Good luck and hope you feel better very soon.

[freudianslips]

I've taken both prochlorperazine (both orally and as buccal Buccastem) and cyclizine. Both of them were prescribed for me by my GP husband. As far as drugs in pregnancy go, these basically are as safe as it's going to get. DH did say that they work for some people and not for others, so to experiment with different kinds and not to be afraid to go back to the doctor if it doesn't seem to work. An OB/GYN really won't know more about these drugs than a GP - GPs prescribe them surprisingly regularly for all sorts of reasons.

I hope all of us struggling with this feel better soon.

[memorylapse]

I suffered with horrendous HG in all of my pregnancies..with my ds 2 I was eventually hospitalised and put on adrip and basically told that as I had a kidney problem and my kidney was suffering..I needed to take the meds..by that stage..I was so ill I would have taken arsenic if they had suggested it would help!..I took stemetil and cyclizine..and it helped ease things to a managable level so that I could at least get out of bed and I was back at work at 14 weeks despite still feeling quite rough..Im sure I would have felt worse had it not been for the meds...same situation with dd2 and I can declare that bpoth are 8 and 5 and arehealthy and happy..

[Firsttimer7259]

Sorry to hear you are still not well Roary. Dont really know anything more but good luck in finding somthing that helps you feel better

[lineky]

Bucastamen saved my life! I am just out of hospital after 4 days on a drip as I was losing so much weight and not eating anything. The pills didn't work before I went in but I was so dehydrated and ill I'm not surprised. Tried Cyclezene in hospital then progressed to bucastem injections which meant I started to keep food down. Home now and VERY tired, still in bed most of the day but I am improving (touch wood).
Dr's more worried about dehydration than lack of food and have urged me just to rest and eat what I can. Fingers crossed the pills keep working. Hang in there Roary it is a horrible experience but we will get there I hope!

[roary]

Thanks, Lineky! I have not had to go to hospital as have managed to keep fluids down, but I think I may crack and take the buccastem tonight after a lot of throwing up today. I have definitely found the more tired I am, the worse it is, so I have to have afternoon sleeps, and childcare has started again which makes a huge difference. Really hope you feel better, and stay off work for a bit until you do! I also find it frustrating that a lot of stuff that normally appeals to me doesn't (watching tv, or even reading, I am irrationally disliking a lot of books I would normally enjoy right now!). No surprise I'm not getting much intellectual work done!

Good luck, try smoothies, they're helping me a lot.

[hannahsaunt]

Buccastem worked when pg with ds2 and 3; was awful with db4. I have been taking cyclizine 3x day, ranitidine 2x day and thiamine 2x day for the last two months and will continue for at least another month. This was following four days in hospital. With ds1 I spent (cumulatively) 3 months in hospital and ended up on ondasetron. The Drs don't dish out the drugs for fun and they do help. Right now they are a lifesaver (and were quite literally in my first pregnancy) as I can continue to care for my children as dh is away for another two months.

[sitdownpleasegeorge]

Could you try and explain how you feel in terms of a really bad hangover so that your dh gets it ?

Hyperemesis for me felt like having the worlds worst hangover 24 hours a day for weeks and weeks. Dehydration, nausea, vomiting,headaches from the dehydration).

Would your dh put up with a 24/7 serious hangover and look after a child if there were drugs on offer to alleviate his hangover which had not been shown to harm the baby developing in his womb ?

I took cyclizine and when that failed to enable me to hold down even small sips of water I took ondansetron (zofran) for months.

My children were good birthweights, had excellent apgar scores and went on to feed well and be good sleepers (especially no 2 who was the result of a zofran pregnancy).

They are happy, healthy and actually a very brainy pair of kids.

The consultant who prescribed for me in my second pregnancy said he would be happy to have his wife take the drugs if she were in the same state as I was from hyperemesis. Your husband needs to realise that you have HG (Hyperemesis Gravidarum) not simple morning sickness.