Nausea medication - risks - thoughts?

[Dustpan]

Anti nausea meds - As far as I can tell all the evidence (e.g. Large Danish study) shows no risk to baby, however as drug companies don't trial on pg women they can never make the claim it's 100% safe.

I think the thalidomide horrors were so bad in the 60s that it has left a permanent fear in everyone of meds during pregnancy, understandably.

What do others think of the risks?

And do risks rise in general if you're already taking medication for a separate condition ( ie does taking more than one med have impact on safety profile of the two separate drugs?)

(Hyperemesis on last pregnancy, nausea in current preg rising steadily & debating asking GP to prescribe anti nauseas now to pre-empt another poss hyperemesis)

TIA

Bump

I can't say from a medical point of view but with all three of my pregnancies I had to be put on anti sickness tablets, I was also on other medication. And I went on to have three babies all okay, currently 4, 1 and 2 months. The reason I had to take them is because I ended up in hospital on more than one occasion for dehydration.

But if you have any worried I would suggest to talk to your GP/midwife.
Hope all goes well and you stop feeling sick soon! X

if I had really needed to continue with my SSRIs for depression, despite small risks, I would have done.

A baby needs a healthy mother

Ive taken antisickness meds along with other meds, just into my second trimester. I was reassured by the GP who said the risks are negligable compared to the risks of a dehydrated starving mother, and to be honest I was psychologically better able to cope with antisickness meds HG isnt for the faint hearted!!

You have to weigh up the risks of taking them vs the risks of not taking them.

I suffered with hideous hyperemesis during my first pregnancy and at my worst was vomiting 30+ times a day. I had over 30 days in hospital across 5 admissions. It was take the meds, terminate the pregnancy or die. I looked at as much info as I could as I was very nervous about the risks to the baby. I figured that enough people had taken them during pregnancy that (hopefully) any major issues would have become apparent. As it was, I needed to try a lot of meds before I got any relief: Stemetil, metoclopramide, cyclizine, domperidone, largactil and ondansetron. My pregnancy progressed well (still puking until 35 weeks though!) and DD was born fit and well. She's at school now, excelling in all areas and has suffered no ill effects at all. I took anti sickness meds from week 7-term.
I got pregnant with DC2 the following year. I was sick from the outset and saw my GP for anti sickness meds from about 5/6 weeks as I hoped that early intervention would prevent hyperemesis again.

This time I took only cyclizine and, when I was really rough, occasional ondansetron (this was left over from first pregnancy, no way would I have got it prescribed at this stage!). Although still pretty sick (vomiting 5-10 times a day) I got enough relief that I stayed out of hospital this time and was happy to take the meds as I felt they were safe.

So yes, I think the risks are negligible and I'd do it again in the same position.

I've been on cyclizine for the past three months. I decided that a tiny potential risk to the baby was worth it because I had barely left the house for the prior month. Me sitting on my bum getting no exercise and little socialising wasn't at all healthy. I was putting myself at risk of excessive weight gain not to
mention the effects on my mental health.

These drugs have not been tested on pregnant women but their experiences and outcomes will be logged and is therefore pretty good information on the drugs' safety.

Ah thank you all so much for replying. Have had a wretched few hours & so reassured by your replies.

Kind friend- your experience puts mine into perspective. 30+ vomits a day is unimaginable. Yes you quite simply did have the choice of taking the meds or possibly dying - it's that stark. I can't imagine how you coped.

My hesitation is I don't feel can justify asking for meds yet as I'm not actually vomiting yet - just gagging, weak & v thirsty. nausea so heavy I can't eat more than toast. Can't function round house to care for DC1 properly. But the stigma around taking meds in pg is strong voice in head, esp as already feel sense of failure for taking my other medication.

Taking meds is in no way a failure. So many women have taken these medicines in pregnancy now that any likely effects on the unborn baby will have been identified by now. If you need meds then you need them. As others have said, your health is important. Just be aware that often they stop the vomiting but may have less effect on the nausea

I absolutely bow down to women who vomit multiple times a day and manage to carry on somehow. I only threw up a few times - my main problem was gagging/retching every time I moved. If I hadn't sat my self down/ stopped in the street and leaned on walls I might well have ended up being sick though.
Obviously some pregnancy sicknesses are more debilitating than others but I felt pretty debilitated by mine - even through I was only sick about four times I lost 5lb between 9 and 16 weeks.
It's absolutely not a failure to take meds and I hate the stigma that goes along with them. My partner has social anxiety and is on medication to cope and he struggles with feeling like a failure for not being able to manage without them. The whole thing is ridiculous.
If you're ill, and there's a medicine that will safely improve/treat your condition then anyone should be free to make use of that without feeling bad.

I've been taking Cyclizine since November.

I get relentless pregnancy sickness that lasts 25 or so weeks.

It is so bad that makes leaving the house impossible, food and drink just comes straight back up, vitamins supplements won't stay down and my energy levels are none existent. It's not quite HG as by late afternoon I can manage a little water and very light meal, but the cycle begins again around 3am.

The tablets have been a god send. The sickness has literally disappeared and life has gone back to normal with just the usual pregnancy niggles and aches etc.

I regularly try coming off them but the sickness comes back straight away. So will continue until the sickness has stopped.

The doctors say there is very minimal risk to the baby. He said the risk to myself becoming malnourished and collapsing definitely outweighs it anyway and would cause the baby harm eventually if I wasn't eating enough to help them grow and develop.

I have had a few smart arse comments from oh so clever first time mummy's about how they could never take the risk. But they can fuck off they have never had to deal with the relentless sickness and no energy while looking after a 2 year old who wants constant attention.

Nina I really echo your thoughts that we should be free to take medication that helps - that's what my head thinks anyway- but my heart is still caught up in the earth mamma idyl of wanting to be 100% natural etc. I know it's ridiculous myth though.

Rubble - yes I know exactly what you mean about superior sounding comments from other people who have no clue what it's like! Maybe they could afford to give up their jobs and pay a live in nanny to care for the dc while they lay on bathroom floor all day vomiting serenely:) And pay a cleaner to keep the loo pristine between vomits

I tried not to take the pills.....I lasted 1.5 days! I just couldn't see how I could possibly get through a pregnancy feeling that way and I really didn't have much choice. I researched enough to be satisfied that the risks were small. There are thousands of women who have take them without ill effect. At my 12 weeks scan, everything is fine so far.

In an ideal world, I wouldn't be taking drugs, but I also wouldn't be vomiting multiple times and unable to function. I wouldn't be back at work etc now without the drugs. I certainly would have ended up hospitalised without them.

I made my peace with it and, if I'm ever crazy enough to put myself through this again, I will be approaching my GP in advance to get a drug regime in place right from the start.

I had the "Earth Mother Idyl" in my head. I then threw up 10+ times a day from weeks 6-16 in both pg, took lots of drugs just to be able to move without being sick, spent about 8 weeks in hospital in my first trimesters and ended up with an emcs with the first baby, and a crash section with the second. First baby was a boob-refuser too. Nothing very natural about my pregnancies and births, but the babies were nurtured and are well loved.

BokeRunSki - my DC1 refused boob too - it doesn't always happen the way we plan does it? Love what you say about both kids being loved . That's the bottom line, not the earth mamma idyl