Hyperemesis Support

[LucindaE]

I hope everyone suffering from the Horrors of Hyperemesis will find this thread useful as a source of support and information.
There's no TMI on here - can't be by definition - and nobody should feel ashamed of moaning as much as they feel the need to.

MOH's wonderful website is full of useful information on this illness:
sites.google.com/site/pregnancysicknesssos
Another invaluable website is:
www.pregnancysicknesssupport.org.uk

If you need help in obtaining medication, this phone number is
brilliant:
024 7638 2020

Lastly, the NICE guidelines on treatment are useful:
cks.nice.org.uk/nauseavomiting-in-pregnancy#!scenario

I would like to thank everyone who has given such invaluable support and advice on this and on previous threads.

Remember when you are at your worst, 'This Too Shall Pass'. It really will.
So many women on this thread have thought they couldn't get through this, but they did.

I do thingy and I'm terrified for my scan incase iv done damage to my baby. My Mil is a dr though and had me in tears talking through supposed links. There is little evidence that there are any serious links to any of the things she suggested and is extremely risk adverse. She is the sort of person that thinks about the danger in everything. I just keep reminding myself that dehydration and constant sickness is not good for me and the baby either and with everything there is never a guarantee.

Ondansetron is really the only thing keeping me out of hospital. I'd be f?@ked without it. Cyclizine doesn't work so what option do I have? My friend is an obstetrician and she says she prescribes them all the time. When I told my GP that she said "but hospital patients are more risky". Ok, so should I let myself get so bad that I need hospital then? NICE guidelines say that ondansetron is considered safe in pregnancy. Why is the GP making me feel bad for taking it?!

Clearly they are a real c u next Tuesday . I think most of us on here have had that same gp at some point. If the ondansetron Is the only thing working for you take it. Is this your first baby? If it is get used to the mummy guilt it gets you with everything.

It is my first. @Mustang27 did you take ondansetron with you other pregnancy?

Everyone, you mustn't feel bad about taking meds. What is the alternative? It's getting dehydrated and being admitted,where they will have to give you the same meds with the fluids to stop the vomiting. Being dehydrated is really bad for both you and the baby. Nobody on the seven odd years I have been on this thread has ever reported an abnormality connected with the medications, and some women have been on steroids. Then there are the various studies quoted on the websites above.
can'tdothisagain I so sympathise with the taste in mouth thing -
I used to suck old fashioned barley sugar form an old fashioned sweet shop round the corner, but you can get them online. The problem is, they increase saliva, which can be a problem in itself. Some swear by parma violets or pear drops...

Thingymaboob and Mustang On smell, I used to hold a lavender satchet to my nose, in bed and often out of it! That is very ridiculous and eighteenth century. But not everyone can endure the smell of herbs.
Oklahoma How stressful for you. Are you still in hospital?
I hope that isith has been discharged.

I worried about taking ondansetron at first but like Lucinda says, what's the choice? Malnutrition and dehydration are probably more harmful for baby. There's quite a lot of anecdotal evidence of women taking ondansetron in pregnancy with no effect, which reassured me. I'm comfortable with my decision now, my anomaly scan was fine and if I have another pregnancy (!) I'd take it again.

I woke up stupidly early feeling stir crazy bored today. DH is out for the entire day and won't be back till gone midnight. I'm sick of being stuck in the house alone. I met a friend for a coffee yesterday and I think it's awoken my social beast. I want to get out but having nothing to do and nowhere to go as I've been shunning social engagements for months.

There's a Harry Potter meet up today....but I'd have to face the tube and get to East London. Really tempted to try though 😕

Holly, how's things? Waiting impatiently for nursery photos!

Thingy I think the reason GP's are reluctant to prescribe it is that it's a really pricey drug. The lady at Gynae to me it's like £25 a pop (not sure what a pop is exactly!) Apparently.

It's about £107 a packet!

Surely a hospital stay costs the NHS more....

Not my first I was left to suffer and never offered it even after several admissions. I'm still confused to this day, unless they were giving me it in drip form then sending me away with more of the cheaper meds for budgeting reasons il never know. If I knew it had existed I'd have pushed for it but I didn't know. I'm glad I found this thread but iv found ondansetron is no miracle cure for me either

@Mustang27 gosh, I'm sorry to hear that. I find it very effective. Although it is less effective this week (week 9). If you don't mind me asking... how much are you taking?

Mustang Unfortunately, I believe that is quite common. I'm glad you got it this time.
Thingymaboob Goodness, I knew it was expensive, but thought the price had come down in the last few years.
Waves to all and hopes everyone is coping.

A pop is per pill...so 75 a day?! Golddust stuff!!

Mustang how far along are you now.. your days you describe sound so much like mine... I really hope you get the same slight respite I have after 21 weeks x

Thank you all for the words of reassurance and thoughts. Been out visiting family today.. had to pull over twice to vomit by the roadside :(

3x4mg a day I can take the other 4mg if I want though. Gp said if it gives me the relief but iv been so constipated I was dreading taking more. Probably wouldn't make a difference.

Sorry flap cross posted I'm only 13 weeks il take any reprieve I can get.

Is your scan earlier or later Monday? I hope it's early

3pm :(

Ah 13 weeks... this is a horrible time as everyone will be telling you you missed the "you should be better by now" memo!

It will get better.. keep it up trooper. I have soo much awe for you doing this with a bf toddler.. you will look back and go "wow. .. I am a suoerwoman" even if you can't see thst now

Same to all of you.. now I am sick a bit less I look back on those weeks and read your posts and honestly the colour drains from my face even thinking about it.. takes amazing strength to get through and I can't thank you enough for all the kind words, advice and cheering up and harrypotter chat .. wishing you all a good as possible an evening

Thinking of you, Flapattack.

Having a major wobble tonight. Have taken ondansetron yesterday and today but stupidly was googling and it says about heart defects and cleft palate and now I'm scared what if I've damaged the baby I'm 7 w2d
I have been feeling so sick and awful though but then I feel like what if it causes problems 😔
I'm tearful and tired and really need some reassurance that it's not dangerous and I need to stop googling

@cantdothisagain2017 I feel the same but there's more evidence to suggest that it doesn't cause foetal abnormalities. One single study found an increase. Many others found no increase. Read summaries of the studies from NICE guidelines. It would be nice to hear from ladies on this thread anecdotally that it hadn't caused any problems...
It is the only thing that works for me.

It doesn't seem to be £75 a day, and I don't know what counts as a "pop". It seems to be about £107 a box of 30 - so roughly £3.50 a pill

www.evidence.nhs.uk/formulary/bnf/current/4-central-nervous-system/46-drugs-used-in-nausea-and-vertigo/5ht3-receptor-antagonists/ondansetron/zofran

Sorry to hear everyone had been feeling rubbish again.

Can't, I'm sure that cleft palate study was recently debunked because the sample size was too small and fasley found links. Don't forget that there's always a risk of cleft palate, regardless of medication. So some babies in a study may have it and it's not necessarily caused by medication.

Read these guidelines (particularly page 3). These are the most up to date relevant UK guidelines. There's limited evidence because no one will experiment on pregnant woman,

www.evidence.nhs.uk/formulary/bnf/current/4-central-nervous-system/46-drugs-used-in-nausea-and-vertigo/5ht3-receptor-antagonists/ondansetron/zofran

I braved the tube in 22 C heat to go to the Harry Potter meet up. Really enjoyed it and met a lovely bunch of people. Why is it that Harry Potter enthusiasts are always nice people?! After feeing horrendous since last Friday, it was nice to have a day of normality and also to talk about something that isn't pregnancy and sickness

So some anecdotal evidence - I'm 24 weeks have have been taking ondansetron since about 7-8 weeks. I've had my 20 week anomaly scan and everything was found to be fine. The only problem I've had with ondansetron is the awful constipation, and that's eased up now I've managed to cut my dose down. I simply wouldn't have got through this pregnancy without it. No it didn't 'cure' it but it made things mangable.

It's worth checking out the Pregnancy Sickness Support forum, where there are so many women who have and are taking ondansetron without problem. I absolutely understand the concerns, I also tied myself in knots in the early days as no woman wants to take medication but when it came down to it, I simply really needed the medication.

Sorry I used the same link twice. I meant look at page 3 of these guidelines

www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/green-top-guidelines/gtg69-hyperemesis.pdf

Thanks @Lemondrop99

Thank you flap that really kind of you to say and means a lot to me, iv had a shitty few days and not really been feeling the love lately then I did an Oklahoma and had a massive fall out with my oh last night that resulted in my telling him to go stay with his mum. It's all ok now at least but think his mum is no longer my friend so there goes my HG babysitter .

Lemon you are a star that is all really reassuring and I'm hoping Cant & Thingy can both get a little peace with that info. Pregnancy is scary shit even without the HG and meds to worry about. Ah that Harry Potter meet up sounds fab I'm very jealous. We probably have loads of stuff like that in Glasgow I'm just so bloody antisocial at the mo I don't even look lol. Meant to say I was also jealous of your coffee date as I can't stand even the tiniest sniff of it so have to avoid all my fav haunts, I'm normally a coffee fiend. Boo

I was sick behind Homebase today and it was really breezy so it blew it all up my legs woohoo me.