Stemetil in pregnancy

[Mammabear111]

Hi everyone I have been given stemetil for my sickness has it has been really bad been reading the side affects and there is some scary things it says it can cause to a new born when your pregnant has anyone taken this medication I tried different anti sickness medication before this and it made me very tired and didn't work so been given these but am worried about all the side affects already tuke one :(

Where have you read about the side effects? No medicine is listed as 100% safe in pregnancy cause the ethics of testing on pregnant women are too great. It's generally considered safe and has been used for years, don't think any studies in UK with any validity have found any problems. I took it for a week but it didn't work for me

I was prescribed cyclizine for severe nausea (no vomiting) and it did nothing so the doctor prescribed stemetil but after reading up on them I decided not to take them.

Although there are risks associated to all medications in pregnancy I'm sure the GP wouldn't prescribe something they felt were really unsafe. I've read loads of stories about people taking it for months during their pregnancies and their babies being absolutely fine but I'm an anxious person anyway so didn't feel comfortable with it.

It's a very individual choice and if you are suffering and perceive the benefits to outweigh the risks then give them a try. You'll know very quickly if they're helping or not and you don't need to take the max dose x

The side effects are listed on the leaflet that came with the medication

Thinking of finding a natural alternative a vitamin or somethink to help

I had hyperemisis in both pregnancies and took many anti sickness drugs. In my first pregnancy, stemetil is the drug that managed to get me well enough to get out of bed after 8 weeks of being bed ridden by sickness and nausea. I tried acupuncture and more natural alternatives,, but nothing was effective.

So that is just me. My children are 11 and 8 now and have had no developmental problems at all. The side effects listed are listed because they are possibilities, however unlikely. No drugs can be certified as safe in pregnancy, because medical ethics would not allow controlled testing of drugs on pregnant women.

The website “Pregnancy Sickness Support” has a lot of useful info about drug and other ways of managing sickness.

OP I hope you do manage to find a natural alternative. If you read the side effects list of any medication they all are pretty scary, even things like paracetamol have things like liver failure listed. Anything the doctor prescribes you will be exactly the same. Like pp said you need to weigh up the benefit vs risks and know that doctors wont prescribe things that haven't been used for years or known to be unsafe.

Just be sure to check with your dr/ midwife before taking natural supplements as some are known to be harmful

I think it’s worth bearing in mind that alternative therapies don’t always undergo the sane rigorous clinic trials as prescribed /OTC mainstream medecines.

I’m a HG sufferer & I’ve taken every anti-sickness med in existence! I’ve have extensively researched all of them along with my wonderful GP & there is only one anti-sickness pill that has a potential risk to baby. And that’s Ondansteron. Which I take a really high dose of. But if I don’t, I cannot stop vomiting & basically live in hospital. I have to take the risk or risk my own life basically.

The latest research into Ondansetron shows a slight increased risk of cleft lip. But that is the only significant finding of the most up to date research, no other birth defects have been identified. The scare mongers on the internet will tell you differently though 😉 I choose to trust the factual evidence than someone’s opinion..

Stemetil research has shown zero link to problems with baby. It could have an affect on you as mum, same as any medication even when not pregnant. I actually take stemetil when I’m not pregnant for the sickness I get with migraine & it has no side effects on me.. makes me a bit sleepy. The only way you’ll know if you’ll get any side effects is to try it.. if you aren’t usually sensitive to meds, chances are you’ll be fine!