Morning sickness medication - how bad should it be to take it?

[kmini]

Pregnant with DC3. I had morning sickness (ms) till 4.5 months with DS1 and 6.5 months with Dd1. Never extreme HG just varying levels of travel sick/sea sick nauseous and aversion to loads smells and food. DC3 ms is in full force at 6.5 weeks .

I never tried ms medication with either, just travel sickness bands. I think I was being a bit of matyr with both trying to be really careful with not taking anything that could be harmful. I don't think I ever really investigated the pros and cons properly if in honest with myself.

My mental health with DD1 was not good during pregnancy (not helped by the ms) and the thought of 6.5 months of ms is already filling me with such a heavy dread. Feeling like I might try ms meds this time, just for my own mental health.

I suppose, keen to know, others experience with ms medication. Know it not always useful and may require tweaking.

At what point did others succumb to it as a solution?
Was there anything that you learnt when researching it that turned you off it?
Do the docs have a threshold for when they prescribe.
Why do some work better than others?

Any advice appreciated?

I finally called my GP at 13/14 weeks. I’ve had it since 6 weeks and it was making me miserable. Constant nausea. Probably sick 3-4 times a week. I really didn’t want tablets if I could help it and obviously tried all the natural methods first but nothing helped. I got the tablets and only take them as and when I feel I really need them, mostly at work and even then only half a tablet but it does help. I feel I’m also on the way out of the sickness stage thankfully. If you feel you need them, just get them x

Speak to GP - 2 pregnancies sick with both for 9 months.
First pregnancy got to 4 months trying bands/ginger and any other natural remedies. Multiple hospital visit for drips and in the end I caved and took the medication on offer properly - and it helped manage it through to the end of pregnancy.
2nd time as soon as I had a hint of the sickness took the medication from 6 weeks - took a while to manage and sometimes I thought I was getting better stopped taking the medication - and ended up back in hospital on a drip again!
Please visit the GP and get the medication to manage the sickness - I wish I had done it sooner and more accepting with my first pregnancy- I look back and regret not taking the help sooner.

Got meds yesterday after being sick 5 times a day for a week. Unable to keep anything down, even water.

Go to the GP when it starts to affect your life. If you're losing weight, feeling shaky, can't go out, or your mental health is taking a toll. They are safe to take in pregnancy and your health is valuable. If you need them, you should be able to get them - just ask and explain why your ms is having an effect on your life.

I went to docs after being sick at work, got meds no problem, so much better mentally and physically despite some side effects.

On one random google I found a "PUQE" score (yes really) on an nhs organisation website which is interesting to look at, it scores you for hours of nausea, number of pukes etc then has guidelines for your score eg to try diet changes or meds. Probably designed for medical pros but it's quite simple and I did find it useful to kind of benchmark myself!

@kmini I gave in at 8 weeks and got prescribed cyclizine I couldn't function and felt so so ill it was really affecting me, it's not a cure but definitely helps!!!! X

You all have severe symptoms. Mine are mild in comparison. I feel like a fraud for asking for them when I compare myself to those with HG.

I'm in the same position as you now. The nausea wakes me up in the night, it only briefly feels better for 10 minutes after I eat. I've thrown up twice today which is new but like you, I don't feel like it's bad enough to get medication, do doctors prescribe for this type of sickness when it's not constant throwing up?

I hope you get some relief soon.

@PutOnAHappyFace they will prescribe anti sickness meds for constant nausea, not just throwing up. I felt sick constantly from 6 weeks to the point I could hardly stand up but was only really dry wretching. Although it was predominantly nausea, it was still impacting on my life so the doctor was more than happy to give me the meds.

Call the doctor if it's waking you up at night, that sounds horrible.

Agree with looking at the PUQE score and go from there.
Morning sickness (I don't know why they call it that as it's not really just morning sickness but that's another convo) is part and parcel of the beginning of pregnancy. When it starts affecting your life, nutrition, weight gain etc then it's more severe. Only you know how you feel and if you need help go and see your GP.
Hope it passes soon!

@readyforroundtwo thank you for the advice. I will ring first thing on Monday.

@kmini - if your symptoms are interfering with your daily life, they're bad enough to warrant meds. You're not a fraud or a wuss. Have them if you need them - there are no prizes for doing it without, and the best thing for a healthy happy baby is a healthy happy mother!

I found medication only stopped me being sick. Sadly I still felt nauseous 24hrs a dayv😒

I took medication when I had been bedbound for two weeks and couldn’t move my head without vomiting. Managed without in my first pregnancy despite the same symptoms but thereafter I needed help to get me through the day to function for my children. I had hyperemesis three times and got severely dehydrated. I think the clincher for me was being unable to push through to maintain fluids even, but only you know to what extent the sickness or nausea is interfering with your daily life and physical / mental health. Sympathies, any level of sickness is horrible.

With my first pregnancy I found that chewy rennie were the best to help me, went through so many, but it seemed like the sickness was linked to stomach acid. With my second the GP prescribed travel sickness tablets which worked better than the anti-nausea stuff they initially prescribed. They took the edge off a bit but didn't stop me feeling sick completely.

It's truly miserable, I was sick throughout my first and for about 5 months with second and hated every day. The relief when I gave birth!

@wonderstuff I've found the gaviscon has been the only thing that's helped this pregnancy too. I've already downed a bottle in a week...which cant be good can it???

Do you know why the travel sickness tablets worked better than the anti histamine?

when its affecting your ability to function,
dont wait as long as i did 28 weeks 🙈

At 8 weeks I was diagnosed with HG and started on Cyclizine. At 15 weeks I was admitted to hospital. I’m now on prochlorperazine too and at 21 weeks I’m feeling much better.

No idea sorry. The GP prescribed to shut me up I think, very reluctant to prescribe, actually said to me that chances were in 6 weeks I might feel better! At that point I was holding down enough that it wasn't dangerous.

I had very severe sickness but it was the mental impact more than anything which was hard to bear, so that’s not something that is the same for everyone, regardless of the level of sickness you are experiencing. What I mean to say is that you don’t need to compare yourself to others in terms of the amount of times you are sick/ level of sickness. If you’re struggling you’re struggling and you should definitely speak to your doctor x

Dear all,

I have been experiencing the same pregnancy sickness as what you have all been describing. Constant 24/7 nausea and sickness since I was 6 weeks pregnant and I am now nearly 16 weeks. All I can eat is white bread and cereal. Ginger does not help despite people often recommending it. Any smells (the fridge/ sink/dishwasher/bin) make me wretch. Can’t stand smell or sight of meat. It also gets worse at night. I spend all day at home lying down. It’s taken it’s toll on me mentally and physically.

The GP said he didn’t recommend I took medication because it hasn’t been trialled. So I’ve been soldiering on. I thought it would be gone by now!

I went to a specialist yesterday who wrote me a prescription but confirmed that it hadn’t been through clinical trials with pregnant people- he did assure me it’s safe.

My main worry is are there any long term effects on the child’s physical emotional or cognitive development?

Are there any mums out there who had the same as me, who were given the meds and your babies are happy and well?

xxx

I was rarely sick (had all day morning sickness from approx week 6 to week 22 but was only sick maybe once a week), but felt travel/ sea sick, could only tolerate a very limited range and amount of food and would dry heave frequently. I too was really reluctant to take anything but after being unable to function around week 10 and being off work for a week I asked my GP about medication. He was not helpful and basically told me to just get on with it, but after speaking to my midwife I pushed and got some cyclizine. I only took it when on days I felt really bad, but it enabled me to eat better and feel a bit more human, which I have rationalised was probably better for baby then avoiding any possible side effects from medication.

Ah poor you! Exactly the same as me. Vomit about once or twice a week but constantly dry heaving and debilitating sickness. Constant sick taste in mouth and back of throat. I eat a lot of ice for this reason. We also had same experience from GP - basically told me that it’s not common for people to take time off work and to just eat ginger!!!! I think the prescription is for cyclazine.

I’m sorry you suffered 22 weeks of it. Hellish!

I took cyclizine and then Ondansetron til nausea finally stopped at 7 months. Baby’s fine. Probably much healthier thanks to the meds as I could then tolerate healthy food and water.