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, phone them on:
024 7638 2020
Lastly, the NICE guidelines on treatment are useful:
//cks.nice.org.uk/topics/nausea-vomiting-in-pregnancy
I would like to thank everyone who has given such invaluable support and advice on this and on previous threads.
It has been suggested that I add some practical tooth cleaning advice: a lot of sufferers find using a child's small toothbrush and strawberry toothpaste far less nauseating.
On my image of a pink castle: that is an image I use because when I was little, my family had a Snakes and Ladders board with an image on the last square of a pink castle in the clouds. As Hyperemesis is so like a grotesque version of Snakes and Ladders - eat a meal, go up a ladder, first thing in the morning bile run, down a snake - I have used the image of that pink castle on the last square of that Snakes and Ladders board as a metaphor for the happy end of Hyperemesis.
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.

Hi all, I hope all ladies on here are doing okay. I am posting preemptively really to ask if anybody on here has, or knows about, taking SSRI medication alongside anti sickness.

I am currently TTC baby number 2 but have had a previous miscarriage and pregnancy with my daughter and had HG both times. Prescribed cyclizine the second pregnancy but didn't work. I am trying to prepare myself in advance this time and have contacted pregnancy sickness support, im hoping I can come up with a plan with GP to start meds as soon as I get a positive test but don't know how receptive he will be to this.

Has anyone taken anti-sickness meds alongside sertraline/citalopram or similar? I know that with ondansetron there is an increased risk of serotonin syndrome when taken with ssris but don't know about others. TIA x

@Northernsoul90 sorry you didn't get a reply. How are you doing? I was on cyclizine and prochlorpreazine alongside quetiapine but I don't have any experiences of antidepressants use. I have been on multiple antidepressants which comes with the risk of serotonin syndrome. I was on a mood stabilisers too (I'm bipolar) and they kept a close eye on me so it might not be a complete no. It might be worth asking your GP to consult with a perinatal psychiatrist for prescribing recommendations

I'm pregnant again, I had a miscarriage I. August after an awful time with sickness. I had the same when I was pregnant with my daughter. I'm 4+5 and have been nauseous for the last few days and was sick for the first time today so I think this one will be the same. I was on cyclizine then prochlorpreazine in my last pregnancy

@Northernsoul90 hey, I took sertraline alongside Xonvea and procloprizine and didn't notice any effects! I also tried other anti sickness, cyclizine, metaclopromide and had no issues either

Hi I've been to the drs for antiemetics. I had last week off work. Mostly with fatigue but I was sick with exertion. It's been getting worse, I'm able to eat and more often than not keep it down with just retching but I'm sick even with sips of liquid.

I lost 4kg with my miscarriage in the summer and saw the same GP so she's put me straight on cyclizine and metoclopramide. I'm 8 weeks but measured 10 days behind at my early scan last week. My sickness is more consistent with 6-7 weeks. Usually it's 7+ weeks that it gets that I can't keep anything down. She's signed me off for 4 weeks and did offer 8 weeks. I was expecting to have to justify 1 week off sick but I was sick three times in appointment and twice in the waiting room. The walk to the surgery kicked up the nausea.

Has anyone got experience of metoclopramide?

I liked metoclopromide as it empties your tummy fast which means you’ve got a hope of keeping food down. I also found it helped with nausea. Unfortunately my doc only allowed five days worth (which I think is based on old advice) as o would have happily taken it every day. I hope it helps you.

@Superscientist I agree with sunsparkle above about metaclopramide and it emptying your stomach. I feel like I helps avoid that feeling of food sat in your stomach that I seem to get with my hyperemesis. I had cyclizine & metoclopramide all through my first pregnancy and again in this,- this pregnancy I’m also on ondansetron as it’s been worse and it’s been great at stopping my vomiting.

Thanks both of you. It helped yesterday. I was able to have a drink in the afternoon without being sick.

Food is ok at the minute as long as I only eat when very hungry. My body seems to sense when it's safe to eat without being sick but I have been really struggling with fluids.

I had a pregnancy with bad sickness in the summer. I lost 4kg and only put 1 back on. I feel weaker having gone through it twice in 4 months.

In my previous pregnancies I've only had first line treatments and as long as I'm not sofa bound for more than a few days at a time put up with antiemetics that just reduce the sickness and not get it under better control. The fatigue is so much worse this time round so even though the sickness isn't yet as bad as it can get I'm feeling it more. Even attending remote meetings.where I don't have to actively participate has made me feel awful and sick previous pregnancies that was ok.

My early scan last week should have been 7 +3 but only measured 6 weeks. I have a rescan next week. If it's not good news I'm not sure if I have it in me to try again.

I was so angry after my miscarriage with hyperemesis. Furious. How dare I feel that bad and go through that without a baby at the end. It’s a totally normal feeling. There’s support from Pregnancy Sickness Support with people with very similar stories so please don’t feel alone.

i have all my fingers crossed you have good news. It’s a terrifying time after loss. You can’t fully relax into pregnancy for a long time.

with fluids, I don’t really know why, but I could stomach fizzy drinks much more than still drinks. And I had the bonus of getting some sugar in me for instant energy.

I would love another child but I feel now I’ve had 3 HG pregnancies, I just can’t do it again. I’m very thankful for my two children but the cost it has on my body is enormous and I can’t go through that again.

Thank you.

On our way to a and E with the miscarriage my partner said it wasn't fair that I'd been feeling so rotten for it to end. The nausea continued for a week after the miscarriage which seemed cruel!

I've been sipping ginger ale today. In the summer I found smoothies easier as they were thicker but they haven't been as helpful this time.

With my daughter I went from hyperemesis to severe pnd to a heavily restricted diet because my daughter has a lot of food allergies that she reacted to me eating. By the time I stopped breastfeeding at 10 months I was over a stone under weight and was quite poorly with it. Not gaining enough weight in pregnancy made things harder postpartum so I'm aware of that.

I don't feel too bad if I don't move, which simultaneously makes me feel awful and like a fraud! I've just been to get the post it shouldn't feel that difficult!

A bit of positivity for those struggling - I had hyperemesis throughout my entire pregnancy, controlled mostly by Xonvea. I had my beautiful baby girl at the beginning of this month and my sickness disappeared instantly.

whilst the pregnancy was one of the most challenging periods of my life, now that my baby girl is here, I can confidently say it was 100% worth it.

hang in there, the best is yet to come 💜

Belated congratulations @SecretSloth99!! hope you’re doing well :) I remember just feeling so physically well post birth (despite c-section and sleep deprivation) because the constant nausea and daily vomiting had gone!

Has anyone experienced worsening symptoms from 20 weeks? I started to feel a bit better 16-20 weeks and now I’m back up to max doses and vomiting again after having a few weeks with just the nausea. Still feel very lucky not to have been hospitalised this time around but not sure I can keep going with work much longer. I’m 25 weeks and can’t wait to go off in Jan now!

@gg9320 With my daughter I had awful sickness from 5-13/14 weeks then 26-36 weeks and the odd week in between. Apparently you get another surge of hormones in the third trimester.

Thank you @Superscientist that’s really interesting! Hope you’re doing ok x

I hope it doesn't last the whole of the third trimester for you @gg9320. I don't know it was because it was summer or because the pregnancy was more demanding than the first trimester but I found the nausea and sickness harder in the third trimester than the first. I started losing weight again so I had to snatch any moment where it wasn't too bad to eat. Take care of yourself x

I'm doing better thanks, I lost the pregnancy which was heartbreaking but has meant the nausea and sickness has gone

@Superscientist thank you for the kind words. I’m so very sorry for your loss. Wishing you a restful Christmas x

Hello, is this thread still active for HG sufferers? I've been feeling so so so ill I've lost nearly 3 stone in 10 weeks the nausea started pretty instantaneously followed by vomiting being hospitalised on IV anti sickness, water and vitamins as I had 3+ ketones in my urine and I was badly dehydrated and my body was going into ketosis. I even ordered MA kit as I just felt so out of it but this is my much wanted baby which makes it all so much harder. Thankfully I'm now on ondansetron which has largely contained the vomiting but the nausea can be relentless but at least my body will not go into ketosis.

My first pregnancy I did not experience this, it was a text book pregnancy but this time its very very different. Anyone else in the same boat atm? Does it get better? Any words of wisdom would be much appreciated 💐💐💐

@onceuponatimelived yes it's still active but has slowed down a bit recently. My 2nd little one is still a newborn so I've recently survived my second successful HG pregnancy. I can't promise 100% it will get better, mine didn't until the baby was born both times but I can say that I was hospitalised over 70 times this time round and I didn't see a single other HG patient in for rehydration over 20 weeks gestation and the vast majority had stopped coming for IV by 12 weeks. So the chances are the worst is nearly over.

You can also combine medications if the Odansatron alone isn't controlling it. I added Xonvea and Omeprazole to control it, and steroids are always an option if it still doesn't improve. I agree the nausea is worse than the vomiting really. Hopefully your medical team are proactive but it's important to really keep on top of rehydration.

You can also contact Pregnancy Sickness Support- they have counsellors available to talk things over with that can be very helpful. I'm sure many, many HG sufferers have debated whether to continue their pregnancies or not- there is no right or wrong decision but statistics suggest you are nearly over the very worst of it. Good luck!

Also here, 28 weeks now. I’m so sorry you’ve been so ill @onceuponatimelived HG is such an awful condition ☹️ i really hope it eases for you soon.

Congratulations @alpinia! I hope you and family are doing ok.

I’ve just caught a sickness bug from my daughter or the stress of looking after a very clingy and poorly toddler all day/night for a week has ramped up my hyperemesis - it’s really hard to tell! Trying to stay on top of fluids and antiemetics and praying my DH doesn’t come down with it too. 😅 hoping not to end up in hospital 🤞

Hi
Looking for some support and advice. I'm currently 8 weeks with my 3rd pregnancy, we had IVF to conceive the last two times and this has been a bit of a surprise. Our first daughter passes away 26 weeks into our pregnancy, we had a tfmr due to a severe heart defect and a chromosomal deletion. So I am quite anxious during pregnancy anyway.
I've had horrendous sickness each time, with my first it didn't stop till I delivered her, it wasn't as severe but it was still daily and the heartburn was horrendous. With my second it got better from about 11 weeks with random days of vomiting scattered throughout.
I'm currently on cyclizine 3 times a day and prochloperazine twice a day and taking 3 dissolving tablets at a time, I also have omeprazole. I was prescribed ondasetron but I'm really anxious about taking it so haven't tried it yet. I took it second trimester in my second pregnancy and it was helpful but I carry so much guilt about my first little girl that I can't face taking it because of the small increased risk.
I'm mostly living off toast, super noodles, scotch pies and some salted crisps. Drinking is like torture, I can just about keep down Capri sun and ribena but it gives me an upset stomach. I also sip at cola but it makes me thirstier. I can take little bits of water.
I feel nauseous all day, nighttime especially, I vomit about 3 times a day and that doesn't include when I gag and retch. I have so many food aversions, I can barely even look at food on the TV. I'm just looking for some more suggestions on what I could ask the GP to try next.

Hi @Kitkat247 i’m so sorry for the loss of your first daughter. It’s very understandable your reluctance to take ondansetron. A couple of options spring to mind including Xonvea (Doxylamine and Pyridoxine (vitamin B6)) and metoclopramide. The royal college of gynaecologists has a nice a green paper on hyperemesis which gives all the first, second and third line options for treatments https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-0528.17739 I really hope your doctor can help you to find more a effective treatment combo and that these symptoms ease soon.

Hi everyone,

I visited this thread frequently during my first pregnancy. I was just wondering - those with 2+ children, did you do anything to prepare for the possibility of HG again?

We’re thinking of starting to try for a second baby later this year, and I’m terrified at the thought of having HG again 😞

Yes I did. I got in touch with my GP with the guidance from Pregnancy Sickness Support to start medication before the onset of vomiting. You may have a Gp willing to do a prescription before you’re pregnant. I also took B12 and I stocked up on ‘safe foods’ and soft drinks. I also told work much earlier and I took a month off work (something I wouldn’t have considered with my first). You can also arrange open access with your midwife for day admission to the hospital. In terms of practicalities, I told my partner he was being the lead parent and would have to do pick ups and drop offs as I couldn’t physically do the nursery run, and he would be feeding himself as I couldn’t cook and didn’t want to eat anyway. Setting the expectation was really important as he definitely had to step up.

all that being said, it was an endurance mission. And I will be stopping at 2 children as I can’t do it again.

I'm TTC number 2 as well. I'm on pregnancy 4 and I've had hyperemesis in 3 of them but I look to be escaping it this time/I've found meds that actually manage it.

I've reached out for support earlier each time. My first pregnancy TTC number 2 I went on cyclizine as it had helped a bit when I had my daughter but it didn't make enough of a difference now I also had a child to care for. I ended up in a and e due to a fall from dizziness and I was switched to prochlorazine. I miscarried soon after and the nausea continued for a week afterwards.

I fell pregnant again a few months later. This time I was put straight on second line of treatment and had metoclopramide and cyclizine and it really reduced my vomiting. I only lost 1 kg compared to the 4kg a few months earlier but I still had 3 weeks off sick! Unfortunately this pregnancy also ended in miscarriage, this was in December

In February I started getting nauseous again and hadn't had my period... Test confirmed pregnancy and at least 5 weeks. Nausea actually wasn't too bad compared to usual. I had a scan and it turned out I was already 8 weeks! I spoke to my GP and was prescribed xonvea just in case. I get very little nausea and no vomiting unless I forgot to take it in the morning by the afternoon I'm being sick.

Hi all, I hope everyone going through the horror that is HG is doing as okay as they can be 💐.

I have just got my bfp with number 2 and although I am so happy I can't help but feel terrified about the prospect of HG again (had it with DD who's now 3). Does anyone know if I can request a specific medication from the GP or does it have to start with cyclizine and then the next line of meds etc? I am keen to try Xonvea.

I also take 10mg of citalopram for anxiety and depression and just feel guilty at the prospect of having different medications whilst pregnant but I suppose I need to stay well mentally and physically. Has anyone here taken an anti sickness alongside an SSRI? Any experiences would be appreciated xx