Berkeley Parents Network: Morning Sickness

Berkeley Parents Network

Morning Sickness

Berkeley Parents Network > Advice > Pregnancy & Childbirth > Morning Sickness

Questions

Concerned about taking medication for morning sickness
Any suggestions for alleviating morning sickness?

Related Pages

Prenatal vitamins and morning sickness
Hyperemesis Gravidarum (severe nausea & vomiting)
Worried about not having morning sickness

Concerned about taking medication for morning sickness

Oct 2006

I am 7 weeks pregnant and my doctor has prescribed Promethazine suppositories for my 24-hour morning sickness (tried everything else - ginger, lemon, vitamin B6, dry diet, etc.) The medication is very efficient at curing that but I am concerned about its possible effects on the fetus. I am averse to taking any medication during pregnancy and managed to go without it during my first (this is my second), but this time it was just too severe. If you could share any information about this drug, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you anon

Motherisk is an organization out of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto that runs a website and several information hotlines about what is safe and not safe in pregnancy. They have a nausea and vomiting hotline (1-800-436-8477) which can answer your questions about the safety of medications, and they are also extremely knowledgeable about the most effective protocols for nausea and vomiting. Good luck! Been There

congratulations on your pregnancy! around 6 or 7 weeks i started taking zofran, and then later added compezine, so was taking something for nausea every six hours through 20 weeks. (hopefully you won't go there) i delivered a very healthy 9 pound baby, who now at age 3 is probably smarter than both of her parents. i don't believe she was damaged at all and i very much believe that the baby gets all it needs from the mother - you are the one who gets robbed. as much as possible - stay hydrated. that really made a difference in my day. my doc pointed out one thought: there have been studies on the fda apporved meds on their affects on the babies, but there have NOT been studies on the affects of high doses of ginger or B6 and other herbal remedies. i never found any of that stuff worked for me anyhow. congratulations and best of luck julia

I had severe morning sickness in both of my pregnancies for the entire time 9 months. I threw up pretty much every day during the first. I tried everything you tried (and even more things like infusions) during the first with no success. When it started with the second at 4 weeks, I did some research and asked my doctor to prescribe Zofran or Amzamet. They both worked very well and there are no negative effects on babies. They are very expensive (like $1000 for 30 pills) so insurance is a must. I also took Phenegran at night, which also worked, but makes you sleepy.

I can't tell you the different these medications made in my quality of life during those 9 months. Feel free to email me with any questions Rachel

I don't know about the drug, but I've had great success with acupunture. Have you tried that yet? Hope you feel better soon

I have been using Safefetus.com to look up all meds I might take to make sure that they are safe during pregnancy. I looked up Promethazine and found it quite alarming that your doctor would prescribe it, especially in the first trimester. This is what I found:

Studies on animals show adverse effect and toxicity on fetus. No adequate and well controlled studies done on pregnant women. Drugs should be given only if the potential benefit outweighs the potential risk to the fetus. Crosses human placenta. No adequate human data but suggested possible association with cardiovascular defects in 1st trimester exposure. Reported to cause neonatal respiratory depression and neonatal platelet dysfunction when used in labor. Hope this helps. Hope you have a happy and healthy pregnancy! Christina

Any suggestions for alleviating morning sickness?

Feb 1999

Any suggestions for alleviating morning sickness?

morning sickness.. eat fish. I realize eating anything sounds foolish but high protien helps a lot. Cured me and my friend who was 24 hrs sick still at 6 month finialy gave up her vegetarian lifestyle of many many years and almost instantly felt better and maintained feeling better with well time tuna fish or turkey sandwiches. kimberly

I had very uncomfortable morning sickness well past the third month for two pregnancies, and found relief from eating crystallized ginger. The best I found was available at Peet's coffee stores. People told me ginger tea was also beneficial, but I never tried that. I didn't try acupuncture. I did try pressing on the points on my wrist and hand that supposedly calm queasiness, and that didn't do anything. Laurie

I had morning sickness 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the first five months of my pregnancy...I was trying very hard to stay on a balanced diet, without any caffeine (ordinarily a staple of my diet), or any of the other "bad" foods. But for all my good intentions, I couldn't keep anything down, and I knew that wasn't any good. So, I know this is a no-no, but I figured if it helped me keep something down, that was better than eating practically nothing: I found a few sips of Coke whenever things were about to get bad really helped me out. Who knows, maybe it was the bubbles and seltzer would have worked as well, but you might give it a shot. No advice on acupuncture though, sorry. Heather

I had morning sickness throughout my entire pregnancy with my son. The only thing that helped reduce the nausea (and I tried all the standard "cures") was acupuncture. Made a big difference. If you do try acupuncture, make sure you see a reputable practitioner who uses disposable needles. Good luck! Mal

My morning sickness was so severe that I had to receive i.v. infusions twice a week to prevent dehydration (my doctor wanted me to have them 3 times a week but I could not take off any more time from work). The infusions helped because dehydration will cause even more nausea. I was so sick that I was eating 1 small meal about every three days until I was 6 1/2 months pregnant. By that time, my ob/gyn (Dr. Streitfeld of Omni) sent me to see a friend of his who used hypnosis in his practice (who is a burn surgeon at Alta Bates. It was either that or hospitalize me and feed me through a tube starting at 7 months!). Well, I'm not much of a believer, but it certainly helped. After two sessions I was able to hold down some water. The nausea wasn't entirely gone, but it was bearable. You may want to try something along those lines. Also, the rare times I was able to eat, it was generally something sweet. Dr. Streitfeld told me he noticed that in some of his patients the morning sickness seemed to be alleviated some by small amounts of sugar. You may want to try some hard candy like jolly ranchers or such. Finally, you may want to talk with your doctor about it. I don't recall if you mentioned how far along you are. Usually, morning sickness starts to subside around the 12th week when the human chorionic growth hormones starts to decrease. In some women, however, the hormone level doesn't drop and can result in excess vomiting due to severe morning sickness, a condition called hyperemesis. It's not dangerous if dehydration is prevented. It is, however, bloody miserable!! Good luck. I hope you start to feel better real soon. Try to be positive--I was told that the sicker the mother, the healther the baby. I truly feel for you as I've been there!

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