2nd week on Zofran/motion sickness

[lbanco]

Hi,

Just wanted to say I'm so glad to have found this site. It was such a relief. I had been vomiting non-stop for two weeks when I finally went to see my doctor. She gave me an RX for Zofran. I still have my bad days (yesterday for instance) and am not able to get out of the apartment, but at least I am able to keep some food and liquids down most of the time. I have several friends that are either pregnant or have recently given birth. None of them ever got sick! They felt nauseous and I'm sure that is horrible, but I'm happy to have found a place where someone gets what I'm going through.

Alsos, Zofran seems to be useless for motion sickness. Can anyone offer any advice? My doctor is all the way uptown and I manage to hold it in until i get there and get back, but then I'm useless for the rest of the day.

BTW, my doctor never said I had HG. My mom talked to her and the doctor told her! When I asked her about it, she said "Oh, I just said that because she wanted a diagnosis." Well what the heck does that mean?

[PamelaRose]

Welcome! HG is at the extreme end of the Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy spectrum; "morning sickness" falls at the other end, but there is gray area in between. A clinical diagnosis calls for severe nausea and/or vomiting, a certain percentage of body weight lost, and dehydration/ketonesis. The line is being blurred because good meds are keeping some women from the weight loss and dehydration, so some doctors are reluctant to apply the "HG" diagnosis. Regardless, if the symptoms and treatments fit, it doesn't matter if the official diagnosis is made or not. Our bodies just don't care what we call it!

How much Zofran are you on? 32mg/day is standard for the worst of it, and from there the dosage weans down slowly. You may be able to adjust dosage to get better results. I used meclizine, which is a motion-sickness medication, in combo with Zofran. You can get meclizine over-the-counter as "Anti-Vert," or in generic form if you just ask for it. You can take 25 mg. with every 8 mg. of Zofran. You could also try Unisom, as well as many other choices. I hope you find something that helps! Best wishes.

[lbanco]

I'm only on 16mg per day. Take one 8mg every 12 hours. I asked my doctor about an increase, but she said that she prescribed the highest amount. I asked her about Unisom and B6, but she said to take those instead of the Zofran and not in combination with it.

I'm having a pretty good afternoon and feel hopeful. I know it might not last, but I'm really enjoying being able to sit up and read without having to dash off to the bathroom.

Thanks again for your quick and thoughtful response. I'm sorry I didn't write back sooner, but I had several bad days in a row.

Thanks,
lbanco

[PamelaRose]

Sorry you've been having rough days. Your doctor's response is, sadly, typical of many who do not treat much HG. Your best bet is to keep pushing the issue. Zofran is used world-wide, and thousands of women can attest that 32 mg/day is standard and safe. Same with combining Zofran and other anti-emetics. Look through the HER site and find info to print out for your doctor to see if that helps. While you may not be able to fiddle with Zofran dosage yourself (unless you're not limited as to how many refills you can do), you can absolutely go ahead and try Unisom/B6 or meclizine on your own. It's your body and your illness, and you have the power to advocate for yourself and manage some aspects on your own.

Hope that helps; just know that there are other options available, so don't be afraid to demand that your doctor step-up treatment. If you'd like to get in touch with an HG volunteer from your area, just let me know!

[danimomof2girls]

Hi! With my second Pregnancy I was actually on a Zofran pump which acts like an insulin pump for diabetics but you have liquid Zofran and it is much more effective. I you are maxed out on the oral dosage, you may want to ask your doctor about it. The only drawbacks is that I was very skinny (I was at 4 weeks gestation and had lost a lot of weight) and the butterfly needle which inserts the catheter for the pump goes into your leg muscle. Plus, Zofran can cause your muscle (inject site) to become very sore. We had to change sites every other day. The upside is that it did help a lot more with the nausea than an oral med I took.
Just an FYI! You're in my thoughts!

[lbanco]

Thanks for advice. It seems that either the Zofran finally kicked in or my hormones are settling down (for now!). I haven't been sick in a while. Although, my doctor prescribed Colace for the ahem embarrassing side-effect that sometimes occurs with Zofran. I was taking it once a day. I still was feeling sick at night. Like someone had knocked the wind out of me. Three days ago I forgot to take it and I felt so much bettter in the evening! Go figure.

So now I'm feeling better but everything at a standstill. Also, was wondering how long I will need to be on the Zofran.

Thanks again.

[PamelaRose]

Good to hear that you're feeling better. Zofran and its little side-effect are legendary--lots of Colace and fluids seem to be the only way to counter the constipation. Not a fun experience, but worth it if the Zofran helps. How long will you need it? Until your body is good and ready to deal with the HG by itself. Wean slowly. Some women stay on it until delivery; others begin to wean after the worst of HG has passed. If you have a really good period of the day, you can try cutting your dose in half and then gradually stretching out the time between doses until you've skipped one dose all together. Slow, steady progress is key, and it can take many weeks to effectively wean to the point where you're ready to be off the Zofran. Or, you may find that you need a small dose through the remainder of the pregnancy. Many women do, so don't worry about it. Good luck, and thanks for the update!