First Trimester Nausea

Hi there Crystal!
I took Zofran as well, I was sick for the first 3 months of my pregnancy and it really didn't help much! I took the disolvable tablets which tasted horrible and that doesn't make sense when you have nausea to begin with ! lol Once I could keep some food down, I started taking the Zofran pills that you swallow...that seemed to work better and without the nasty taste!
Hope this helps and I can definitely sympathize with you :o)

I worked for a pharmaceutical company for 10 years and my personal opionion is DON'T take it! Things are rushed through the FDA quickly and sometimes side-effects are found once the drug is on the market.

Hi Crystal,
I have had quite a bit of experience with Zofran.
My youngest is now 2 1/2, and the first time I heard of Zofran was when I was admitted into the hospital for dehydration (due to morning sickness, which was all day long and I could keep nothing down, not even water) during my pregnancy with her. Other drugs they tried didnt work, so they gave me something that did, Zofran. It worked great, but my insurance wouldnt cover it (before generic), so my Dr. wouldn't give me a script for it. I ended up in the hospital again the next week, losing a total of about 28 lbs.

I was told that the drug was primarily used for cancer patients on chemotherapy, but safe for pregnant women.

The 2nd time I left the hospital, I took a script with me for Zofran and paid cash, $93 for a pack of 3 pills (I cut them in half). When I went back to my Dr., he gave me samples, they were melting tablets and tasted bad, but worked great. 8mg.

My youngest daughter was born in October, and less than 3 weeks later, my 13 year old daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She went into surgery on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. A week later, I was told the tumor was cancerous, and she would have to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and would have to take Zofran for the nausea and may have to take it for up to 2 years, partially because of where the tumor was, in her cerebellum( and effects some stomach functions).

She had 6 weeks of radiation therapy and chemo, then monthly treatments of 7 day chemo treatments for a year, then was diagnosed as "in remission". She was taking Zofran for 2 years. Now she is 16 and acting like any other normal teenager! Thank God! I do every day.

I have had no side effects from taking Zofran and my daughter, at almost 3 is doing great and doesn't seem to have any effects from the drug. And my 16 year old is no longer dependant on it and is eating fine again, and shows no signs of any harm done by the drug.

Sorry this was so long, I'm sure this was not as much info as you were looking for, but there it is, my experience with Zofran.

Other things I have been advised to try are; ginger snaps, saltine crackers, mints, green tea. I found that ice cubes would cool my stomach throughout the day and carried a large take-out cup with me to work. I was also told to take small sips of cold water, not gulps, it may stay down better in smaller amounts. And eating in small meals/snacks throughout the day, with little flavor.

Good luck. I think Zofran is great.

Hi Crystal,
Have you tried a product called Morning Sickness Magic? It is an all natural remedy that has ginger and fennel in it. Or the Preggo Pops? We carry them at Baby's Sweet Beginnings. The moms with this same problem just rave about how much better they feel. www.babyssweetbeginnings.com for more information on our store!
Hope you feel better soon!
P.

I specialize in aromatherapy.

You may have success with either ginger essential oil or
di-gize.

Di-gize is a blend made by young living -
you can check my website for details or to order.

www.wings.younglivingworld.com

Good luck!
Marlene

First of all, congratulations! Second of all, I feel your pain sista! I have a 2 year old and am 21 weeks along with baby #2, and the nausea just stopped a few weeks ago for me. It was terrible between the hours of 3 p.m. until about midnight, so I cooking dinner and doing the bedtime routine with my son was brutal.

Anyway, I agree with the post below and see if your prenatal vitamin is too strong. They switched mine around 9 weeks and that seemed to help. I also figured out that the more I ate (even though nothing sounded appetizing) the better I felt. So if you can just choke down a plain bagel or some lipton chicken soup that you buy in the packets, that would help. I liked that because there were very little noodles and a ton of broth. Really helped out A LOT.
That, and I sipped on sprite or seltzer water throughout the day. Guzzling plain water like the dr. said I was supposed to do only made me sicker. The carbonation in the sprite and seltzer made me burp (not ladylike, I know) but that helped relieve a lot of the nausea.

One last tip, I chewed strong minty gum all day. It helps with the terrible taste in your mouth that the prenatal vitamins give you, and will also relieve the nausea. I've also heard that ginger tea/ginger chews help.

Gosh I feel your pain!!! Hang in there!! REST WHEN YOU CAN. That's important. The mess will be there when you feel better.

Take care!
Lynsey
PS- also wanted to add, take the prenatal vitamins at night time before you lie down. That way if they're the cause of the nausea, you're sleeping through it.

Hi Crystal! Congratulations on your pregnancy! I had the same problem when I was pregnant with my 3rd, and was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum. They switched my vitamin and tried different nauseous meds, but in the end Zofran was my miracle drug. Although, I didn't get it that early in my pregnancy. I believe I was almost to my 3rd trimester before the insurance company took pity on me and allowed me to fill that script. My son has no side effects from it, and actually if I continued with the vomiting and nauseous the doctors were fairly certain that he would have had reprecussions from me not being able to eat anything of substince for 9 months. It worked so well for me, I say take it. It will give you your life back to enjoy your other 2 children. Keep in mind that is only temporary, I got so wrapped up in feeling sick that I couldn't enjoy the pregancy. The memory of the nauseous does fade, but you will have a beautiful little miracle in its place :)

Real ginger might help! It's the best natural remedy...

I took Zofran with my fourth pregnancy. Let me tell you I was okay with the dizziness and slight headaches. They lessened after the second week of taking them.

If I hadn't taken Zofran I would not have been able to eat and help my daughter survive.

Nanc

Try eating a starch to absorb the stomach acid. Things like bread, popcorn, saltines, ect.

I had extreme morning sickness with my last 2 from beginning to end, it never went away. They changed my pre natal vitamin which made a HUGE difference. I can't remember what it was called but I think it had extra B 12 in it. Ice cream and cold milk helped me believe it or not. My husband was always at Carvel getting me chocolate shakes!!!!! God love him!!!!! Feel better!!!!

A friend of mine just gave birth to her second child 2 weeks ago. She has a very healthy 2 week old, and a very healthy 2 year old. She took Zofran with both of them, and very often. With her first pregnancy she lost 40 pounds within 2 months, and was hospitalized. With her second pregnancy she switched doctors, and found one who would treat her hyperemesis right away. She was able to eat like anyone else, probably more so. haha I was constantly getting reports of her being hungry, and wondering what she should have for a midnight snack. You should take the Zofran, and eat happily and healthy for your baby! Congratulations and good luck.

Hi Crystal,

No, I've never taken Zofran but I did take a lozenge called B-Natal. It comes as either a lollipop or a sucking candy. when I bought them they came in either green apple or cherry but they could have added more flavors. All it really is, is a high dose of Vitamin B which is supposed to help with the sickness. The website is www.bnatal.com if you want to read further....

Hope it helps!

K.

Hi crystal,
I have taken zofran a little bit with both of my pregnancies. I understand not wanting to take it but it does help to take the edge off and I never felt any side effects. I saved it for days that I needed to be out and really needed help from the nausea. Good luck and feel better soon!!
L. R

Hi Crystal,

I had horrendous nausea from week 6 until week 19 and when they gave me zofran I was terrified to take it, I felt so guilty!! In the end of the day I had to take it to lessen the nausea enough so that I could eat something to keep my pregnancy going. The dizzyness will go away after a week or so. I now have a perfectly healthy 4 week old (who has just woken up and is looking for some milk I thing!!). I would say that if you really cant eat and are losing weight then you should take your doctors advice and take the zofran.

Best of luck to you,
M..
PS I found the pill that dissolved in my mouth to be the best one because I couldn't drink a glass of water to wash a regular pill down because water made me throw up too.

Hey Crystal!

Sorry that you are feeling so bad, it's gotta be tough. I was lucky enough to not have any nausea during either of my pregnancies. I have however had experience with Zofran while receiving my chemo treatments. It helped so much with the post chemo nausea. If your doctor says it's safe to take during pregnancy and other mothers have posted their success stories, then I say go for it.

Wishing you a safe and successful pregnancy!!

H.

To prevent morning sickness and nausea I have been drinking No to morning sickness tea that was a lifesaver for me.

Eat small, frequent meals, the nausea can be caused by hypoglycemia. Eat whatever you can tolerate, don't worry so much about a well-balanced diet. Salty carbs typically are most tolerable. Drink in between meals, not with meals.

Take your prenatal vitamin at night before bed, so that doesn't stimulate nausea.

Sea-bands worked pretty well for me. They are sold in most pharmacies. They are accupressure wristbands that stimulate the nausea center in the brain to decrease the nausea. I wore them the entire 1st trimester (took them off at bedtime).

If you are not vomiting and are able to eat and drink, you really do not need to take Zofran. But if needed Zofran is considered safe in pregnancy.

I know a couple of people who have been successful with chewing ginger gum, you can find it in most drug stores and natural food stores : )

If you're having morning sickness, try drinking some room temperture ginger ale, and eating a few saltine crackers before you actually get out of bed in the morning. It may not take away the nause completely, but it will help.

That's an old-fashioned, all natural remedy, but most of the time it still works!

D.

I had nausea for 14 weeks when I was pregnant w/ my twin boys. The only thing I could keep down was animal crackers, it was horrible. I took Zofran too and it really helped. I started keeping normal food down, and the animal crackers went by the way side. I didn't want to take anything either as it was my first pregnancy and we had such a difficult time getting pregnant, but it worked like a charm and got me past the first trimester +.

I took Zofran for weeks, and just stopped. It's very safe in pregnancy, so please don't worry! If it works, use it. You have two other kids to take care of!!

I found it wasn't all that helpful. Nothing helped me but hitting week 12. So all I can recommend is taking your prenatal vitamin at night before bed (so you can keep it down), and to keep a snack right next to you as you sleep. When you get up to pee, have a bite. When you first wake up in the morning, have a bite. Keep food in your tummy, which will help a little. Don't stop eating- it makes it so much worse! Take bland and easy snacks with you EVERYWHERE. And drink lots of water!

I'm sorry you're sick. It's hard to be excited when you're always nauseous! But it's just a waiting game. Rest a lot, forget the housework (it really does make it worse), and schedule playdates at your house (or your friends' houses) whenever possible. So much easier than taking your kids to the park, or some other place you may end up being sick in public. Plus they get to play play play!

Good luck, and your 2nd trimester will be here soon!

Crystal,

I had the same thing and they even found keytones (sp?) in my urine as I was having such a hard time eating/drinking (just with my 2nd pregnancy) I was also dehydrated on that visit, and they wanted to try me on this as well. In the past they gave me something with my first pregnancy that didn't work... The Zofran LUCKILY did the trick, but just as you mentioned, I too, was very hesitant about taking it.

I only wanted to take it once a day and wanted the best effect... turned out it worked best for me to take it just before bed/late dinner. The strength/negative effects seemed to happen earlier on when I took it, so that by the time I woke up, I was okay and it was still going strong in my system.

It made breakfast easier and lunch wasn't a problem... around 3pm/4pm I think I remember starting to feel the effect wear off, but I would manage to get through a grueling dinner, then take my nightly dosage again.

For some reason when I took it in the morning, it would still wear out early on, and I would have the negative effects (slight dizziness) while I was awake/at work. It took me a WHILE to figure out that this worked best for me. (I was placed on the Zofran until my third month I think, as I found just trying a day without it wouldn't work - nothing wanted to stay down.)

I even took to joking that my baby would be named Zoey Frances if it was a girl! LOL (I didn't do that to her, and now have a happy little 3 mos. old Abby) :)

GOOD LUCK!

Definitely take the zofran. I was horribly sick with my first one and it took me months of trying "natural" remedies or less "mediciney" things but once I did, I became a little bit more like a person. With my second, I took it right away and it make a world of difference. I was very nervous,too, but the risks of becoming dehydrated and malnourished are dangerous. I needed to go get fluids before I started on the meds. I have two beautiful, very smart boys now, and no side effects (knock knock) from taking the meds. My doctor had me on 4 mg, but my friend who is an OB gives 8mg to her patients. Good luck!