1St Trimester Nausea

Updated on February 14, 2009
S.W. asks from Arcata, CA
20 answers

I was wondering if anyone has taken Zofran for nausea during pregnancy and what they thought of it? How often did you need to take it to feel better?

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D.B.

answers from San Francisco on

when I was pregnant I had heard about a study from Johns Hopkins that said if you drink lemonade or eat watermelon before you get up or before you move around, it will help sickness and it did!!! They also said potato chips work but I wasn't craving salt.

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C.L.

answers from Fresno on

I took Zofron for a few months with both my pregnancies and it worked great. A lot of my friends took it as well for the nausea and it worked great. I would just take it as needed- it seemed to work within a few minutes of taking it.

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L.D.

answers from Modesto on

Never had to take it myself, but it worked really well for a lot of our patients when I worked in an OBGYN office. If the nausea is unbearable and not helped by any of the normal remedies (eating starch, eating small meals 6 times/day etc.) then go for it.If will allow you to keep fluids down, stay hydrated and eat better you will provide better nutrition for your baby. Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.M.

answers from San Francisco on

A lot of pregnant women are reading "Your Body's Many Cries for Water" and learning that nausea is very often a sign of dehydration! Now that your body is doing "double work", Dr. Batmanghelidj, of Georgetown University's Medical Center, recommends that you divide your weight by 2 and drink that many ounces of water each day.

If you weighed 160 pounds, say, that would be 80 ounces. A cup of 8 ounces, so 10 cups. He says this also helps baby have optimal health.

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L.M.

answers from Fresno on

For some reason my doctor would not give it to me (I was throwing up 20+ times a day but he was really old school) Try room temp, flat, sprite. IF you can keep anything down, try carbs: beans, pasta, breads, potatos, etc.

Good Luck!!

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I.L.

answers from Bakersfield on

zofran was a life saver for me in my first pregnancy. I suffered hyperemesis the first 5 months. After the second trip to the emergency room for dehydration I was put on Zofran. The kind I was given was to be taken every 12 hours. Initially I took it two times a day and found that though I wasn't vomiting everything I ingested I cont'd to feel sick and not want food.
My second time around I battled the nausea, but not the actual vomitting so I didn't need the zofran.
Though the doctors insist its safe. And I'm sure being medicated to be able to stay hydrated is much safer than the alternative. Zofran is a serious medication, seriously consider the situation with your doctor before taking it!

V.R.

answers from Sacramento on

I am 28 weeks with my 2nd pregnancy & have been taking Zofran (generic is Ondansetron) since week 7. Every few weeks I try coming off of it, but I end up vomiting. My first pregnancy I was told vomiting was just a "part of pregnancy". At 5 mths I got smart (finally) & switched dr.'s - after attempts with several different drugs, it was Zofran that ended up being the most effective. This pregnancy has been a lot milder, but I still can't go without taking it. I take 4 mg every 24 hrs & I am good to go. I'm still amazed at how such a little pill can literally make me love being pregnant!

I have been told that it doesn't work for everyone, but it's definitely worth a shot, in my opinion, & has made a WORLD of difference in my life during pregnancy. And no, I didn't have a child with "no arms & legs" & my 2.5 yr old son is a happy, active, smart child. I have had zero side effects that I can relate to taking the Ondansetron. If Zofran doesn't work for you, I would push to try other anti-emetics because pregnancy does NOT have to mean you are miserable the entire time! And yes, I do believe vit B6 & other natural remedies may be out there & may work just as well, but I wasn't able to find any. Yes, 1st trimester nausea is very common & they may insist you hold out until week 13 or 14 before going alternative routes. But I know many mom's who were unfortunately ill the entire pregnancy. Good luck!!

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H.F.

answers from San Francisco on

I took Zofran for a few days at 26 weeks because I had a stomach flu that coased me to become so dehydrated that I was having contractions and I needed IV fluids. It was effective in stopping the vomiting but didn't take away the nausea and I was very sleepy fro several hours after taking it but I was able to keep fluids down.

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A.B.

answers from Stockton on

Hi S.,

My doctor prescribed Odansetron (the generic for Zofran) to me in my first trimester because I had 24 hour morning sickness and I was having trouble functioning at work.

I didn't like the idea of taking medications while pregnant and I'm also very sensitive to medication, so I tried not to take it. However, I took it a few times when I had important meetings or had to be on the road and couldn't otherwise function. It helped the nausea to go away, but to me it felt like a fuzz was growing over my brain while I was on it and after it wore off it gave me a splitting headache.

I don't quite remember, but I think the dosage timing is about 8 hours.

Good luck with the nausea and with coping with your small children while feeling so yucky!

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K.T.

answers from Sacramento on

Wow. This topic is near and dear to my heart because I suffered with hyperemesis...constant vomiting almost...with both of my pregnancies for the entire first trimester. It was disabling while it lasted but went away completely at about 14 weeks. My youngest is now 11, so it was a while back but I have helped many friends trouble shoot what to do since that time. My former sister in law had the nausea pretty severely and she did take Zofran. She took it once or twice a day, I believe. She said that she used it during the time of day that she was predictable the worst. Usually for women going through this the worst time of day is in the morning, but all kinds of differences exist from one situation to another. you'll probably have to experiment with the timing. She said that the Zofran really did help her and that she was relieved to have found something that seemed to work or at least take the edge off the nausea. I would've loved to have something to do that. This drug wasn't available at the time I was going through this, and all of the the drugs that were available at the time were totally useless for me. It was a trying time to say the least. I hope for you that you have some times of the day that you don't feel sick to your stomach. Those hours are such a reprieve, I remember! Contact me with any other questions you may have, and good luck with this and with your pregnancy, K.

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B.S.

answers from Sacramento on

Not Zofran, but I took Phenergan for a while with my son every day for about a month because I couldn't keep anything down.

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N.H.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi S.,
I took Zofran with #2 & #3. I took it once in the morning and was fine the rest of the day. With #1, I had nausea the whole pregnancy and decided that wouldn't happen again if I had more. I tried Reglan, but it didn't work. Zofran did the trick.
Nessa

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L.P.

answers from San Francisco on

I never took these medications, but was told by doctors to eat often and starchy things to make my nausea go away. You can always try Mommys bliss Morning Sickness Magic. Once I started eating often and went outside to get fresh air it lessened dramatically.

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G.B.

answers from San Francisco on

Magnesium deficiency, vit b6,b3,b5 ,k deficiency can all cause pregnancy sickness. It's worth a try to see. it will take a bit of time to get your levels up to where they need to be, so don't get distraught if you don't see any improvement in 1st day! Liquid B complex 3 times a day under the tounge is a good start(with no added vit d). ... and fulvic acid at the same time for the magnesium (health food store or online- again, no vit d in it).

Many times hypervitaminosis of vit d can cause it. Vit d is a prohormone and can cause hypercalcemia. The best thing to do is to AVOID vit D in all forms... supplements, seafood, flax, codliver oil, D enriched milk,(use rice milk without d, half and half watered down, or protein shakes mix for your milk) all enriched grain products (cereals and flours) (but oatmeal is ok),No SOY of all kinds,no egg yolks, also mushrooms, coffee and tea. Trust me, your body can make the vit d you need, but too much is a BAD THING. There is WAY TOO much added vit d to our foods.

Lyme disease can cause nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. But reducing vit d in your food intake will help lyme and nausea both.

ps...any nausea drug that causes headaches, dizzyness, bowel problems, aggitation, dry eyes, mouth, racing heart, etc...is affecting your central nervous system. yes, I beleive it will cross over to the baby and it is not worth it. All those ladies who were given thalidamide for nausea during pregnancy years and years ago were told it was safe
- by their doctors - and ended up having babies with no arms and legs. They've actually proven more people die of prescription drugs than all street drugs combined. So phooey on doctors that give out "safe drugs".

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G.D.

answers from Stockton on

Zofran saved me during both of my pregnancies....unfortunately I was one of those people who was still sick the day I delivered with both my kids. So I took it throughout the entire pregnancy...but most I ahve heard are done being sick around 3 months.
Best of luck to you!

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D.S.

answers from Fresno on

I used Zofran after a lot of research and talking with my doctor, who assured me it was fine to take to relive my constant nausea. I had tried many other methods that were mentioned here: staying hydrated, vitamins, constant nibbling; but nothing seemed to work and I was losing a lot of weight. Zofran helped me to be able to function normally again at work or whenever I needed it and it usually took only one dose. I didn't have any side effects from it and my son is as healthy and happy as any mom can ask for. :o)
Good luck to you!
D.

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L.C.

answers from San Francisco on

I did take zofran during first two trimesters, and although it curtailed some of the vomiting it didn't affect the nausea at all. It also has a possible side effect of a stabbing headache which doesn't happen for everyone but did for me. After taking it for about 3-4 weeks I stopped, unfortunately the nausea and vomiting continued up until delivery.
The recommendation is usually every 8-10 hours.

Good Luck and hopefully it will pass soon!

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A.P.

answers from Fresno on

I took it with both of my pregnancies because I was miserable and couldn't function. I was nervous to take anything, but after a lot of research and discussing it with my doctor in great detail I was convinced it was ok. My doctor actually took it with her children which made me feel good. I took it once or twice a day depending on the given days circumstances. I believe you can take it more often though if needed. Hope this helps and hope your morning sickness goes away soon.

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G.K.

answers from San Francisco on

I took Zofran with my first pregnancy, and am now taking it during my second pregnancy. It is a lifesaver. The only drawbacks for me are that it causes bad constipation and sometimes headaches. But I'd rather have those side effects than be nauseous/vomiting/miserable all the time. I was nervous taking it the first time, but my doctor assured me that it was safe. I'm supposed to take it every six hours "as needed" which would be four times a day, but I usually only need it 3 times a day because I don't need it when I'm asleep.

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M.F.

answers from Sacramento on

I took Zofran with my last two pregnancies. It literally is a life saver. They wouldn't even let me know it was an option with my first and I threw up multiple times a day until the day I delivered him. It doesn't completely take the nausea away but you aren't throwing up and you feel like you can function again. Which for me this time around was essential with my other two kids at home. My only side effect was bad constipation. So if you decide to go with Zofran I would recommend getting some fiber supplements too and take them consistently to counter act the constipation.

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