NVP Counselor
Date: 2003-05-07

Question:
I am 22 weeks pregnant. I began with the standard dose of 4 Diclectin a day at 6 weeks. I currently take 2 Diclectin, 3 times a day. My NVP began to slowly improve at about 13 weeks which was about one week after I increased my dose from 5 to 6 tablets per day. I have not vomitted in nearly 2 weeks, the nausea is all but gone and my heartburn has now improved. I have been able to resume most daily activities. I am considering gradually weaning myself from the Diclectin. My husband thinks I should just keep taking it and avoid a relapse. What is your advice? How would I go about weaning from the Diclectin? If I were to continue to take Diclectin throughout the pregnancy, would I have withdrawal symptoms such as insomnia after delivery (I know Doxilamine Succinate is the ingredient in the sleep aid Unisom in the US)? Thank you Motherisk for all the NVP assistance through this pregancy and my previous pregnancy. You provide an invaluable service.

Answer:
We usually tell women who wish to wean themselves off Diclectin to do so gradually. They can start after they have had at least a couple of weeks with no NVP symptoms (especially if they are at the end of the first trimester), by decreasing the dose by one pill at a time and waiting 2 or 3 days to eliminate the next one if NVP doesn't reoccur. You might try to proceed in this way and if your symptoms remain the same and do not increase, you may want to settle for a lower daily dose until the end of either the symptoms or the pregnancy.

With regard to your question about withdrawal symptoms such as insomnia after long term use of Diclectin, women who might have been on it until the end of a previous pregnancy and happen to call us again in their next pregnancy have never mentioned such an issue to us.

We thank you for your kind words about our service. Please call the NVP Helpline at 1-800-436-8477 if you have other questions.