The Motherisk Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy (NVP) Forum

Motherisk receives questions from around the world about morning sickness symptoms, effects, treatments and ways to cope. Those questions and answers are posted here for anyone to read, provided the reader acknowledges and accepts the proviso and disclaimer below.

Forum > Treatment: Diclectin

Treatment and sleepiness

NVP Counselor
Date: 2004-09-29

Question:
I have tried Diclectin to combat "morning sickness" which was impairing my ability to work; unfortunately it made me excessively sleepy, disoriented and stupid, and thus didn't solve the problem. I understand Vitamin B6 supplements can help as an alternative; if so, how much B6 should I take, and how often, to combat nausea (which is in my case prevalent first thing in the morning but present throughout the day)?

Answer:
Doxylamine succinate (the antihistamine in Diclectin), can cause some drowsiness for some women, although most get used to this side effect after a while. Dosing may also be a factor.

Vitamin B6 can be taken as a supplement. We usually suggest 25 mg once, twice or three times a day. The safety of this amount has been addressed by a Motherisk study of women taking up to 8 Diclectin pills per day (e.g, 80 mg of Vitamin B6). The study showed no increase in the percentage of birth defects over the 1 percent to 3 percent baseline risk that is present in any pregnancy.

Call our Motherisk NVP Helpline at 1-800-436-8477 for more information.

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