NVP Counsellor
Date: 2007-10-01

Question:
I had severe HG with my first pregnancy and am now 6 weeks pregnant with my second child. Fearing a repeat of my first horrible pregnancy I insisted that my doctor give me a prescription for Diclectin in advance. She was very reluctant, but complied. I managed to start the medication before the vomiting was too severe this time, but feel absolutely terrible on the Diclectin. I’m having trouble staying awake for any length of time, feel dizzy, have no appetite and have become very depressed. With my first pregnancy the vomiting began on a business trip in the United States. The hospital I was admitted to gave me Phenergan (which I was severely allergic to) and Zofran which was like a miracle. I felt great for 4 days with one dose. However, no Canadian doctor (I’m in Montreal) would prescribe the Zofran when I returned. They either had never heard of the drug, or absolutely refused to prescribe it. Do you have any studies I can present to my doctor on Zofran ? Do you have any suggestions on what I can do to minimize the intolerable side-effects of the Diclectin?

Answer:
You did not say how long you have been on the Diclectin as many women do have problems when first starting it, especially with the sedation. However,usually these adverse effects do resolve after awhile. As for the Zofran, this drug is indicated for nausea and vomiting following chemotherapy, although many women have taken it for NVP. We published a study at Motherisk where we followed up 187 women who took it in pregnancy, with no adverse effects on the baby. You may want to call our tollfree(1 800-436-8477) NVP Helpline for more information