Diclegis sickness medicine a bad idea? Working?

alanamixon

I am 16 weeks along, work 10 hour shifts on my feet all day, 5 days/week. Also, I rotate shifts each week, waking at 3am and working til 2:30pm one week, and the next week working from 2:30pm and getting home at 1am. My job makes pregnancy a little rough as it is. My Dr. started me on Diclegis for the sickness I get in the mornings, but it wasn't seeming to help much. I even broke into a cold sweat and almost fainted the last 2 times I tried to go grocery shopping. I'm scared because i feel helpless, I don't know if its the medicine that's getting to me, and I'm not sure if my job schedule is helping matters. I quit taking the diclegis for 2 days now, but i dont know how long it takes to get out of my system, as i still cant walk around much without hetting dizzy and short of breath. Any advice?? Please. I want to do what's best for my baby's health.

TehysKitaBug

So sorry you're feeling all this I took the Diclegis and it worked wonders for me so I can't really comment on how it made me feel. My best advise would just be make sure you are super hydrated and resting when you can. I have a crazy work schedule too so I know it can be hard. Water has been my best friend. If I dont get enough water/hydration I feel like I have the flu. 

mommy5point0

I'm in your position too. 4 on, 4 off, 4 am to 3 PM with a 2:30 am alarm time. It SUCKS. My biggest hurdle was being drowsy all day. The solution my OB suggested was to take 2 instead of 3 and only at bedtime. It really helped. Can you nap during your lunch? That made a difference for me also. Mine are 30 minutes on the clock... Even a 20 minute power nap helped me truck through the remainder of the day. Hugs to you. I know it's hard.

alanamixon

Thanks y'all. Water tends to make me nauseous, so I'm having to stick to juices. I stay so busy and work alone in my job position, so I rarely have time to stop for a break and get some fluids down. I do what I can. Getting rest would help, but thats also another thing I can't accomplish at work. My only food break, there's always other people from work being loud. In and out the break room. I never upped my dosage to more than 2 of the diclegis pills, and I was still having issues. I'm going to try my best to find ways to get rest, and see how it goes from there. Thanks a bunch.

Bigboneded

Your work schedule sucks for not pregnant, can your doctor get you off rotations for the rest of the pg? Seriously sounds too hard, 50 hour work weeks? On your feet the whole time? Im a nurse and dont have it that bad :-(

NatureLovers

Diclegis is nothing more than an antihistamine and Vit B6. Unless you've had a similar reaction to antihistamines in the past, I don't see how the meds can be to blame. I'd ask your doctor for Zofran.

jennypolkadots

I read up a lot about Diclegis when my OB gave me some samples at 9 weeks. Honestly, I was puzzled why she bothered to give it to me after I told her I was feeling fine other than not much appetite. I never took it and figured she just pushes it because of prescription kick backs. It is a schedule A drug approved for use during pregnancy. It is essentially B6 and Unisom. It shouldn't cause the symptoms you are describing and is considered pretty safe. 

Your symptoms sound more like anemia than a drug reaction. Make sure you are getting plenty of fluids - 10 cups of water a day. Make sure your diet is good - plenty of natural folate, iron, and B vitamins as these are the things that lead to anemia if you don't have them. Your diet is the most important piece of the puzzle. You need easily digestible, high vitamin foods. Plenty of protein to support the baby's growing cells - I get 70g a day. Clean meats, fresh produce, etc. and try to minimize the enriches pastas, breads, fats, etc. Your metabolism speeds during pregnancy so you need a healthy snack every 2 hours to feel well. As always, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Also if you are still taking prenatal vitamins make sure you take them at night because they can make you queasy. Also double check that they contain iron because many gummy types do not. 

Would it be possible to take a few days off of work and just rest? Try to get yourself better. If you still feel this way in a few days ask your doctor to order some blood work to double check for anemia and deficiencies that may have you feeling really crummy. 

jennypolkadots

I just read more of your replies. You are only 4 months pregnant so I don't think you are going to be able to keep up with your job that much longer. You need to go speak with your manager and HR about changing responsibilities or working shorter schedules through your pregnancy. Rotating shifts is just not going to work because now more than ever you need a consistent sleep/eating schedule. You will need rest, you will need to get off your feet, and you absolutely have to stay hydrated and have snacks regularly in order to have a healthy pregnancy. It's not about just powering through, you have to think about what is best for the baby. Once you start gaining weight in the second half of your pregnancy it will get much harder, so it's better to get this sorted out now before you start performing poorly. Most employers would happily work with you and if not you should start looking for something else pronto because I don't think this will work very well when you have a newborn either. I hope you get it sorted out! 

I understand water making you feel sick but try just downing 8 oz at a time throughout the day. Juices have too many sugars. If you are getting all 80 oz you need from juice you are probably drinking down a boat load of sugar a day, even if the juice is 100% natural or fresh squeezed. Maybe you could try some crystal light or hot tea mixed in there. Or you could juice an apple or some berries and pour a bit into your water. Target has lightly flavored water that could work too. 

reneamac313

It really doesn't sound like it is anything related to the Diclegis. I agree with PM that it sounds more like you are needing rest and other things that you aren't currently getting because of the demands on you from your job. I've been taking Diclegis for a little more than two months now and read up on it a lot in the beginning...nothing that you are experiencing sounds vaguely related. I would definitely contact your doctor and try to see what changes you can make at work.