nifedipine- for contractions/shortening cervix

seabride07 · May 2011

So I wrote last week about sex and my 2.6 cervix. Thanks to everyone for responding- not the answers I was hoping for but expected

I have been having pains, which they think might be contractions which is why I went in last week to begin with. My doctor put me on Nifedipine today, to help stop them. I have an ultrasound on Tuesday as well to see what is going on.

My question is has anyone else been on this drug or heard anything? I hate taking drugs so I want to get as informed as possible before I start.

Thanks ladies!

MommaA117 · May 2011

yes. It's the same thing as Procardia. I was on them after my cerclage surgery from weeks 20-24 due to contractions. I was slowly weaned off. They worked well for me but did give me racing heart and dizziness.

https://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/46822167.aspx

seabride07 · May 2011

Thank you for that- I just HATE taking drugs, especially when I am pregnant. I didn't have any of these issues with my 1st pregnancy. I am just debating on taking it or not. The pain sucks, but I am just nervous.

MommaA117 · May 2011

they really aren't for the pain. They are to prevent you from having your baby pre-maturely (the contractions). Your Dr wouldn't prescribe them if the benefits didn't outweigh the risks. Hopefully they can wean you off if they are no longer needed.

seabride07 · May 2011

I know- I am a terrible patient

I hope that I don't have to be on them long. I will have my ultrasound next week and I hope that we find it to be in the 3s!! Did your Dr. say anything about effects on the baby?

MommaA117 · May 2011

I actually did ask about the baby and she mentioned someting about it being okay because we were in 2nd tri and not 1st. I can't even remember because it's been so long. I think it was because I had read about side effects but she said they were isolated to 1st tri..

seabride07 · May 2011

You are awesome- thank you for your help. I bit the bullet and took my first pill. I thought with my 2nd pregnancy I would be so much more laid back. So far not so good on that front

I am sure I will have 100 questions over the next months.

MommaA117 · May 2011

seabride07:
You are awesome- thank you for your help. I bit the bullet and took my first pill. I thought with my 2nd pregnancy I would be so much more laid back. So far not so good on that front I am sure I will have 100 questions over the next months.

No problem and good luck. I will say that when she started to wean me off I would wait longer in between if there were no contractions. When I first started it was 10mg every 4hrs. Then I went to every 6 hours, then 8, then 10, then 12....finally to none. I did have days where they would pick up and I'd pop one sooner or not increase the time. I even took one out of the blue at about 29 weeks for some contractions that scared me one night. BIG misake. Since it had been weeks since I took one, my body was not used to them anymore and I got a horrible headache, horrible.

You may get a headache tonight from just starting them. I think the reason I didn't notice it the first time I started is because it was just after my surgery and I was on pain meds which bypassed all the "start up" effects..

jerol · May 2011

AprilLynn09:
they really aren't for the pain. They are to prevent you from having your baby pre-maturely (the contractions). Your Dr wouldn't prescribe them if the benefits didn't outweigh the risks. Hopefully they can wean you off if they are no longer needed.

Ditto this! Take the medicine I haven't been on any meds this pregnancy for ctx because despite how many I have they were never cervix changing but until you know whether or not this happening you should take them.

Good luck!

brobin01 · May 2011

Interesting, I take this medicine for high bloo pressure. I didn' know they use it to slow.stop contractions..

sljohn02 · May 2011

I am currently 25 weeks and have been on Nifedipine since 19 weeks when I had an emergency cerclage. I take 10 mg faithfully every 8 hours and have no plans to stop taking it. I did have a headache the first couple of days, but that quickly subsided. It was originally used as a high blood pressure medicine so it would be wise to have your BP checked sometime this week and ASAP if you have any dizziness, lightheadedness, etc. (it can make your BP low). I, like you, am not usually one to take a lot of medicine, especially during pregnancy. However, my first child was delivered at 25 weeks and we do not want to go there again. When you have a baby born that early, they get exposed to tons of drugs, x-rays, central lines, etc. I think the benefit far outweighs the risk.

seabride07 · May 2011

I am on 30mg 2 times a day. Today is my 1st full day on it and I definitely have a headache- which is weird since they do say it is often used for migraines. But a little tylenol helps take the edge off. Last pregnancy I had high bp/ pre-eclampsia so maybe I will take care of both problems. I do have a bp cuff here so I should probably keep an eye on it. How is your 1st baby doing now?

asnowracer · May 2011

I'm on 30mg extended release and haven't had any side effects. It made a nice difference in the amount/frequency of contractions I was having. My dr said the only side effect to really worry about was low blood pressure but I have heard of other women having dizziness and headaches. good luck!

Alfie02 · May 2011

I was on this drug for high BP. 30mg 2x per day. The first 24 hours sucked - I was so so tired. After that, I didn't notice any side effects. Baby looks great on every growth u/s, so no worries there.

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