Insomnia and Unisom every night??

lgleyze · August 2012

I've struggled with insomnia since before I was pregnant and most nights need some sort of sleep aid to fall asleep. I told my doctor that I usually take a 1/2 dose of Unisom every night for insomnia (and nausea earlier on in my pregnancy) at my first appointment and she said it was fine, but if I got to a point that I didn't need it, then I should stop. I talked to my mom today about it and she freaked out on me, so I'm feeling guilty and nervous since I've been using it the whole pregnancy so far. Everything I've read says it's considered safe- but does this mean daily? Has anyone else been using it daily in this pregnancy or a previous pregnancy?

ilenegrace · August 2012

No I don't take meds while pregnant for anything even pre-existing unless medically necessary. Insomnia is a part of pregnancy. If you don't like the idea of taking the meds everyday, learn to live with it. As to whether its safe or not... that should be between you and your doctor. If she recommended at some point you stop taking it then that is probably for a reason. Good luck!

sekura · August 2012

ilenegrace:
No I don't take meds while pregnant for anything even pre-existing unless medically necessary. Insomnia is a part of pregnancy. If you don't like the idea of taking the meds everyday, learn to live with it. As to whether its safe or not... that should be between you and your doctor. If she recommended at some point you stop taking it then that is probably for a reason. Good luck!

Insomnia is a serious problem, and can severely affect your health if you don't sleep. And Unisom (in the tab form) is an FDA-approved drug and has been extensively studied when taken by pregnant women, and no increase in birth defects or problems with children has been identified (it is the same drug as in Bendectin, with B6). Listen to your doctor's advice, but if they say it is ok, then it is ok.

Shayliz · August 2012

I was told I could take 1/2 a unisom for nausea 2x a day so if your doctor said it was safe - I would go with your doctor.

kaileyc · August 2012

Shayliz:
I was told I could take 1/2 a unisom for nausea 2x a day so if your doctor said it was safe - I would go with your doctor.

I was also told to take 1/2 to 1 unisom (the blue one, not the other kind) 2x a day if needed for nausea.

Also, a couple of nights without sleep isn't a huge deal. But I am like you, OP, and have had horrible problems with sleep for as long as I can remember. I was told by my ob that it is more important to your health to sleep at this point.

drpayne · August 2012

It's fine. Really. Not sleeping isn't healthy for you or baby. I side-eye anyone who tells you to just deal with it. No thanks. FWIW Benadryl is cheaper and has the same active ingredient.

spainy17 · August 2012

I have had insomnia for years and was on 100mg of trazodone and valerian root every night prior to pregnancy, so obviously being off all meds was really difficult for me. I talked to my doctor a lot about it and been trying to get by with 2 benadryl every night and she is fine with that. I am sure the unisom is ok if okayed by your doc. Know that some insomnia duringpregnancy is normal but terrible sleeplessness can harm you and your baby just as much as any med. Just know you are not alone.

wph961 · August 2012

Like other commenters, I was told by my dr to take Unisom and B6 for morning sickness. I've had m/s since 6 weeks, so I'm still doing Zofran in the morning and 1/2 Unisom at night. Been doing this for 10 weeks now.

Also, my mom freaked out on me too when I told her I was taking meds. I chalk it up to the age difference--medical knowledge is getting better all the time, and I remind myself that my doctor knows a lot more about this than my mom, who was pregnant almost 30 years ago!

moonglow_84 · August 2012

Don't make pregnancy more tough on yourself than it already is... If you need the meds and your doc ok'd them, definitely take them. It's no benefit to you or baby for you to sacrifice your overall health and well being. Moms have our best interests at heart but sometimes they say scary things that aren't always founded... I have bad seasonal allergies & I talked to my doc about it, she said any med that is non-drowsy should be avoided, but I could take the drowsy formula at night to help alleviate symptoms and help me sleep. People (and books) will always give you warnings only because they want you to be careful, but in the end, go with what you know you need to be comfortable as long as your doc says ok & try to tune out the other crap

TrudyCampbell · August 2012

I used it my entire pregnancy and I am still using it while BFing. My OB said this was totally fine.

WVUPetunia · August 2012

Ditto what the others are saying, but I'm sure she just said to get off it if you could because yeah, of course they'd rather you not have to take anything while pregnant... But that doesn't mean that the drug will hurt your baby or that you should feel guilty for taking it. Some missed sleep here and there is normal, but I have had insomnia to the point (before pregnancy) of taking Ambien 5 nights a week, so I know that it can go beyond a night or two of bad sleep and get to the point where it's unhealthy and bad for your body... Unhealthy mama won't make for a healthy baby, so take it as you need it as long as the OB continues to okay it.

CatnipTrinket · August 2012

My doctor told me it was okay to take Unisom in moderation. No more than a couple times per week, as she had told me. I only ever used it when I was absolutely desperate.

dallizzle · August 2012

My doctor said that Unisom is completely safe to use for my insomnia. She recommended that or Benadryl, whichever makes me less groggy the next morning. These OTC narcotics are considered SAFE with RECOMMENDED use during pregnancy. If the recommended use is once daily, then yes, its safe. Just like Tylenol, totally safe every four hours.

jvdavisbaby · August 2012

1) I think your mom needs to chill out with the guilt trippin... being pregnant is stress enough and she doesn't need to freak you out with her ideas of taking meds while pregant.

2) Every Dr I've spoken too has said unisom is just fine to take during pregnancy. I use to sleep fine and since getting pregnant sleeping is a memory lol I tried unisom, tylenol pm and benadryl (all Dr approved) and nothing seems to work for me. I say get the sleep now while you can (at least try) because once baby comes you probably won't be getting much more lol

3) If you are not ok with taking meds while pregnant try drink tea and unplugging before bed, about 30-40 minutes before climbing into bed turn off all electronics and graba book and a cup of tea (caffine free or you're gonna be awake) and chill out and read yourself to sleep I try to drink tea and then shuy eyes and concentrate on trying to feel baby girl moving and before I knwo it Im passed out!

Good luck

lgleyze · August 2012

Thanks for your comments, everyone. I'm going to bring up my concerns with my doctors once more, but I appreciate the support here!

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