The nurse at the OB office gave me a sample pack of a prescription medication I’d never heard of, which is supposed to help alleviate some of the nausea I’m about to go crazy from. The medication is called Premesis Rx, and it’s just a vitamin supplement: 75 mg of slow-release vitamin B6 (the normal daily amount is 2 mg), plus some B12, some calcium carbonate, and some folic acid. I gather that only the B6 reduces nausea. (The calcium carbonate is like nibbling 2/5ths of a Tums tablet: I guess it could help a little, but it’s not something you’d get a not-covered-by-your-insurance prescription for.)
I tried taking it last night, and although I am still queasy all the 24-hour-day long, I haven’t actually barfed, nor have I woken at 3:00 in the morning too nauseated to get back to sleep, nor have I felt as if I wished I myself had never been conceived. I wonder, could it be working? Has anyone else tried this, or known anyone who tried it, and did it work? The nurse at the OB office said she tried it for her own pregnancies but it was a complete bust for her.
She also said there’s something else they can prescribe if this doesn’t work. My question is, WHY HAS NO ONE MENTIONED THESE TWO PRESCRIPTIONS TO ME BEFORE, WHEN I HAVE BARFED MY WAY THROUGH THE FIRST TRIMESTER MORE THAN THREE TIMES NOW?? I think the reason is that I’m insufficiently whiny (in person, I mean). I say I’m having some trouble with morning sickness, and the OB says heartily that that’s perfectly normal, and I say “Oh” and thank him. Whereas what I should be doing is grabbing him by his collar and saying, “NO, I don’t think you UNDERSTAND. I can’t SWALLOW. I can’t SLEEP. I am BARFING INTO THE TOILET at 3:00 a.m., 7:30 a.m., and 2:30 p.m., and lying groaning on the recliner in between, and unless you do something about it, I will be doing this for EIGHT MISERABLE WEEKS you bastard, and my guess is that if you had this feeling for TWO DAYS you would be CRYING FOR YOUR MAMA.”
Even though I’ve only gone through it once, the nausea was bad enough the first time around that I’m SO not looking forward to it when we have baby #2.
I think that some Dr’s just aren’t helpful (in the whole not telling you that there is an Rx for the nausea the first 3 times). My best friend (who just had #4) went through the same thing. So frustrating when you feel like no one is looking out for you beyond what they absolutely have to.
One recommendation that I have (that helped me anyway) is Tangerine Sour Altoids–they seemed to really help keep the nausea at bay enough that I could make it through the day. Lemon Sour Patch kids really helped for a bit too.
Good luck and I hope the morning sickness period goes by quickly for you!
Thanks for the ideas! I’ll get both those things at the store next time.
Do you ever wonder if you had hyperemis (http://www.helpher.org) when you were pregnant? I had it THREE TIMES before I found out it had a name, and I thought of that the first time I read these posts (although I think that was a year or so after you had written them). In case you are like me, and you like to beat yourself up over things you can’t change, a doctor did FINALLY give me the prescription anti-nausea medications (only because MY MOTHER, who is a nurse, told me to ask for them, thank-you-very-much-three-different-stupid-doctors-who-looked-down-their-noses-while-telling-me-that-“pregnat women get nauseaus”), but they only worked the least little bit if I was VERY WELL HYDRATED…like, 2-liters-of-fluid-per-day hydrated.