WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | Health Alert: Easing morning sickness

Health Alert: Easing morning sickness

(Iowa City, Iowa) June 22, 2004 - Fresh coffee is a great way to start the day for many Americans, but during Stephanie Rosazza's last pregnancy coffee was pure torture, "I couldn't even stand the smell of it."

Rosazza, like as many as 90 percent of pregnant women, was suffering form morning sickness, "I was so sick that I couldn't even get out of bed to brush my teeth."

She says anti-nausea medicines didn't work then, so this time around obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Jennifer Niebyl of the University of Iowa College of Medicine recommended something different, a combination of Vitamin B6 and an over-the-counter sleeping tablet called Unisom.

Dr. Niebyl says, "This particular combination of drugs has been thoroughly tested. The risk of birth defects is identical in the women who take the drug and the ones who don't."

While the Unisom package says, "Do not take if you are pregnant," Dr. Niebyl says it's as safe as Tylenol, "It is one of the more effective remedies for morning sickness."

Doctor Frank Witter at Johns Hopkins University says he's prescribed this combination for morning sickness for more than 20 years to hundreds of pregnant women, "Going over all the scientific evidence," he says, "my opinion is that this is a safe drug, and you can take it."

The standard dose is 25 milligrams of Vitamin B6 three times a day and 25 milligrams of Unisom at night. Be sure to check with your doctor before starting any medications. Stephanie did and said she found results that were "a huge relief. Unbelievable, unbelievable difference."

Officials from Pfizer, the maker of Unisom, say they do not tout Unisom as a morning sickness solution. They say they have not tested it on pregnant women, but they say doctors are free to recommend what they want to patients.

by Dawn Mercer

posted 2:25pm by Chris Rees