Using Vitamin B6 And Unisom To Treat Morning Sickness

Morning sickness is defined as nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.⁽¹⁾ It affects over 75 percent of all pregnant women and tends to resolve itself on its own after the first trimester.⁽¹⁾ Some women though can experience morning sickness throughout their pregnancy.⁽¹⁾ Morning sickness is also one of the first and earliest symptoms of pregnancy, which starts around the sixth week of pregnancy. It is believed that morning sickness occurs due to the fluctuating levels of hormones during this period.

For most women, morning sickness will stop by the 12th or 13th week, but for many, it continues well into the end of pregnancy. In order to manage your morning sickness and keeping it under control, there are certain do’s and don’ts that you should follow. These include:

• Eat smaller meals, but more frequently.^{(2, 3)}
• Drink plenty of fluids, particularly water.^{(2, 3)}
• Have water around half-an-hour before and after having a meal – don’t drink water with your meal.
• Keep sipping fluids throughout the day so that you stay well hydrated – vomiting may cause you to lose a lot of fluids, which may be dangerous for you and the baby.
  Eat whenever you are feeling up to it.
• Find someone who can prepare your meals for you as for many women cooking odors tends to worsen nausea.^{(2, 3)}
• Open the windows and turn on the fans so as to minimize any odors, especially during cooking.
• Rest as much as you possibly can.
• Avoid outdoor heat, as it can worsen the nausea.
• Eat watermelon, drink ginger ale or lemonade or try sniffing on lemons to reduce nausea.^{(4, 5)}
• Get regular exercise.
• Eat some salty chips before a meal to settle the stomach.
• Avoid lying down after having a meal.
• Avoid skipping any meals.
• Do not eat spicy foods.

While there are many treatments and supplements for treating morning sickness, you need to ensure that they are safe for you to have while you are pregnant. Many women have found that taking vitamin B6 and Unisom together can help improve the symptoms of nausea.⁽³⁾ However, vitamin B6 and Unisom are unlikely to reduce the vomiting in pregnancy.

It is recommended that you take 10-25 milligrams of both ingredients every eight hours to treat morning sickness. Some of the side effects of vitamin B6 and Unisom include:

• Fatigue.
• Headaches.
• Feeling pins and needles, a condition is known as paresthesias.

Unisom is sold under the brand name of Unisom SleepTabs and it is available over-the-counter at most pharmacies (6). You should be taking about 10 to 25 milligrams of vitamin B6 at least 2 to 3 times a day, and take 25 milligrams of Unisom SleepTabs only once before going to bed at night to treat morning sickness.

Depending on your personal situation, your doctor may vary the dosage recommendations. Also, do not take any medications without consulting your doctor before and always make sure to double check all the active ingredients in the medications before you start taking them; especially when you are pregnant.

Some random clinical trials have shown that this combination therapy can indeed help lower nausea and also reduce vomiting in some women. Nevertheless, the therapy is not without side effects. Some of the common side effects of Unisom include⁽⁷⁾:

• Drowsiness
• Headaches
• Dry mouth
• Constipation or diarrhea
• Rashes
• Stomach pain
• Stomach discomfort
• Nervousness

If these side effects don’t subside after some time or they become severe, then you should consult your doctor. Apart from these side effects, there are also certain serious complications that may result from taking Unisom for morning sickness. These include:

• Erratic or fast heartbeat
• Difficulty urinating or painful urination
• Confusion
• Shortness of breath
• Seizure
• Blurry vision
• Dilated pupils or other problems with your vision

If you experience any of these above-mentioned complications, then you should immediately stop taking both vitamin B6 as well as Unisom and call your doctor at the earliest.

While using this combination therapy of Unisom and vitamin B6 works in most cases of morning sickness, if you find that you are becoming incapacitated from your morning sickness, and not finding any relief no matter which medication or remedy you try, then it could very well mean that you are experiencing hyperemesis gravidarum. In this condition, it is best to inform your doctor at the earliest so that your condition can be diagnosed and you can begin the correct medication for easing your symptoms.

References:  

Also Read:

• Home Remedies For Morning Sickness
• Morning Sickness at Night: Causes, Symptoms, Prevention, Treatment
• Can You Get Morning Sickness Before A Positive Pregnancy Test?
• Do You Get Morning Sickness With A Boy?
• Natural Remedies For Morning Sickness
• How Do I Know If I Have Morning Sickness?
• How Soon Can You Get Morning Sickness?