Question for rjdecker re: Vistaril

[CLD1234]

I was just reading a post on another thread and you mentioned you are taking Vistaril and that it works wonders for you. My last pregnancy I had a terrible reaction from both Reglan and Zofran; both made me feel very agitated and anxious to the point I couldn't sit still or sleep (the Reglan being the worse). I recently had my gallbladder removed and had problems with nausea and vomiting caused by the after affects of anesthesia and I was given Vistaril to help with the vomiting along with the anxiety I was having (every time I get nauseous it seems to transport me back to HG hell and I start having anxiety/panic attacks). The Vistaril was amazing! It worked better than Phenergen since Phenergen didn't address the anxiety issue. My question is did you have problems getting your doctor to prescribe Vistaril? And is it safe to take in the first trimester? I keep reading conflicting info regarding what class of drug it falls in. Some say it is a Class C drug and others say its a Class B. What I don't understand is why doctors so readily prescribe Phenergen without batting an eye during pregnancy when it is a Class C drug but are hesitant to prescribe other drugs that have been shown to be helpful. I am struggling with the decision to attempt another pregnancy knowing I will be probably get HG again (last pregnacy with HG ended at 9 weeks due to uncontrollable bleeding cause by subchronic bleed). At this point I am trying to arm myself with all the info I can regarding meds, IV treatment etc. and taking this to a new OB to discuss my options BEFORE even attempting to TTC. My last OB was worthless as far as HG. Actually I take that back; I never got to see the OB; I could never get past the stupid nurse at the front desk! But that's another rant altogether. Needless to say I refuse to go back to that OB's office EVER! Any info you can give me on Vistaril is much appreciated.

[nomore]

I know you were looking for a response from Jenny (but I wishfully hope she is in labor right now!!!)

I just wanted to share with you that from the research I have done, I found vistril was a Cat C drug. Of course, so is phergan. I did not have a problem getting my Dr to prescribe it for me in my 1st trimester. I didnt find it was my miracle HG drug though

I would suggest that if you are interested in using this, come up with a protcol of what meds etc you want to be treated with and discuss these things with your Dr before TTC. This way, when you do get a BFP, you will both be on the same page on how you want to "attack" HG.

Vistril can be a GREAT med! Its helped some ladies here with anxiety, which is EVER so prevelent with HG. (while also helping the N/V). I think Jenny has posted in the past this drug has been around since the 50s. So, its been studied before. Some Drs are reluctant to use it, while others are not. But, that can be said for a LOT of meds used to treat HG

Best of luck!

Robin

[rjdecker]

Hi, sorry I haven't seen this post. I just found it! Nope, I am not in labor, Robin. But maybe next week!

Anyway, yes, vistaril is a drug from the 1950s. In fact, I was given it for the first time with #2, as the OB I went to shared an office with his dad and his dad used it for his HGers. My mom used it when she was pregnant and she said it helped a lot. You can use it in a variety of forms. The first three pgs I used it as an injection. With this one, I have taken it by mouth. I like it that way better because I don't have to wait until the office is open or someone can come give me the shot. I kept up on the nausea pretty well this time around.

It is actually considered an antianxiety and used sometimes with post surgical nausea. It is also a lot cheaper than the other drugs. I paid ten dollars for 30 pills. My OB this time around said I probably responded well to it because my HG was probably related to motion sickness. Now, I have never had motion sickness, but he said this could be a possible reaction.

As far as getting the doc to agree to try it, with my OB the last two pgs, he gave it to me because the zofran did not touch me, and I was so dehydrated, he finally asked me what helped before. That was when I got it. With this last pg, I went in before getting pg and asked him how he treated HG. I wanted a feel for what I was in for. And he turned the question back on me. He also gave me other medication options that we could try as well. It is good to have a backup plan in case it doesn't work. Like with Robin, not every drug works for every HGer. But it is certainly worth a try. My Ob and I came up with a plan of action and it actually worked this time around! I ended up with no hospital visits. Came close a few times, but still avoided them.

I would shop around for an OB and ask them what they think. There are some docs who consider vistaril to be a class D drug. So beware of that, and that may be why they are very reluctant to use it. I took it in the first trimester and half way through the second trimester with four pgs and no problems to the baby.

So good luck! I hope you are able to find a doc who will work with you and you find a regimen that helps! Let me know if there is anything else I can help with.

Jenny

[jjbeck]

Hi there. I took vistaril too. It is an antihistamine like benedryl. I also had the aggitation/anxiety w/ many of the meds I tried. For me, I had these types of reactions with reglan and most of the antihistamines ( including benedryl, vistaril and some of the others used for n&V). I thought it was worth a try and got my OB to perscribe it. I too had difficulty seeing my OB ( always had to go through that darn insensitive nurse) and she was reluctant on perscribing meds, but I realized these issues were not her, it was the policies of her office. Either way it was always very frusterating. She did perscribe the vistoril after I gave her some data on it.( I get a lot of data from this site and mother risk or look up articles on pubmed when I need info supporting my requests for a certain med).
Anyway, she gave me the vistaril but it was not helpful to me, but when I requested the steroid treatment, she did not feel comfortable with this BUT she did hand over my treatments of HG to a high risk OB that does have more experience with these treatments that other OBS do not. Sooooo, perhaps what you can do is get a consult with a perinatologist to help in your treatment of HG.
Good luck,

Jen