Please help if you know about steroids for HG

[SickGirl]

Hi! I went to a new OB yesterday who, I was told, knows a lot about HG b/c she suffered through it herself. She told me I could safely take steroids (Methylprednilosone). When picking it up from the pharmacy, the pharmacist scared me and said that it has shown to cause malformations in rat babies. Then I looked on the internet and saw that it shouldn't be taken by pregnant moms before 10 wks. I'm now 6 wks pg. I've put in a call to discuss with her but the nurse said she didn't know when she'd be able to call... that it may even be tomorrow. I was wondering if any of you who have discussed this med with your dr. has said anything like this.

I'm currently taking 16 mg Zofran a day and 12.5 mg of Phenergan only at night b/c it makes me so sleepy. That seems to be working pretty good at night but when the Phenergan wears off, I'm back to the nausea again. Does Unisom make you as sleepy as Phenergan? I'm wondering if I should try that combo. Is there another med to take with Zofran during the day (doesn't make you sleepy) that controls nausea?

Sorry this is so long. I appreciate any advice!

[emily]

Hi there. This is probably something you should discuss further with your doctor. There are a few discussions going on methylprednisone, I think in the medications discussion.

Anyhow, as I recall, some on this board have said that it should not be used until after the first trimester. This is because it can cause defects, I think cleft-palate being the one mentioned.

I personally took a 2 week taper round of it at 6 weeks and my daughter did not have any birth defects. Although, it also did not help me. I see that some people take it the entire pregnancy, and quite frankly, that would cause me some concern regarding birth defects, but I know they have also delivered healthy babies.

[MamaLily]

SickGirl -

Yes, steroids are being given more and more to help women with HG. I took steroids for 2+ months and they helped me more than any other medication. I was still very nauseated and I still vomited, but at least the weight loss stopped and I had some relief from the vomiting. My baby was born perfectly healthy and beautiful. There are women who take steroids for their entire pregnancies (usually for conditions other than HG) and have healthy babies.

I'm a little surprised that you have been given steroids as early as 6 weeks...usually doctors wait until women are at least 10-12 weeks along. Although my former OB said that there have been some encouraging studies of HGers using steroids earlier in pregnancy.

I think it's worth trying to increase your zofran dose before you try the steroids. Most HGers need the max of zofran (32 mgs per day) at the worst of HG. A combination of 32 mgs of Zofran along with Unisom/B6 or meclizine or phenergan or reglan might be what you need to get you through the next few weeks. Personally, I would try these options before taking steroids so early in pregnancy.

Please let us know what your doctor says.

- Anna

[MamaLily]

Here are some links about steroid use for women with HG:

http://helpher.org/mothers/treatments/steroid.php

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... &DB=PubMed

http://www.nvp-volumes.org/p1_17.htm

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... t=Abstract

[SickGirl]

Thanks for the replies. My dr. called and said that to be sure about the steroids, she called her own hi-risk OB and asked him about it again. He told her that studies are inconclusive with using steroids early in pregnancy. He often gives steroids to his patients when they're less than 10 wks pregnant and he's never had a patient have a problem with it. She said that if I'm still uncomfortable with it, then I can try increasing my Zofran dosage to 24 mg/day, continue the Phenergan, and add the Unisom (1 pill/day) and Premesis (which she said contains the correct ingredients with the B6 and B12). This is what I'm going to try first... hopefully it'll work for me, at least for a while.

[MamaLily]

I think your plan is a good one. I'll be hoping that it will work for you. Did your doctor not want you to take 32 mgs of zofran (the usual max per day)? Please keep us posted and let us know how you are doing!

- Anna

[stephensmam]

Hi there,
I also took steroids from week 12 till week 25 the only main birth defect is cleft palet if the steroids are taken when the palet is forming week 8 to 9 there is a 1 in 1000 chance instedad of the normal 1 in 4000 chance im currently 34 weeks pg and i dont know if my little girl has cleft palete but i wouldnt have survived this pg without the steroids this is my second pg and last time it was horrific but this time while horrible and im in and out of hosp i was able to eat while on the steriods and i had some sick free days.

try if you can and manage with zofran till 12 weeks then there will be no problem but i found them an 80 per cent cure for me. good luck

[Ivydragon]

Hi sickgirl,

Welcome to the forum, and I'm sorry I'm getting to this late. Hopefully I'll be able to spend a lot more time here, now.

I've read this strain, and wanted to know how you were doing now. What med combo are you currently on?

Hope things are still well,

Andy

[BlueEeyore]

Do the steroids help with the vomiting or the nausea or both?

[Ivydragon]

Blue Eeyore,

Good question - it really seems to depend upon the HGer. The steroids seem to vary from totally wiping out HG to not touching it at all ~ I think most fall in between, and many are still on Zofran, etc. to help with overall feeling well enough to eat. Also, most gals aren't on steroids long, and there's no way to know if weaning will be successful and the steroids helpful to get through the worst or stopping HG in its tracks.

I'll do a poll and see if we get any response about it. Just posted a poll in medication experiences.

Andy

[alisonc8]

My Ob started them around 11 weeks for me. First Solu-Medrol for a few days, and then we switched to Decadron when my blood sugar got too high a few days later. I weaned from the Decadron very slowly, and was on it for probably about 5 months total. It made a huge difference in the way I felt - I was able to function quite well but was really tired a lot of the time.
I wsa also on Zofran 24mg and Zantac, and towards the end of the pregnancy, Zantac was the drug I really noticed if I didn't get it on time. All meds were IV as I had a PICC line from 10 weeks pregnant until the day after delivery.
ALison

[Ivydragon]

Alison, be sure to go to our Medication Experiences folder and add your experience to our poll on steroids.

Andy

[SickGirl]

I tried the Unisom/B6 with my Zofran and couldn't take the Unisom. It made my heart race, kept me awake at night, and made me itchy. My OB gave me Reglan. So what's currently working for me is Zofran, Reglan, Phenergan, Premesis. I still feel nausea, but atleast I'm not throwing up and I'm 8 wks today. I'm also eating normally most of the time and actually functioning somewhat. I am REALLY hoping and praying that I will notice even less severity after wk 12, but I didn't notice an improvement until about wk 24 with my last pg.

Thanks again to everyone for info about steroids. I'm glad I've decided to try other options first before going on steroids before wk 12.

[Ivydragon]

Sick girl,

Here and there I have run into other gals who cannot tolerate Unisom. The B6 taken separately is still helpful in fighting the nausea, and you might want to consider trying it separate from the Unisom.

It's interesting you reacted to Unisom and not Reglan, it's usually the other way around. I'm so glad that you've found a combination that is proving helpful for you. I really hope that you get some relief sooner than your last pg.

Huge hugs, Andy