What is Diclegis?
Diclegis is a combined ingredient medication for pregnant women experiencing morning sickness. It contains an antihistamine (doxylamine succinate) and a form of vitamin B6
(pyridoxine).
Morning sickness usually starts before the ninth week of pregnancy. Symptoms such as nausea, and vomiting can last for weeks, or sometimes months once they begin.[1]
How does Diclegis work?
The two active ingredients in Diclegis can both reduce nausea and urges to be sick. Doxylamine, an antihistamine, blocks messages to your brain’s ‘vomiting centre’ to control these sensations.
B6 has been shown in studies to be an effective treatment for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy,[2] so combined these two ingredients can help treat morning sickness symptoms and prevent them from starting.
Who is Diclegis for?
Diclegis is for pregnant women who get morning sickness that is hard to manage.
Morning sickness is thought to affect between 70-80% of pregnant women,[3] so if you’re pregnant and experiencing nausea and vomiting often, you’re not alone. It’s a very common condition, but symptoms can vary in severity from person to person.
Is Diclegis safe to use while pregnant?
Diclegis has ‘Category A’ status approval from the FDA, which means that controlled studies have demonstrated that the medication is safe for use during the first trimester.[4]
If you’re pregnant and have any concerns about taking Diclegis for morning sickness, you can discuss them with your physician. They can talk about common side effects, and what you can expect from this treatment.
Are there different doses of Diclegis?
Diclegis comes in tablets that contain 10mg of both doxylamine and pyridoxine. The usual dose is two tablets a night, at bedtime.
If this dose doesn’t feel enough to manage your morning sickness, your physician can prescribe up to four tablets a day. This usually means taking one tablet in the morning, one in the afternoon and two at night.
When is the best time to take Diclegis?
Diclegis is designed to be taken at night so it prevents morning sickness symptoms the next morning. Because the tablets need time to work in your system, they won’t be effective at stopping nausea and urges to vomit if you take the tablets as soon as symptoms start.
Will Diclegis make me feel drowsy?
Doxylamine succinate can sometimes cause drowsiness. This doesn’t mean everyone who takes Diclegis will experience it, though.
You might be advised to avoid anything that requires you being alert, such as driving, until you know how the effects of Diclegis make you feel during the day.
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