Pills for toxicosis in pregnancy

An unpleasant period during pregnancy – toxicosis – worries most women who are in an “interesting position”. In most cases, it occurs around the 5-6 week and can last until the 8-12 week of pregnancy. Some expectant mothers are luckier, and their toxicosis manifests itself insignificantly, or does not manifest itself at all. But many experience this period quite hard: they have to resort to drug treatment and take various drugs and pills for toxicosis during pregnancy.

Indications for pregnancy toxicity pills

If toxicosis is mild, then you shouldn't immediately rush to take another pill. Everyone knows that pregnant women should refrain from taking any medications at all, so as not to harm the child.

A real indication for taking pills can only be moderate and severe toxicosis, which can be manifested by the following symptoms:

• vomiting - in the morning or several times a day, not related to food intake and making eating almost impossible;
• a state of general discomfort that makes it impossible to work or perform even simple household chores;
• a state of apathy and drowsiness, complete indifference;
• weight loss and loss of appetite;
• paleness of the skin, the appearance of bruises under the eyes and a gray coating on the tongue;
• the appearance of the smell of acetone from the mouth;
• a slight increase in temperature (not higher than 37.4°C).

If necessary, the doctor monitoring the pregnancy may prescribe additional tests for the woman to confirm the need to take medications and tablets for toxicosis.

Read also: Principles of treatment of late toxicosis

Release form

The choice of pills for toxicosis depends entirely on what symptoms bother the pregnant woman. We have compiled a short list of the most popular drugs that are allowed for use during pregnancy (naturally, only after they are prescribed by a doctor).

• Cerucal is a common antiemetic drug, which doctors have a somewhat ambiguous attitude towards. After all, on the one hand, it perfectly eliminates attacks of vomiting and nausea. However, there is another side to the coin: the drug can increase the tone of smooth muscles, which means it can cause placental abruption and even spontaneous abortion. In addition, taking Cerucal is often accompanied by side effects in the form of bradycardia, low blood pressure, and allergies.

If it is impossible to do without using Cerucal, then the drug is most often prescribed in the amount of 10 mg as a single dose. The duration of taking the tablets is determined individually. It should be noted that the second pharmaceutical name of the drug Cerucal (according to the active substance) is Metoclopramide.

• Hofitol is one of the safest drugs prescribed during pregnancy. The active ingredient is the artichoke plant, the main effect of which is to support and facilitate the work of the digestive system and liver. Hofitol has choleretic and diuretic properties, can reduce the level of urea in the blood and improve metabolic processes.

The drug is excellent for dealing with heartburn, indigestion, eliminates constipation associated with intestinal atony, and also alleviates morning sickness. Hofitol is taken 1-2 tablets three times a day 30-40 minutes before meals.

• Holosas (Halosas) is not a tablet, but a syrup based on rose hips. However, it is often prescribed to improve digestion, since the drug is absolutely non-toxic and has a diuretic, choleretic, anti-inflammatory and mild laxative effect. Holosas is taken before meals, 1 teaspoon 2-3 times a day. A similar effect is also noted in Allochol tablets - they are taken 1 piece 3-4 times a day after meals. Taking choleretic drugs helps reduce the load on the liver, which leads to a decrease in the manifestations of dyspepsia (pain in the liver, constipation, nausea, etc.).
• Essentiale is a capsule tablet made from soybeans. Essentiale reduces the overall load on the liver, increases its filtration function, improves the course of metabolic processes and the removal of toxic substances from the body. Due to these properties, the manifestation of nausea (especially morning) decreases, digestion processes improve, and fecal stagnation is eliminated.

The drug is taken 1-2 capsules three times a day with food.

• Navidoxine is a little-known drug in our country based on vitamin B6, which is often used in Arab countries to eliminate unpleasant symptoms during pregnancy. Analogues of this drug can be:

1. Diclectin is a popular tablet in Europe that is a combination of doxylamine and pyridoxine;
2. Pyridoxine - domestic tablets, which are taken in quantities from 40 to 80 mg 3-4 times a day. The duration of administration is determined by the severity of toxicosis.

Side effects include allergies and hypersecretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.

• Mint tablets are the easiest way to relieve the condition of toxicosis during pregnancy. Such tablets are cheap and always available in any pharmacy. In addition, they have a pleasant mint taste, which explains their effect: mint stimulates the receptor mechanism of the mucous membranes of the oral cavity and digestive system, which reflexively weakens the attack of nausea and prevents the onset of vomiting. In addition, mint tablets have an antispasmodic, sedative and choleretic property, and also eliminate the unpleasant feeling of bitterness in the mouth.

To eliminate the symptoms of toxicosis during pregnancy, it is enough to put 1-2 mint tablets under the tongue and hold them until completely dissolved. The average daily dosage is 8 tablets.

• Ginger – is available in the form of tablets or capsules, which can significantly alleviate the condition during toxicosis and are a convenient analogue of the ginger root we are used to. Ginger extract in the amount of 100-200 mg replaces 1-2 g of fresh root, which is brewed and drunk as tea. Capsules or tablets are taken on average 2 pcs. immediately after a meal, since ginger taken on an empty stomach can provoke the development of heartburn.
• Rennie is a well-known and widely used heartburn tablet. It contains two active antacid substances – calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate. Rennie neutralizes increased acidity of gastric juice without affecting digestion processes, and is absorbed into the systemic circulation only in small quantities.

If toxicosis during pregnancy is accompanied by unpleasant sensations of heartburn, then Rennie is taken 1-2 tablets an hour after eating, or 1 hour before going to bed. The tablets are sucked in the mouth or chewed slowly.

The maximum daily dosage of the drug is up to 16 tablets.

• Polysorb is not a tablet, but a powder for making a suspension. Quite recently, this drug has replaced activated carbon tablets - these two medications are active adsorbents that remove toxic substances, allergens, endotoxins, and decay products from the body. How can these drugs help with toxicosis? Nausea is often caused by internal intoxication of the body, and Polysorb and activated carbon tablets successfully cope with it.

To relieve nausea during toxicosis, take:

1. Polysorb in the form of a suspension (1 tablespoon per glass of water) 60 minutes before meals, three times a day;
2. activated carbon at the rate of 1 tablet per 10 kg of weight, 3 times a day, washed down with plenty of water.

• Spirulina is a biologically active supplement based on algae. Spirulina improves energy and metabolic processes in the body, facilitates digestion of food, and normalizes intestinal flora. The drug is taken half an hour before meals, 1 tablet, three times a day (unless otherwise prescribed by a doctor).

Do not forget that any pills for toxicosis, even the most harmless ones, can be taken during pregnancy only in extreme cases, when the symptoms become simply unbearable. In addition, do not self-medicate: a pregnant woman is responsible not only for her health, but also for the healthy development of her future baby.

Pills for early toxicosis

Early toxicosis usually occurs starting from the 5th or 6th week and up to about the 12th (sometimes longer). During this period, the expectant mother's health deteriorates significantly, which is manifested by a number of characteristic symptoms, the leading ones being vomiting and nausea. This condition is in most cases associated with unusual and abrupt changes in the woman's hormonal state, because the level of some hormones can increase tens of times daily.

However, the early period of pregnancy is also characterized by the fact that the growing fetus is still too susceptible to all sorts of toxic substances, since the placental barrier around it has not yet formed. Most pills taken in the early stages can negatively affect the growth and development of the future baby, so you cannot take them on your own. To relieve early toxicosis, you should contact the doctor who is monitoring the pregnancy.

Anti-nausea pills for toxicosis are prescribed only in extreme cases, when no other methods, including folk remedies, help. This usually happens in the second and third stages of toxicosis, when attacks of nausea develop into vomiting, the woman loses her appetite, her body becomes dehydrated, and weight loss occurs. This condition poses a threat to both the pregnant woman and the future baby. Therefore, in this situation, taking anti-nausea pills is completely justified.

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Pharmacodynamics

If toxicosis prevents a woman from maintaining her normal lifestyle, she may be prescribed anti-toxicosis tablets with different mechanisms of action, depending on the prevailing symptoms.

Often gynecologists prescribe a herbal preparation such as Hofitol - a natural hepatoprotective agent based on artichoke herb.

If toxicosis has a negative effect on the woman's nervous system - additional worries, fears, insomnia - then the doctor may give preference to sedatives. Most often, the drugs of choice are tablets based on valerian or motherwort.

In severe cases, you have to take pills that block the urge to vomit. These include Cerucal or Droperidol. Antiemetics are prescribed only by a doctor, and their use is allowed only starting from the second trimester of pregnancy.

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Pharmacokinetics

Tablets for toxicosis during pregnancy are usually taken before meals, unless the doctor has prescribed otherwise. The processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of drugs can occur in different ways, depending on the active ingredients included in the tablets. It is important that the drugs that a woman takes for toxicosis do not have a toxic effect on the fetus, do not penetrate the placental barrier, do not accumulate in the body and do not impede the functioning of the liver and kidneys (which are already overloaded during pregnancy). Therefore, the choice of tablets should always be left to the doctor, because not every pregnant woman understands all the intricacies of the kinetic properties of drugs.

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Dosing and administration

The doctor prescribes the intake of pills for toxicosis during pregnancy individually. The intake scheme may depend on the degree of toxicosis, the duration of pregnancy, the symptoms detected, the general condition and age of the pregnant woman.

Usually, tablets are taken only in case of persistent deterioration of health, inability to eat, or morning sickness.

Often, it is recommended to take the drugs before meals, in the morning, without getting out of bed. The intake begins with the minimum possible dosages, and only if they are ineffective do they move on to a larger dose.

You should not reduce or increase the amount of the drug on your own: changing the treatment regimen is within the competence of the attending gynecologist only.

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Contraindications

Taking pills for toxicosis during pregnancy is considered impossible or undesirable in the following situations:

• if the doctor is against the use of these medications;
• if the test results are a contraindication to treatment with this drug;
• if a woman experiences uncontrollable vomiting (in this case, the doctor decides to administer the medication by injection);
• in case of gastrointestinal bleeding or perforation;
• in case of incompatibility with other drugs;
• if you suspect an allergy to the components of the tablets;
• in case of questionable benefits of the tablets against the background of high risk for the unborn child;
• if a woman has minor signs of toxicosis that do not require special drug treatment.

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Side effects for pregnancy toxicity pills

There are no completely safe pills for toxicosis during pregnancy. All medications have a number of side effects to a greater or lesser extent.

For example, even such a natural and safest drug during pregnancy Hofitol can cause the following side effects:

• diarrhea;
• spastic abdominal pain;
• indigestion;
• heartburn;
• allergic reactions in the form of skin rash, redness of the skin, itching.

The greatest number of side effects are caused by antiemetic tablets (for example, Cerucal), which, among other things, can provoke deterioration of liver and kidney function, the development of extrapyramidal disorders and even mental disorders (the appearance of depression, hallucinations, confusion).

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Overdose

If you strictly follow the treatment regimen suggested by your doctor, then an overdose of anti-toxicosis pills during pregnancy is considered unlikely.

If large amounts of any drug are accidentally or intentionally taken, seek immediate medical attention.

In addition to symptomatic treatment, the doctor will take measures to neutralize the medication taken in large doses, as well as to quickly remove it from the body. The sooner the drug leaves the pregnant woman's body, the less toxic effect it will have on the fetus.

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Interactions with other drugs

Taking a large number of different medications during pregnancy is in any case undesirable, especially if the medications used belong to different pharmaceutical groups.

If the use of any medications cannot be stopped, then the question of their compatibility should be decided by the doctor, based on information about the active ingredients of the tablets and their pharmaceutical affiliation.

In no case should you combine taking pills for toxicosis with drinking alcoholic beverages. Although alcohol is strictly prohibited during pregnancy anyway.

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Storage conditions

Any tablets, including those used to relieve symptoms of toxicosis during pregnancy, should be stored in strict accordance with the instructions for the specific drug.

It is not advisable to remove the tablets from their original factory packaging: they should be stored in dry and darkened rooms or cabinets protected from children's access.

It is necessary to strictly adhere to the optimal temperature for storing tablets. Do not store them in the refrigerator if the instructions suggest other storage conditions.

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Shelf life

The expiration date of the tablets is indicated on the packaging of each drug, and can also be written on the edge of the blister. It is important to remember that the expiration date of the drug not only negatively affects its effectiveness, but also significantly increases its toxic effect on the body. It is advisable to purchase pills for toxicosis during pregnancy immediately before use to avoid additional negative effects due to improper storage.

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