Sleep aids during early pregnancy?

Question

I have moderate insomnia, and I usually take something to sleep. Valerian on normal nights, unisom on worse ones, and ambien for the really bad nights. Are any of these allowed in early pregnancy? I'll ask my doctor when I see her next week, but in the meantime, I'd like to get some sleep...

Answer 1

Ideally you should avoid all medications (including herbal remedies) during pregnancy, since most drugs have not been tested on pregnant women and it can be hard to know what affect they may have on your baby. If you have a severe sleep problem or disorder, your practitioner may recommend a prescription or over-the-counter drug to use during your second or third trimester. But you should never take any medication during pregnancy without first consulting your doctor or midwife.

Over the counter medications
Ask your doctor or midwife if you can take an antihistamine. Diphenhydramine hydrochloride and doxyalamine (brand names include Benadryl, Sominex, and Unisom) are generally considered safe during pregnancy, although drowsiness is a side effect -- not the primary effect -- of the drug. Since other possible side effects include impaired alertness and dizziness, you should not drive or operate machinery after taking this medication.

Prescription medications
If you're suffering from severe insomnia or anxiety, your healthcare provider may recommend that you take a prescription sleeping medication. Warning: Never drive or operate machinery after taking a drug to help you sleep.

Answer 2

Tylenol PM = Benadryl, with a painkiller.

"How is Tylenol PM different from Benadryl® brand products?
Each gelcap/geltab/caplet of Tylenol PM contains 500 mg of the pain reliever, acetaminophen, and 25 mg of the sleep aid, diphenhydramine HCl. Classified as an antihistamine with sedating properties, diphenhydramine is the same active ingredient found in many Benadryl® products."

Why take the painkiller with it if you're not in pain? Those Tylenol folks must've done some marketing job...

Ambien and Benadryl are 'pregnancy category' 'B.'

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pregnancy_category)

"n 1974 Saxen reported that a study group of 599 infants with oral clefting were more likely to have been exposed to diphenhydramine during the first trimester than a control group of infants without clefting [3]. Subsequent retrospective studies of more than 2300 infants have found no association between first trimester exposure to diphenhydramine and oral clefting or major malformations [4-6]"

http://www.obfocus.com/reference/Formulary/Drugs%20in%20Pregnancy/Diphenhydramine.htm

And valerian...nobody's going to recommend it (insufficently studied, like every other herb, and an awful lot of prescriptions). But.

"There is some controversy regarding whether it is safe for pregnant or lactating women. European Pharmacopoeias list no contraindication to use of Valerian root during pregnancy or lactation. However, as a general rule, caution and moderation are advised."

http://www.thehormoneshop.com/valerian.htm

If you're desperate -- at least severely cut back. The first trimester is pretty important. If it makes you feel any better, you should start getting tired naturally soon...

Answer 3

Valerian Root Pregnancy

Answer 4

Don't ever take the sleeping pills route!!

1. They will damage your liver big time and you can get into serious health problems.

2. You will get hooked up on them and you won't be able to have a normal life any more if you don't take your pills everyday.

The sleeping pills industry is damaging our health by capitalizing on our ignorance, and by distracting people from effective and natural ways to deal with this problem. I had been taking prescription sleep medications [Ambien] for over 5 years. It stopped working and I simply took more. Still did not work. Nights were very difficult - medication put me to sleep but I would wake up after 2–3 hours with a strong sympathetic response (fast pulse, pounding heartbeat, wide awake alert). It was a very difficult cycle to break. I was really in bad shape due to lack of sleep.

After years of struggling I was able to cure my insomnia naturally and pretty fast. I followed the Sleep Tracks sleep optimization program, here is their official web -site if you want to take a look: http://www.insomniacure.net

Ohhh..and Good Luck!

Answer 5

I highly doubt you can take any of those........
second.....you CAN'T take tylenol pm, ive asked more than one dr and they have all said no!
Definitly don't take anything in early pregnancy.

I am in my third trimester and my dr said that there isnt really anything you can take.......

hope this helps:

During the day, you may find yourself so tired that you long to go to sleep. Then, when evening finally arrives, you rest for a few hours and are up and unable to fall back to sleep. Rest assured that you are not alone, because insomnia during pregnancy is very common and has many causes.

Why can't I sleep?

As your abdomen grows larger, the fetus presses on your bladder, causing you to make frequent trips to the bathroom during the night. You also may have heartburn, back pain or aching in the hips. You may find that your baby moves more at night, which can keep you awake. You may have a hard time finding a comfortable position for sleep.

In addition to being uncomfortable, this can be a time of high anxiety. You don't know what to expect regarding labor and delivery. How will you handle the pain? Will the baby be all right when he is born? Will you be ready for the baby? Do you have everything you need?

Here are some tips to help you get some rest before the baby is born and the real sleepless nights begin:

Take a warm bath or shower at bedtime to start relaxing.

Before retiring for the night, try some relaxation exercises you may have learned in childbirth class. Ask your partner for a massage.

Limit the naps you take during the day.

Get plenty of exercise. A body that gets worked out during the day will be more tired at night. Don't exercise too close to bedtime because your may be too geared up to sleep when it is time.

Clear your mind. Talk with your partner about your worries early in the evening. Try not to focus on your anxieties at night.

If you are waking up many times during the night to urinate, limit your fluid intake after 4 p.m.
Avoid caffeine in the late afternoon and evening time.

Make sure your bedroom is a comfortable temperature. Sleep with the window open or a fan blowing on you if you need to. (Your partner may need a big blanket to keep him warm.) If your room is too cool, you may need to pile on more blankets.

Find a few comfortable positions for sleep. Sleep on your side with your legs up close to your chest with a pillow between your legs. Support your abdomen and back with other pillows.
Don't worry about it

If you wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep, get up and do something quiet. Watch television, read, or do needlework until you are feeling drowsy again. Do your best to try to get to sleep, but don't bring more anxiety upon yourself because you are having insomnia. Resting can be almost as good for you as sleeping. Although it can be frustrating and exhausting, loss of sleep does not do damage to you or to the baby.

Answer 6

During my 1st trimester, my doctor did recommend that i take Vitamin B6 and Unisom (a form of sleeping pill) as a remedy to resolve my nausea and morning sickness. So I assume it was safe if my doctor recommended that to me as a morning sickness medication. I never ended up taking it myself after all... cuz the sickness eventually went away. i can't tell you whether its safe or not but if my dr recommended it, i figured it would be safe even for 1st trimester (which should be the most critical months) Good Luck!

Answer 7

I had a friend who had lots of trouble sleeping during her pregnancy and her doctor prescribed her Ambien. Althought I wouldn't reccomend taking anything unless you're doctor okays it.

Answer 8

I was use to taken the same meds. I am 9 months pregnant and have not been able to take any meds since conceiving. They are bad for you and baby right now. Try alternate methods...Taking naps in the day--if your day allows you to. Watch t.v. or read a book until you fall asleep, or even after a long day at the job..bath and enjoy sex with your significant other...Good Luck and Congrats

Answer 9

I used to take a prescribed sleeping pill before I got pregnant. when I got pregnant the dr told me that I shouldn't take them even though It wouldn't be so harmful.
So I haven't taken them and I am getting 10-12hrs sleep every night since I got pregnant!!!

Answer 10

ask you pharmacist. you can take Tylenol PM during pregnancy. GOOD LUCK.