Prenatal Vitamins are making me sick. What should I do?

Question

I am 9 weeks pregnant and have come to the conclusion through experimenting, that my prenatal vitamins are making me sick. I have really bad morning sickness and end up vommiting everything I eat, or drink when I take them.

I know it is important to take them, but if I am throwing up food what good is that to my baby!

Any suggestions ?

Answer 1

i switched to taking one disney chewable a day (my doctor had me stop taking my prenatal for 3 weeks because i was so sick)..I just started taking the one last week and it seems to be okay...The gummy chewables dont have the iron and might help more.

Also, my doctor has me taking 50mg B6 3X a day and 1/2 tab of unison (otc sleeping pill) in the morning and night for nausea...you should definitly check with your doctor (just give them a call, no need for an appt) and they can give you something to help keep the nausea away...i only throw up once a day now!! (which is much better!!..haha i know, right...still bad but better!)...they have a bunch of different things to help with this!

Answer 2

If using over-the-counter types, you might try switching to a different brand, first off. I don't generally experience any nausea, but there was one particular brand of prenatal vitamin that actually made me sick. My midwife had me try a switch and it was an immediate, 100% improvement. :)

I believe there is a prescription brand out now that's meant to cut down on nausea as well, so that might also be an option ... especially if you're using a prescription vitamin already.

That aside, you should definitely try taking the vitamin at night, on a full stomach. It's less likely to cause any nausea then, as opposed to first thing in the morning when your stomach is empty and you're more likely to feel sick to begin with. Also, if you tend to vomit more in the morning (or another specific time of day), it makes sense to avoid taking your vitamin then anyway, since it will inevitably come back up anyway, as you mentioned. ;)

So take it just before bed, after you've eaten, and try switching brands if it still bothers you. Good luck!

Answer 3

I tried 3 brands of prenatal vitamins before finding one that didn't make me sick. I also had to take them on a full stomach. So I suggest trying a different brand or asking your doctor for an alternative.

Answer 4

Talk to your doctor about getting a prescription for a prenatal that is gentler on your stomach. My doctor gave them to me in sample form for the first month or so. I can't remember the name of it but the doctor should.
Good luck, the morning sickness should subside once you hit the third month, even with taking your prenatal vitamins.

Answer 5

The iron is probably too strong for you at this point in your pregnancy. Look at the label. Try to match the strenghts of everything with another brand that contains everything except the iron. (Try to get at least 20 mg. of iron a day. That probably won't bother you.) You can even get enough folic acid without a prescription; you will just need to take more than one pill.
I never took regular prenatals. I made my own formula, showed my doctor, and he approved of it.

Answer 6

Talk to your doctor. I stopped taking my prenatals when I got very ill. Of course your baby needs nutrients but right now he or she is so tiny that all the nutrients it needs are coming from your body. They might be making you ill and you're right, it's not good for you or your baby.

Or you could try taking the prenatal at a different time of day when you aren't so queasy.

I don't take them anymore when I'm pregnant (I take a multi vitamin on doctor's advice) because the prenatals give me diarrhea. My babies turn out just fine. Remember lots of mothers gave birth to healthy babies without prenatal vitamins for thousands of years, obviously before we knew the benefits of such things. It's best to do as doctor orders and give your baby the best head-start you can. Start by taking care of yourself and listening to your body.

Answer 7

Try and take 2 Flinstone Vitamins for Children. They have pretty much every Vitamin in it, as the Prenatal Vitamins.

And they are chewable!!!

Answer 8

I had the same problem and, after talking to my doctor, I found out that it's almost always due to the iron supplement. She said that it's ok to take a prenatal vitamin with out iron for the first trimester. After that, you should be able to take it without problems. I had a hard time finding one with out iron, so I took 4 children's gummy vitamins and they had everything I needed minus the iron! They were the Target brand, I believe!

Congrats!

Answer 9

I just didn't like the taste... The vitamin itself made me gag... I have to admit I made a mistake and stopped taking them for a while... Then my sister made me feel guilty... I know that most of the instructions say to take them on an empty stomach... DON'T!!! Eat before you do... Or take it in the middle of your meal... What I do now.. is take them at night... with a glass of apple juice or milk... If nothing works for you then tell your doctor to prescribe you another kind... Good luck...

Answer 10

Call Your Doctor and let them know... i was on 4 different kinds before they found one that didnt make me sick... and if all the types they give you make you sick try the flintstone multi vitamin that is safe and it works too... also try taking it about halfway through a meal then continue to eat... thats how i have to take mine... so yeah...