Date: 2006-02-17

Question:
I'm hoping you can help me adjust the dosage of diclectin or figure out how to counteract the sleepiness it causes. My doctor doesn't know how to help me! I'm at 13 weeks. My nausea and vomiting occur all day long but lately are worse in the evening. I find I am not just drowsy but knocked out cold with the diclectin. When the nvp wasn't so bad, I was only taking two pills at night, sleeping the worst of it off, and making it to the afternoon without being sick, which left me able to go to work and with only a few hours of misery each day. Now, this is definitely not enough but at full dose, I seem to need to choose between being awake and sick or completely comatose, unable to work, or do anything useful. And I'm not eating or hydrating myself any better when I'm fast asleep!

Answer:
Each pill of Diclectin contains 10 mg of doxylamine, an antihistamine. The most comon side effect is sleepiness or drowsiness. Most women get used to the medication after a while, but for some the side effect remains overwhelming. You may want to call the Motherisk NVP Helpline at 1-800-436-8477 to talk about ways to adjust your dose and schedule. You may also want to talk to your doctor about the Motherisk NVP treatment algorithm to see if some of the medications listed there may have fewer side effects.