Things to Try

Not every remedy helps every woman. And, what works for you today may not work in the same way the next day. Here is a list I keep of things to try. The best advice I have for you is to listen to your body to figure out what is causing your nausea each time and treat it accordingly. If one thing doesn't work, keep trying.

Don't give up! Don't accept a wimpy attitude of defeat or helplessness from yourself! Fight for your health and quality of life by keeping a positive attitude and trying all you can. HG may be making you ill, but it does not control your mind! Your attitude is of YOUR choosing. Get mad at HG and what it is doing to you if that helps. You can't take flight (run/hide) from HG, but you can FIGHT it mentally.

If one thing helps eliminate even a little of your nausea or vomiting, you are on the right track. Keep going, keep experimenting until you find the tip(s) that makes a noticeable difference. Many women never find relief because they are looking for one thing that eliminates all of it, all of the time. For me, it has been several small things that added up to a significant reduction of nausea and vomitting.

You may notice that my efforts are mostly with alternative treatments and not medications. This occurred at first because I could not get a doctor to listen to me. Later, I became convinced that you need to treat the root cause of an illness and not merely mask symptoms with chemicals.

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Vomit/Dehydration cycle: You can get to a point in dehydration where your body will reject fluids by mouth and even stop feeling thirsty. At this point, you will need IV's or hydrating enemas. Learn and watch for signs of dehydration and treat immediately to avoid going into a downward spiral. Signs of dehydration are at the bottom of this page.

Managing your HG can be very tedious. I find it a never ending process during the worst boughts of it. It seems like you get through one problem only to encounter another. I often am nauseas when I eat, after I eat, while it empties from my stomach to bowels, before and after a bm.

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Peppermint oil (for sniffing, not ingesting) did not seem to help me
Peppermint candies made from peppermint oil (helped somewhat)
Ginger capsules (You are suppose to take them until you taste ginger when you burp. I threw this up and it was very unpleasant and burned my already tender tissues.)
Ginger Tea (have not tried)
Ginger candy (tried, did not seem to help)
Ginger cookies (no help for me)
Gingerale (fizz seems to help me belch sooner when stomach gas is the problem)
Pineapple after meals (seems to help when digestion is the issue)
Chewing gum (This seems to help me when my stomach is first beginning to get touchy. Sometimes it makes it worse.)
Phenergan (made me very sleepy and unable to function much; very little difference, not worth the money for the prescription)
Tigan (about the same as the Phenergan; very little difference, not even worth the money for the prescription, imo)
Zofran, Reglan, Steroids, etc (There are many other medications you might be prescribed. I recommend you use them cautiously after researching the risks vs benefits.)
Dramamine (works some of the time for me. I alternate it with Bendectin.)
B6 + Unisom (aka Bendectin) (Only one of my many doctors was OK with this. Most had never heard of it. The ones who objected did so because it is not available in the US. Clint and I did tons of research on our own and contacted Canadian drs who have used it widely for decades in pregnant women. It is very well researched in pregnancy with no known problems to mother or baby. It is the thing that has helped the most to date.) Recommended dosage varies from 5-50 mg. I generally take one tablet (25mg) when I am having a better day and two (50 mg) when I am really getting knocked around by the HG. I would imagine the smaller dosages are for women with normal morning sickness.
Benadryl is not as effective as the Unisom and is not as well studied. The recommended dosage is usually 50 mg. I was told I could safely take up to 75mg for the HG.
Bed rest (aka "going flat." Helps a lot, but it wears on me because I am an active person. I can't sit up during the worst of it, so some days all I can do is read, watch t.v. or sleep.)
Vitamin therapies (This helped me regain strength faster after a very difficult pregnancy.)
Liver/gall bladder/detox cleanse before pregnancy (I had my gall bladder looked and it was fine. The cleanses have had no effect on the pregnancies that followed.)
Milk Thistle for liver function (helps a bit, still use it)
Dandelion for liver function (helps a bit, still use it)
Walking for exercise to stimulate digestion and liver function (can't do this during the worst of it, but later it helps if I don't overdo it and slow down when I need to, still use it)
Gas medicine (seems to help when stomach gas is the culprit)
8 oz of water with 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar (This is to help digestion and is an old folk remedy. Helps some women, makes others more ill. I don't like vinegar's smell during pregnancy, so I have not tried it.)
Eating small meals every 2 hours (This works somewhat, but I get so busy that I forget to eat and then I get sick. :-( I need an alarm..or a personal chef :-)
Probiotic Drinks (have not tried)
Digestive Enzymes (have tried and it seems to help a little sometimes)
Antiacids (helps if this is your problem)
Acupressure/Seabands (iffy...helps a little sometimes, if I am just a little nausea.)
Horehound (have not tried)
Lemon juice in tea or water to stimulate liver function (did not seem to help, irritates tender stomach and throat areas if I have already been ill)
Brushing with Listerine on toothbrush instead of toothpaste (seems to help, I gag every time I use toothpaste and often throw up. I dread brushing my teeth every day of pregnancy. Toothbrushing seems to trigger a lot of women. If you can't stand the in and out motion of the toothbrush, clean teeth by using Listerine on a cloth. If you can't stand any of the Listerine flavors or another germ killing mouthwash, use plain water. Do what you can and don't fret about the rest.)
Vitamin K with Vitamin C therapy (have not tried)
Vitamin B 12 (take this, seems to help)
Homeopathy (have not tried but there are various homeopathic medicines to try)
Hydrating Enemas (to stop dehydration and stop the vomit cycle (read in intro) that occurs when you are too dehydrated-not a "fun thing" but it helps a great deal. You can FEEL your body reviving from the fluid it absorbs so quickly. Faster, readily accessible, less invasive, less hassle and less costly than i.v.s. Enemas is what they used before i.v.s to save lives. Pedialyte can be used as a hydrating enema. Do NOT use the solution in disposable enemas you buy off the shelf...I drain out that liquid and use Pedialyte or the homemade equivalent. 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 quart water is a rough equivalent for a rehydration solution. You can also use a weak raspberry leaf tea with honey and a pinch of salt or Gatorade. Warm to about 100 degrees and go slow to avoid cramps. You need to begin this earlier rather than later.) REMEMBER: It is not enough to restore water to your body. You also need your electrolytes and digestive enzymes to be balanced. There is a list of symptoms of dehydration at the bottom of the page.
Potato Chips (it works for me and many other women to settle stomach)
French Fries (same as above)
Mashed Potatoes (same as above)
Have your thyroid checked and correct hormonal problems. (helps women with those issues; have not tried)
Steroids (extreme and for when nothing else works)
Progesterone (100 mg via topical cream divided into 2 or 3 dosages a day. Midwife says this helps her patients. Pills are not absorbed as well, so you need to use the cream.) This helped me when the symptoms were weaker. Once the HG hit big time, it did not seem to help me so I gradually weaned off of it.
Liquid diet (This helps. I use Slimfast (regular) with protien powder added in during several pregnancies because Slimfast had higher nutritional content (folic acid for one) than the meal replacement drinks (Ensure). I have not checked the labels on the new Slimfast and am leery of using Splenda.)
Limit fluid intake while eating and while food is in your stomach (helps. I always feel nauseas if I drink a alot during meals.)
Sip constantly (while sick to avoid dehydration. Even if you throw it up, it will help because you are absorbing every second it is in your body. Sip, sip, sip. Just keep sipping, just keep sipping!)
Medical Marijuana (Illegal in most places, but still many women try it and say it works. Since I have a stronger aversion to jail than I do throwing up, I have not tried it. ;-) I don't think I could tolerate the smell much less inhaling the smoke.)
Junk Food (high calorie, high glycemic foods seem to help women who have blood sugar swings that cause their nausea and vomiting. One doctor tells his mothers to start the day off with a Snickers candy bar and a can of soda. If you are like me and have had nutritional deficiencies caused by HG, you tend to be very concerned about getting good nutrition. I have tried it and it does seem to help when I have low blood sugar, but again, I prefer eating fruit or something with substance.)
Aromatherapy (See peppermint oil at beginning. As a soapmaker, I use essential oils and have many on hand. I have not seen any difference in my level of sickness through aromatherapy.)
Limit computer use and t.v. watching (Because of how the screens are, some women get sick while using the computer or watching t.v. If it bothers you, limit usage to your tolerance level.)
Cleansing diet (for 3 months prior to pregnancy. No meat, no fat, no caffiene, no sugar, no preservatives or additives. Did not help. In fact, I seemed SICKER.)
Cucumber soaked in water-nibble on slowly. I have not tried it, but others say it helps.
Limit the computer and/or televison (to a set period of time depending upon your tolerance. It's the rapid flickering of the display for the computer monitor that causes nausea from "motion sickness." Slowly, pass your palm with open fingers in front of your monitor. If it increases your nausea, you know the computer monitor is contributing. WARNING: This causes me to retch sometimes!!)
Do not stare (directly at the screen of the computer or the televison for more than 30 seconds (or whatever works for you) at a time without glancing elsewhere.)
Avoid spicy or acid causing foods that irritate you. (These not only contribute to nausea, but are bad coming back up.)
Ptyalism aka sialorrhea (excessive saliva) (This is can be minor to like someone turned on a faucet in your mouth. Suck on candy and/or sip liquids for minor. If it is extreme, let it run out of your mouth or spit it into a tissue. When it hits me hardest, I have a steady stream pouring from my mouth. It is amazing how much comes. I could not swallow all of it even if I tried. )
Chromium Picolinate supplementation (to help control blood sugar swings. (This helps me a lot.)
Lemonade (I normally drink distilled water, but during pregnancy, I can't stomach it. Real lemonade stays down pretty well. Lemon juice helps liver function also.)
Lemons (Some women do really well sucking or chewing on lemons.)
Buy a glucose monitor (and monitor your blood sugar. When mine is too low, I am really sick. I try to keep it around 100-110 which is where I feel the most stable. I was surprised to learn mine was going down to 38, 41, etc. This has helped significantly also.)
Slow stomach emptying. (Digestion is slowed during pregnancy due to the hormones. This allows for a greater absorbtion rate of nutrients and calories but it often leads to an upset stomach. Some of the remedies above, like walking, digestive enzymes, probiotics, etc help with this.)
Don't bend over or move quickly, sit up very straight. (This helps with motion sickness as well as gastric reflux.)
When stomach gas plagues you and you can't burp (wet) or belch (dry) then try a rocking side to side motion, or back and forth. Ask someone to pat you gently on the lower back if you can tolerate it. Take gas medicine, walk, etc.
Sometimes when I taste something, it tastes much stronger than normal. I have learned this is a warning device to warn me not to eat that item. When I do not heed this warning, I almost always end up with digestive woes that usually lead to vomiting.
Breathe through the nose, not the mouth. I tend to be more prone to vomiting when I breathe through my mouth. This is especially evident when I brush my teeth. Pregnancy causes me to be fairly congested (due to increased blood volume and pregnancy induced allergies), so sometimes I can't help but breathe through my mouth. Benadryl (above) helps me with this.
Consider carefully what you eat. Hard, chunky foods can damage your throat. Gritty foods like too many nuts or grits will feel like sand coming back up. (I have not been able to stomach grits in years due to one bad spell with them.) Taste also should be considered. Spicy or acidic foods may make it harder to breathe while throwing up and you will gasp for breath. Bitter foods may have you throwing up longer. Liquid "meals" aren't too hard on your throat or too nasty tasting.
When on bedrest, don't focus on what you can't do. Focus on what you CAN do. Can you fold clothes? Can you read something that will uplift and encourage you? Can you sign friendship cards and have someone mail them out? Pray for everyone you know who has a need. Don't know anyone who needs prayer? Watch the news.
Can't stomach liquids? Try crushed ice with a little flavoring. I used a little Sunkist poured on mine. It was the only thing that appealed to me. I tried fruit juices first, but they came back up or caused discomfort. I ate several bags of ice during the weeks I was unable to drink liquids. It kept me from dehydrating!

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Signs of dehydration:

Mild Dehydration may include: Thirst, dry lips, dry or sticky mouth, flushed skin, fatigue, irritability, headache, urine begins to darken in color, urine output decreases

Moderate Dehydration may include: Any of the signs of mild dehydration, plus: skin doesn't bounce back quickly when pressed or pulled, very dry mouth, sunken eyes, output of urine will be limited (down to 3-4 times a day) and color of urine will be dark yellow, cramps, stiff and/or painful joints, severe irritability, fatigue, severe headache

Severe Dehydration may include: Any of the signs of mild and moderate dehydration, plus: altered behavior, blue lips, blotchy skin, confusion, lethargy, cold hands and feet, rapid breathing, rapid and weak pulse, low blood pressure, dizziness, fainting, high fever, inability to pee or cry tears. If you have severe dehydration symptoms, you need immediate medical intervention.

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