Insomnia - is there ANYTHING you can take ?

[Munchkin30]

Hey ladies,

I'm getting pretty desperate here. This is night 3 of minimal sleep after a week of poor sleep and I'm heading towards 3am and still wide awake. I haven't slept well in any of my pregnancies but this time it's terrible and the last few nights I must have had 2 hours a night. I also have a 2 yr old and a job so there's no way I can catch up.

It's making me feel really anxious because I'm trying so hard to look after myself and keep bubs safe and this can't be good. Are there any sleeping remedies, herbs etc that are definitely safe to take? Anybody had success with anything?

Please help ladies this is getting ridiculous!

 

[Love_MyMarine]

Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) works well when I can't sleep but I sometimes will only take a half because it can make you drowsy into the next day. I think it's definitely worth a shot. Good luck.

 

[Munchkin30]

Thanks. Has your dr said its safe? What dose is it? Thanks again I feel like I'm going crazy!

 

[x__amour]

Diphenhydramine or doxylamine succinate.

 

[Munchkin30]

Thanks x

 

[mrspat]

My sister takes Unisom when she's pregnant. Only thing doctor approved

 

[Munchkin30]

Thanks I think unisom is like Benadryl. diphenhydramine is the active ingredient and I can't find anything negative about it but on the website for Nytol which is the uk equivalent it says don't take when pregnant??

 

[Love_MyMarine]

Benadryl is a pregnancy category B drug (not expected to be harmful to an unborn baby). My OB clinic has a list of over-the-counter drugs considered safe in pregnancy and Benadryl is listed among them but it in the heading it also has a disclaimer that says 'take only medications approved by your healthcare provider'. So to be totally on the safe side you would want to check with your doc but for myself I'd be comfortable taking it.

It is also listed on BabyCenter's page on sleep aids during pregnancy along with some other good non-medication suggestions:
https://www.babycenter.com/0_sleep-aids-during-pregnancy_7914.bc?page=2

Double check your box but benadryl usually comes in 25mg tabs. I would get the tablets and not capsules because you can split the tablets in half if you want to start out with a low dose of 12.5mg.

Drugs.com has some helpful info on Benadryl as well, including reactions with other drugs you may be taking or health issues you may have. It also has a link toward the bottom of this page: https://www.drugs.com/diphenhydramine.html with info on pregnancy warnings.

 

[Munchkin30]

Aww thank you. That's great xx

 

[Love_MyMarine]

I'm not familiar with the brand Nytol but yes it looks like it is just diphenhydramine as well and category B so not sure why anything would say not to take it?

Drugs.com does say this about Nytol: You will need to discuss the benefits and risks of using Nytol while you are pregnant. Nytol is found in breast milk. Do not breast-feed while taking Nytol. https://www.drugs.com/cdi/nytol.html

 

[Munchkin30]

I think US regulations are slightly different to uk ones because everything says you can't take whilst pregnant here! It's too late to get it tonight (4am good god!!) but I might get some in for tomorrow. I really will make myself ill if I carry on like this. X

 

[StephtheHiker]

Is melatonin ok to take during pregnancy? It's just a hormone but I don't know if it's just as harmful.

 

[Love_MyMarine]

Hi Steph, I'd avoid taking any hormones unless approved by your doctor. I don't know much about melatonin specifically but just a quick search showed the Mayo Clinic advising against it because of possible hormonal effects and possible increased risk of developmental disorders. Isn't it just mind blowing all of the precautions we have to keep in mind? These things we never would have thought of normally!

 

[josephine3]

I dont think they let us take anything here. Even lavendar is classed as bad im really struggling too insomnia is so awful i hope u can find something we're allowed to take.

 

[Munchkin30]

I'm not getting on very well! The only thing you can take on the NHS website if advised by a dr is piriton and only if the risks of not taking it outweighs the risks of taking it. The only thing I can think of is flipping Horlicks and that's just not going to cut it!

 

[Kel30]

I wouldn't advise benilyn or nytol to be honest. Don't know if Europe has same strength as USA but here drug addicts get high on a bottle if that do must be pretty strong. I would suggest going into boots and getting a pillow spray. Try find an NYR seller near you for advice on holistic therapies. 100 percent natural but u still need to be careful with oils etc. some are not safe during pregnancy but they would be able to give u that info.
https://mobile.usablenet.com/mt/www...m/mother-and-baby-books?un_jtt_v_products=yes

 

[josephine3]

Yeah my midwife suggested horlicks last pregnancy i still have the tub in my cupboard

 

[x__amour]

Is melatonin ok to take during pregnancy? It's just a hormone but I don't know if it's just as harmful.

No. It says right on the bottle that it's not for use in pregnant women.