Insomnia

I have been having a very difficult few days. So difficult, in fact, that Steve is refraining from using terms like "psychotic episode" but is fairly free with the words "unbalanced" and "compromised stability". I have never claimed to be the model of mental health (see: propensity to throw things when angered) but this is... well, this is insane. I have no idea what is going on with me and I hope it ends soon. It is six in the morning (did you know how dark it is out here even at that hour? morning barely breaks by seven) and I have been unable to sleep since some time after four. Yesterday I woke up at three fucking thirty and never slept again. By eight I was so tired I was throwing up (quite literally) but every time I tried to fall back asleep my mind started racing. I have some sort of a rash on my cheeks (the skin on the cheekbones is vaguely itchy and bright red; I cannot decide if it is an allergic reaction or hormones or both - mask of pregnancy or masque of Aveda). I have cried more in the past three days than I have in the past three years combined. I spent an hour last night, at least, thinking about THIS THING Steve said two days ago that I sort of missed at the time but that I have now concluded was really unfair.

On the positive side I think I am feeling a little better. I must be or I would not be writing this. Or rather, I might be writing this but if I felt as terrible today as I did yesterday it would read: OH MY GOD OH MY GOD I CAN'T SLEEP I AM SO TIRED OH MY GOD, followed by illegible wet blubbering. At some point in the wee hours last night I googled Reglan and discovered that in rare instances it can lead to severe anxiety and depression. Although I am not usually one to embrace the fine print, I am hoping that my current state is just drug induced. I have made a point of taking the Reglan more regularly over the past few weeks because the lingering nausea has been making it hard for me to eat and the weight gain is still iffy. It's weird - when I was face down over the toilet I would occasionally think bitterly of women I have known who would earn my solidarity by saying, "Oh YES the morning sickness is AWFUL" only to lose it an instant later by concluding, "Of course, I haven't actually thrown up yet but I feel ever so queasy." I admit that my pity at the time was limited but having now moved past vomiting (usually) into the theoretically more pleasant realm of appetite crippling nausea I can see what they were talking about. Anyway, I was taking the Reglan with military precision but I now suspect it is making me crazy. So I have stopped it. Fortunately I have an appointment with my OB on Friday so I will talk to an actual doctor about all this then. Provided, of course, I am able to start sleeping again. If not I... well I have no idea what I will do.

The babies are fine. I think. 13a is fine insofaras (that cannot be one word, can it? but I like how it looks. it reminds me of an amalgamation between Innisfree and sassafras - two fine words in their own right) kicking and rolling can be interpreted as signs of robust fetal health. 13b puts in an infrequent appearance - I think. I attribute everything left of the belly button to b and everything right to a, but I have no idea if that is correct or not.    

... well i need to use mommy`s computer

Patrick has been sitting on my lap for ten minutes patiently waiting for his turn. I will be back later. Oh rats. Dentist appointment this morning. Ummm, later than later but still, I'll be back. Anyone have any trouble with Reglan? Or maybe this is just pregnancy related?

Patrick is insisting I sign off like this:

Love, Julia            

(I am such a sucker for this child)

PS I have a new post (or two. three maybe since last I wrote) up at REDBOOK. Most recently I started obsessing about finding out the sex of the babies. Of course, this was last night when I was also fixated on my split-ends.

Comments

[Candy]

I feel inclined to post because I think I'm first, but truly, I have no words to help you. I did not suffer such nausea, and subsequently did not need to take something to stop it, and so have no form of reference.

The inability to sleep, I deal with constantly. I think there may be a switch under my pillow that automatically turns my brain on when my head touches it.

I find nightdreaming (opposite of daydreaming because I do it at night, duh) about George Clooney works wonders. I'm willing to share him if it will help you sleep.

[Erin]

I had hyperemesis, and at one point I was on zofran, reglan, and unisom/B12 all together... I got the same symptoms you posted about - anxiety, weepiness, insomnia, jittery-ness, depression, extreme irritation (my husband called it "rage" - tomato, tomahto)... When I backed off the reglan, stopped the unisom, and upped the zofran, I felt alot better. I couldn't completely stop the reglan while I was taking the zofran b/c I needed the reglan to keep what little food I could eat (fresh pineapple) from just sitting in my stomach due to the zofran, making my nausea worse, but as long as I took the minimum amount of reglan necessary, I kept the crazies away.

[Amber]

Bless your heart! Talk to your OB...let them figure it out. In the meantime cant you drug yourself to sleep with Benadryl? I did that when pregnant. I suffered from insomnia that was borderline insane. Benadryl helped me get 3 hours of sleep a night. For which I was extremely thankful.

and as far as I can tell, at 4 yrs old, my boy is just perfect. well he is fine. maybe just OK, but he sure is cute.

[moo]

I don't normal come out of Lurkdom (is that a word? a place?) to comment, but I am so relieved to see that you are, for all intents and purposes, OK. Yesterday, I was imagining all sorts of dire outcomes of why it had been EIGHT! WHOLE! DAYS! with no post.

Yes, I need to get a life.

When I was nauseous, Poland Spring Lime Flavored Sparkling water seemed to help. It is light and refreshing without being overpowering.

[leslie]

I don't have any useful advice wrt reglan why not call your OB's office and get in sooner than Friday if you're feeling this bad - not sleeping and being horribly weepy vs non-stop nausea and vomiting sounds like a terrible choice to have to make. feel better soon!

[dee]

I understand the insanity and insomnia. I am 21 weeks pregnant with twins (I vomited non-stop for the first 4 months...my 19-month old toddler does excellent gagging impressions over the toilet...she'll never potty train; she thinks the dang thing is just for expelling contents from your mouth).

I took Phenergan just a few times (b/c I'm a masochist and welcome misery), so I can only attribute my insanity to pregnancy related. When I do manage to catch a tiny bit of sleep, even it's filled with insane dreams of panic/dread/some sort of unpleasantness. For example, from the hours of 4-6 a.m. just this morning, I was dumping my husband for offering me an ex-girlfriend's purple dress, running away dressed only in a t-shirt and towel, then being attacked by a pack of wolves, and finally refusing a tetanus shot b/c I'm pregnant with twins.

Twins make you crazy. Or, at least, that's the excuse I'm using these days.

[terri c]

Oh, Julia, this sounds hideous, and it does sound as if it could be a med reaction. Can you call your dr. and not wait until Friday? I am so sorry this is happening to you.

[Robin from Israel]

Delurking to say that Reglan (which is also used to increase milk supply in a lactating woman) is absolutely known to cause depression, particularly in women who have previously suffered bouts of depression and who are more "at risk". Perhaps your doctor could adjust your medical cocktail a bit and come up with something with less severe side effects?

Heading back into lurkland now, but thinking many good thoughts for you and your expanding family.

[sinda]

Julia, just read this and them your redbook posts, and wanted to answer your last question there. I did find out, both times, and will again. My theory is that I'm going to be surprised no matter when I find out (before or after birth), and if I get the surprise now, I get the added bonus of getting to name my child, which in turn makes that baby mush more real to me, and I get to do all of my planning and preparing. For me, it was a win-win.

Most of my friends didn't peak / don't peak, fwiw.

[Jo in Utah]

As a retired midwife, it is not uncommon for pg women to experience sleep problems. You are going to think it is weird, but the truth is, you are HUNGRY at night. Give this a try for a few nights, I can almost 100% promise it will work. I know, I know, you don't FEEL hungry! (I have heard that 100's of times!) but your body is anyway. When you wake up, try eating something with protein in it. Chicken breast, yogurt, string cheese, boiled egg, beef/turkey jerky, a handful of nuts, peanut butter toast, something along those lines. You will be surprised at how fast you will be able to go back to sleep. Some ladies keep something by their bedside so they don't actually have to go to the kitchen to get it. You can try this for the morning to help stave off the nausea, which is more likely caused from low blood sugar than anything.

[Jo in Utah]

As a retired midwife, it is not uncommon for pg women to experience sleep problems. You are going to think it is weird, but the truth is, you are HUNGRY at night. Give this a try for a few nights, I can almost 100% promise it will work. I know, I know, you don't FEEL hungry! (I have heard that 100's of times!) but your body is anyway. When you wake up, try eating something with protein in it. Chicken breast, yogurt, string cheese, boiled egg, beef/turkey jerky, a handful of nuts, peanut butter toast, something along those lines. You will be surprised at how fast you will be able to go back to sleep. Some ladies keep something by their bedside so they don't actually have to go to the kitchen to get it. You can try this for the morning to help stave off the nausea, which is more likely caused from low blood sugar than anything.

[Karen]

You've gotten some great comments so far. I also used Phenergan, which not only stops the nausea but also has the blessed side effect of making you sleep wherever you happen to stop for a moment.

In my first pregnancy my asthma flared and my OB put me on oral albuterol. I took it one night and had the worst nightmares of my life. It was a complicated pregnancy to start with, and I was extra anxious having gotten there after 7 IVFs, and when I read that oral albuterol is linked to anxiety attacks I wanted to slap my DR silly. I never took that med again.

I hope you are feeling better soon!

[Beth]

Just wanted to tell you I second what Jo the Midwife wrote. I've suffered debilitating 'round the clock pregnancy nausea, and eating at night truly helped sleep as well as the nausea.

Today is only Tuesday and your appointment is Friday? Honey. Call the doctor **today**

[Anne Glamore]

My baby A was on the right and bobbed and weaved throughout entire pregnancy, and continues to sleep akimbo 9 years later.

Baby B was so quiet I feared he was dead, or a girl (I didn't find out) but it turns out he just loves to sleep. Every night now, he's still the first one saying, "Mom, will you tuck me in, please?" He hasn't missed any opportunity for a nap in the last 9 years either, as far as I can tell.

Please feel better.

[victoria]

Oh man. Between the hyperemesis and the twin-induced fear of not gaining enough weight and the Reglen-induced misery of insomnia, you're kind of between a rock and a hard place and some more rocks.

I'm sorry you're suffering. I hope they find a better drug for you and you start sleeping comfortably and porking up soon.

[boomom]

Coming out of lurkdom to say:
Julia? Get thy twin-bearing booty to the Dr - TODAY !

[JuliaKB]

Geez, whatever it is, I hope it passes soon. I never took reglan, and my experience with fighting nausea (somewhat successfully) was with always keeping a lemon wedge by my side to suck on and nearly always having plain home made chicken broth available. When even thinking of anything else was making me gag, chicken broth always staid down (sometimes with judicious lemon sucking, but still), and it is highly caloric.
Good luck staving off crazies and getting some sleep and some food.

[Jenn]

Reglan is falling out of favor in the post-surgical setting because of all the side effects. Zofran is becoming the drug of choice though it is much more expensive and I don't know about it's use in pregnancy.

As for sexes, between weeks 12-16 I was a wreck because there was a possibility I could know they sexes and didn't. I would not have lasted two seconds if there was a chromosomal report and you knew for sure.

[celeste]

Sorry to hear you're having such a hard time. Sounds like the pregnancy I had with my son — sleep issues, horrible skin rashes and complete emotional craziness. Mine was all hormonally related and lasted well into the second trimester. It all mysteriously went away around the sixth month. Hopefully yours will subside soon either from the discontinuance of Reglan or hormone fluctuations. I can't imagine it's anything to rush to the Dr. for.

On a note to your REDBOOK post, I am absolutely glad to have known the sex of my children before birth. Even though you could truly never could know their personalities and physical image, it certainly helps in mentally planning a future with the little ones. A suprise is a suprise be it an ultrasound or delivery room.

[Beth]

Hang in there, and don't assume the babies' movement is strictly one on one side and the other stays on his/her side of the line. They still have room to trade places and move around a bit more than that from what I was told with my twins.

[Nicole]

I took Anzement for my severe nausea/ vomiting during pregnancy and had NO side effects. Healthy, if a little demanding, 17-month old by my side. See if the switch works.

[nate]

I considered Reglan to increase milk supply, but heard such horrible things about side effects that I imported Domperidone from Vanuatu instead (true story).

I had severe anxiety when pregnant--peaking at about 30 weeks, when I couldn't sleep and was up, weeping, in the middle of the night, and finally went to the doctor and went onto Prozac. (Switched to Zoloft, I think, postpartum b/c it's better for nursing mothers.) But that was 4 years ago and there's new research, so you'd want to find out what the newest recommendations are.

From MedlinePlus.gov:
Metoclopramide may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

* drowsiness
* restlessness
* fatigue
* constipation
* diarrhea

If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:

* involuntary movements of the limbs or eyes
* spasm of the neck, face, and jaw muscles
* change in mood (depression)

On the gender issue--I'd seriously find out. #1 was a surprise, but w/ #2 (and 3!) I'd want to figure out whether I need to do some shopping! Especially w/ two of them on the way...

I hope you feel better soon. Prenatal anxiety/depression is no fun at all, and some say is more common than postpartum.

[TexMex]

Honey, honey, honey. Please call your doctor ASAP! There's no need to suffer until Friday. Truly there's not. THAT'S WHAT THE DOCTOR IS FOR. And I bet you're one of those compliant, thoughtful patients anyway. So make the doctor work for his/her co-pay a bit. Besides, it'll make the doc feel needed. Seriously, please call today.

[Cris]

Oh jeez, Julia. How awful!

My experiences with insomnia and insanity have both occured after the birth (c-sections with both Kate and Cam). It always seems to happen right before my milk comes in, but I'm sure the drugs and lack of sleep don't help. With Kate I could not sleep - could not. My mom had her, we were home, and I needed to sleep and could not. I couldn't breath and felt buried in the darkness. I got up, looked at the clock - it was 2:34am - and went into the bath room. There I sat for hours and all I could think was "its 2:34 and I can't sleep and I'll never sleep again and my baby will be raised by someone else because I've gone insane because its 2:34 and I can't sleep." It was the worst I've ever felt (we've had some big ol' grief around the house this past year but knowing that you've gone actually insane surpasses that). At least when it happened again with Cam, I knew what it was and that it had a chance of going away eventually.

I know you are resisting going to the doctor early, and I would do the same. You don't want them to think you are crazy, or a needed anxious woman who 'just needs to relax', and they are busy, yadda yadda yadda, but go. Generally they surprise me with their ability to help and their familiarity with something that is new to me.

Good luck, good luck, good luck. I'll be thinking of you! Especially around 2:34.

[Jessica]

I think that the Reglan side effects are actually pretty common. I was considering taking it to boost my milk supply, but every message board post warned against the depression and it scared me off. I'm depression prone enough as it is.
I hope you and your OB finds a solution that works for you!

[Sharon]

I took reglan for about 3 days before I quit. It didn't do anything for the nausea, only made me hungrier, and there's nothing worse than being starving and knowing that whatever you eat will not stay down.

Unisom was the only thing that helped me at all.

The bad news is that the insomnia comes back around 30 weeks. I swear I haven't gotten more than 3-4 hours of sleep a night since then - I'm at 33 weeks tomorrow.

[thirdsister]

julia.
i am delerking to say hi and all that...and to say that i think your best bet for all this grossness and sickness is acupuncture. it will take care of the stress and the insomnia and the nausea, as well as any other aches and pains. it's really the best plan. i hope you take my advice. it's completely safe and proven over and over again to be the cure for what ails ya.

[Laura]

Beautiful, brilliant, darling Julia - can't post this on your Redbook site for reasons untold, though largely to do with having two year-old twins at my side, so I hope you won't mind getting redirected mail here.

It's customary to say this for added emphasis so I will - I have never posted before (except to Getupgrrl with whom I have had a long correspondence, breathless with excitement on my side at all times) despite the fact that I read your every post with admiration and joy and think you are up there with S J Perelman.

Here is my hunch. At 20 weeks, I had my twin scan and the consultant announced that she had to inform me at this point that the twins were the same sex. She had to inform me because there was only one placenta on view that day, even though she had noticed the other in the past, and therefore there was a possibility that the twins might be identical. And if identical, then they must be monitored much more closely in case one starved the other...And so on. My point being that I suspect you may be having a boy and a girl, clever you, because nobody has hinted at more frequent scans which seems to be a matter of course among all the other twin mothers I have met whose offspring, at this point, were the same sex. I tried to reason with this consultant, incidentally, since I had had IVF with pgd like you and could swear blind that I felt the implantation pains of the two embryos on two different days. I am also an art critic and could see, as I told her, that the head shapes were completely different. Yes and I am a consultant obstetrician, she reasonably replied, and would prefer to follow science.

Anyhow. Here's my bet: the lively little one is a girl; the dreamer a boy.

And I was send quite psychotic by the anti-nausea drugs (vomiting to week 22) to the point of very nearly leaping from windows during rows with beloved but baffled husband. Very much hope your blood pressure is good and steady. Dropping the pills was the best thing I did.

How you are doing all this with Patrick on your lap, in every respect, I can't imagine but you are a heroine, Julia, a heroine.

[Laura]

Beautiful, brilliant, darling Julia - can't post this on your Redbook site for reasons untold, though largely to do with having two year-old twins at my side, so I hope you won't mind getting redirected mail here.

It's customary to say this for added emphasis so I will - I have never posted before (except to Getupgrrl with whom I have had a long correspondence, breathless with excitement on my side at all times) despite the fact that I read your every post with admiration and joy and think you are up there with S J Perelman.

Here is my hunch. At 20 weeks, I had my twin scan and the consultant announced that she had to inform me at this point that the twins were the same sex. She had to inform me because there was only one placenta on view that day, even though she had noticed the other in the past, and therefore there was a possibility that the twins might be identical. And if identical, then they must be monitored much more closely in case one starved the other...And so on. My point being that I suspect you may be having a boy and a girl, clever you, because nobody has hinted at more frequent scans which seems to be a matter of course among all the other twin mothers I have met whose offspring, at this point, were the same sex. I tried to reason with this consultant, incidentally, since I had had IVF with pgd like you and could swear blind that I felt the implantation pains of the two embryos on two different days. I am also an art critic and could see, as I told her, that the head shapes were completely different. Yes and I am a consultant obstetrician, she reasonably replied, and would prefer to follow science.

Anyhow. Here's my bet: the lively little one is a girl; the dreamer a boy.

And I was send quite psychotic by the anti-nausea drugs (vomiting to week 22) to the point of very nearly leaping from windows during rows with beloved but baffled husband. Very much hope your blood pressure is good and steady. Dropping the pills was the best thing I did.

How you are doing all this with Patrick on your lap, in every respect, I can't imagine but you are a heroine, Julia, a heroine.

[kimberly/tippytoes]

I wasn't given Reglan because I already have issues with sleep and there was concern it would make it worse. I hope stopping it helps and fast.

I just got a note from my daughter's teacher signed Love, (her name). Patrick must be from the same school of thought.

love, kimberly

[S]

Absolutely had problems with Reglan. Zofran worked much better - everyone warned me about the cost but it was quite reasonable on our plan and it worked magic. I had 7 months of nausea with my second, all while caring for a toddler. Zofran saved me many days. Also, anything lemon helped me, especially drinking lemonade and sucking lemon drops. As for the weight gain, what about something like Ensure? or milkshakes? The best advice I got was eat whatever sounds good TO YOU. Wishing you sweet dreams......

[anne nahm]

Hope you feel better soon. God knows my husband would practically jump out of a moving vehicle if he were caught in there with me and as much as a sad country song came on while I was pregnant. I'm not sure the crying threw him off as much as me saying stuff like, "wipe my nose, but don't touch me, OK? Seriously."

These things, they pass.

[mamita]

I've never posted before, but I felt the need to comment because I too suffered from unprecedented anxiety during my second pregnancy. It would start with queasiness, then insomnia, anxiety over not being able to eat anything or sleep, then the shortness of breath, heart racing, etc. It came out of nowhere and I didn't have any drugs to blame, it was just my crazy hormones and stress I guess. It has finally pretty much dissipated (my younger kid is now 2) but in retrospect, I totally should have sought help and possibly a prescription from my doctor. Don't suffer any more than you've got to!

[Kristin]

I have nothing really to add except to second some of the good suggestions, especially the one about calling for a n appointment before Friday. You sound miserably uncomfortable, and you ahve the right to feel better. I didn't have the nausea issues you're having, but at 35 weeks I developed an insane case of PUPPP...and I sounded a little like you: I think I'm OK, I must be getting a handle on it or I couldn't still be working and keeping my eyes facing front, I'll make it until my check-up, it's just itching, I'll live.... Thing is, as one poster said, I think many of us want to present a nice calm competent non-over-reactive image...but when I finally took my itchy self to the midwife, she nearly fell out of her chair to take care of me. (In part, that's because the kind of itching I had can go with other, more serious things, and needs to be checked out, but also simply because apparently nobody should have to itch that much, on general principles.) We try to talk ourselves into just sucking up a lot of things...but good doctors and midwives know that easing pain and anxiety is also important in itself. As is helping straighten out major life functions like being able to keep food down and sleep.

Hang in there, and feel better soon -

[Amy]

Julia,

Not to scare you, but, my sister gave birth in May and throughout her whole pregnancy suffered from sever hyperemesis (dehydration, picc line, the whole nine yards). Anyway, she had a pump that constantly dispensed the highest dose of Reglan a pregnant woman can have, this helped her eat enough to literally not end up hospitalized. But, the end result, after delivery, and stopping the Reglan, was post-partum depression. Turns out the Reglan affects the dopamine receptors in your brain and it caused major problems for her to be taking all that Reglan. Long story short, call your OB, tell them all your symptoms, and see if you can work out some different meds or different dosages to help you manage your nausea without causing depression, anxiety, etc. You deserve a happy, safe pregnancy.

[caroline]

I had a lovely case of insomnia/night time anxiety attacks when I was pg with my twins - at the same time you are right now and at the end too. All I can say is that I can sympathize - it really sucked.

In regards to finding out the genders ~ I successfully waited even though I was dying to know and I can honestly say it was one of the coolest experiences ever - (I had B/G twins). Hang in there!!

[Kathy W.]

Reglan is scary stuff--lots of neurological side effects, worrying for both you & the 13s...

Here's another link:

http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=17854&name=REGLAN

Good luck--hope you feel better soon.

[Mandy]

I took Reglan for a while to help with my milk supply and it DEFINITELY took me into full swing depression.

Have you considered asking about zofran or phenergan? Zofran is what I take during the day when I need it, and I take phenergan at night because it makes me really sleepy (so I can't take it during the day but it helps with insomnia).

Big hugs sweetie - I totally understand. I was up from 1 to 5 this morning, then again at 6.

[Dara]

It's the Regland, alright! Call your doctor , right now, and get something else! Also, Jo the midwife is right on about eating at night, it will help you.

I wanted to be surprised with our third, currently kicking away inside me, but the sono tech was practically doing back-flips asking us if we wanted to know, so my husband and I said, Oh, ok, tell us..."It's a boy!!!!" We have two daughters, so this was sweet news to our ears, later confirmed by amnio. I don't regret knowing, ever.

[JenH]

Gawd yes- my 2 week old baby was put on Reglan and Zantac for reflux and his nickname became "Mr Anxiety". He would only be calm on my chest or nursing. Thank Heavens he *could* be calmed but it did not make for a happy mama. He did not sleep well at all until I took him off it at 5 months.

[JenH]

Oops- I forgot to say that I also took it with my firstborn to help my milk supply and my mood swung so low so fast I immediately stopped BFing cold turkey despite it being the one thing I wanted most at the time.

[AmyinMotown]

Didn't take reglan (and never complain about morning sickness to anyone who is not my husband because as gross as the nausea is, I can at least keep down whatever morsels of food I can make pass my lips). I did, however, have raging second trimester insomnia and when discussed this with my girlfriends, HOLY CRAP everyone had had it. Was it in any pregnancy book? No, because that would have been USEFUL information. I have to figure you're being hit twice because of the twins, too.

[Janis]

I found out with my twins. Knowing PTL was a real risk as was bed rest I wanted everything done and ready by 26 weeks.

Factor in that after birthing twins there would be NO tie for doing anything other than bare essentials I made sure I had it all done.

I'm glad I did. The twins came at 35w 6 d and I swear to god, Livia was born with colic.

All I did was rock, nurse, walk, listen to crying, theirs and mine and nothing else. Oh yeah, I changed a lot of diapers. More than I ever imagined! Diapers, diapers, diapers. I swear the twins went through 6 bazillion diapers in those first few weeks. alone!

I could not get out of the house for anything let alone gender specific clothes for my new babes.

My assvice, find out, get it all done and read so you can sit back and relax a bit. Sure you can always get someone else to do the shopping, but nobody has mama's marvelous taste in what to buy for her own babies. ;) Patrick, I'm sure would find it very enthralling to help outfit his new siblings with all thye will need.

Another bit of assvice -- do not get button or snap sleepers. Get gowns. Lot's of them. Makes diaper changing so much easier and quicker. Did I mention the unbelievable amount of diapers there are for twins? HA!

I'm really getting excited for you and your expanding family!

[Amy]

I think you are entitled to twice the pregnancy hormonal insanity than the pregnant mother of one gets. Remember this is NOT your body and mind's status quo...it will pass as your body adjusts and readjusts to the wacky hormone fluctuations of pregnancy and birth. And medications can just make it even wackier!

[Naomi]

Reglan absolutely makes some people crazy. I have a RL friend who went on it for reflux (he was having lung problems from the stomach acid getting out and wandering around) and within 48 hours went from normal to utterly despondent. Fortunately his significant other had the presence of mind to read the side effects and quickly concluded that the reglan was probably the cause. He went off it and was back to normal within 72 hours. They found another drug to treat his reflux.

There are other drugs for hyperemesis that are not as crazy-making.

[wavybrains]

Just wanted to third what Jo in Utah said. Eating at night has helped me to sleep better and helped a lot with the anxiety.

[Beth]

I never took Reglan, but I did take Phenergan. Once. Literally once, because it was that awful. It works by knocking you unconscious. You can't be sick while you're sleeping. So that might be helpful to you, but it also made me utterly exhausted while I was awake; I could barely move my arms and legs.

So I took Unisom for 17 weeks. I had constant nausea and 2-6X per day vomiting. Half a Unisom twice per day made the vomiting stop and improved my appetite a bit. At first of course it makes you sleepy, but after taking it regularly I got used to it.

[Carla Hinkle]

I didn't take Reglan but had plenty of pregnancy insomnia. Usually starting around 3:30 or 4 am. I watched lots of Tivo'd shows between 4 and 6 am and tried to take a nap later.

I agree with Jo the Midwife that eating something usually helped. Peanut butter toast and a glass of milk were good. And gave me something to do during the time I was up anyway.

Could be exacerbated by the Reglan, too, though.

[Emmie (Better Make It A Double)]

I felt AWFUL on Reglan -still nauseous, only slightly less likely to actually puke, and jittery, weepy and angry. Are they refusing you Zofran? Also, FWIW, I was on the max dose of Ambien for the last half of my twin pregnancy. It was a rocky pregnancy, and knowing I'd at least be able to sleep for a few hours at a stretch was the about the only thing keeping me sane. I hope your wonderful OB helps you find something that works.

[All Adither]

I had the same face rashy thing when I was pregnant. It really kicked in around the 15th week. It was itchy and awful. The insomnia I also had when I was pregnant, though I didn't take Reglan. The whole experience was one big blemishy, queasy, hemorroidal 38 weeks for me.