7 weeks preggo: Flaring HELP- Vistaril & Pyridium - Interstitial Cystitis (ICN) Support Forum

bunni29 · 05-19-2008, 12:01 PM

Hi Friends:

It's going on 7 weeks pregnant and I'm still in a complete terrible flare..........I can't believe how awful I'm feeling since stopping my Vistaril 3 weeks ago. I can't live like this... I'm so miserable.

I haven't slept in 3 weeks. Last night I was up every 10 minutes with no sleep. I have this terrible bladder pressure and frequency.. that won't stop.

So my Ob/gyn has approved that I can go back on my Vistaril 25 mg. a night and Pyridium 200mg. but, I'm sooooooooo scared to take it, as this is the first trimister. He said he feels safe with me taking this... but, I'm so scared.

He said that I can't continue to NOT sleep and be upset and stressed out and crying all the time.. this is not good for me and baby........

and I know I can't live like this either......

But, my fear is that the Vistaril is a Class C and the pyridium is a class B, how will I ever forgive myself if something happens to the baby b/c of what I took?

Has anyone ever taken Vistaril and Pyridium during the first trimester and throughout pregnancy?

My ob/gyn did make me an appt. to go see a high risk ob/gyn tomorrow that has experience with IC patients and pregnancy.
I pray he can help me.

I'm so sad that I feel this way, this is suppose to be a happy time and it is not, I'm in complete misery

thanks friends for any advice.

Bunni
Texas

crazy_beautiful · 05-19-2008, 12:21 PM

Bunni,
I am so sorry that you are flaring at a time you should be ennjoying.
if you are afraid to take these meds, call the pharmacy, he can tell you with out a reasonable doubt that the meds will be safe for you. sending you big hugs and prayers.

anniemac18 · 05-20-2008, 06:50 AM

((((HUGS)))) I'm so sorry you're feeling so terrible. I think all of us who need to take meds during pg struggle with those same "what if's" so please know you're not alone. You definitely need to weigh the benefits and the risks, and go with your gut. I know from experience that extreme stress can lead to preterm labor and a lot of other things so please consider that when trying to get your health under control. I hope the high-risk doctor will help put your mind at ease. There are SO many women who have to take medications in order to carry a pregnancy and they should have a lot of good experience to share with you.

PS - I have not taken the two meds you're talking about during my pregnancy (I'm 24 weeks), but I have stayed on my Elmiron (cat B) and taken Urelle (cat C) a couple of times when I was in dire need. I've also had to take Zofran (cat B) for extreme nausea/vomiting, Macrobid (cat B) for a UTI and I use Prelief daily. Oh, and milk of magnesia is my friend (side effects from Zofran stink!)

In my first pregnancy, I had to take Paxil and Ativan to keep from going into labor starting at 16 weeks - I had bad anxiety/panic attacks that were causing problems. My daughter is a perfectly healthy toddler today!

Charisse · 05-22-2008, 11:06 AM

I'm 18 weeks pregnant and have remained on Elmiron (Cat B). I'm also on Claritin and Singulair for allergies, Ambien (Cat B) for sleep, Phenergan (Cat C) for nausea and Zegerid (Cat B or C?) for stomach acid. I also took Zofran (Cat B) for nausea in the first trimester. Believe me I feel like a drug addict but I talked to my OB before getting pregnant and basically told him I wasn't sure I would be living my life and getting out of bed without staying on my meds. I did have to give up Ativan for my anxiety but I've been okay without it. My dr said all these medications are okay. I met with a genetics counselor too and she also reassured me that these medications have shown no increase in birth defects in the studies they've done however no one has been on my exact combo of meds. Of course this makes me really nervous. I had a level II ultrasound yesterday and everything with my little girl looks okay so I was very relieved. I agree with whoever said that none of us want to take meds while we are pregnant and we all struggle with the feelings that we are somehow hurting our littles ones. For me it was a risks/benefits decision. I do believe that the health of mommy is important.

LeeAnn · 05-22-2008, 11:56 AM

BUNNI----atarax and is the same as vistaril. i used it my ENTIRE pregnancy. unless you count the two weeks after i found out i was pregnant and stopped taking meds until i could speak w/ an OB---those weeks were absolute hell and i too did not sleep a wink. i too struggled with feelings of guilt but in the end my OB was right, my baby is fine. so don't stress!!! he told me that it's been used in pregnancy for 30 + years. i took 150 mg a night which is a fairly large dose compared to what most ICers take. he told me that it's the #1 drug used for allergic rashes in pregnant women and that it's also prescribed a lot for pregnant women with anxiety. women that take it for anxiety take MUCH higher doses that the 150 mg that i took. and he said their babies are fine too. your body needs to feel good and healthy to manufacture a healthy baby. all that stress can't be good. the vistaril will help you sleep (it makes you sleepy). it will help calm your bladder down. once you start sleeping better, it will be easier to deal w/ the pain. i find that getting super tired makes me less capable of dealing w/ IC and that adequate rest is extremely important. in addition, atarax and vistaril help w/ anxiety (that's what the drug was originally prescribed for way back when). plus, the first trimester is uncomfortable (or it was for me). once you get to the second trimester you'll feel better once the uterus lifts out of the pelvis. it will get better, i promise!!!! i hear my LO waking up so gotta run.

Charisse · 05-22-2008, 12:17 PM

Lee Ann sorry to barge in on this thread but can you let me know how it's been taking the Atarax and taking care of your baby? I'm on Ambien at night and I'm worried I won't be able to wake up (or stay awake) to care for my baby.

sherry6 · 05-25-2008, 07:07 AM

Drugs are more likely to be put into the c category because they haven't studied the effects extensively. It is possible they could be put into a category b if they were studied more.

When I was prescribed with a cat. c drug in my first trimester, it made me very uncomfortable. I did all I could to switch to cat. b. I used zofran instead of phenergan even though I had to pay for it out of pocket. I didn't feel right taking fioricet (catC ) for my migraines so I talked my doc into giving me vicodin (cat B) It certainly doesn't work as well, but it is an O.K substittute until my second trimester. The goal was to make life bearable until I could make it to my second trimester and feel more comfortable about taking cat c drugs.

Talk it over with your doc and see if you feel comfortable making cat b substitutions for the short term. Unless you feel comfortable taking the drugs you have been prescribed. SO many women have taken these drugs during pregnancy and had perfectly healthy babies.

Long story short, go with your gut. DO what feels right for you and your pregnancy. You can make substitutions if you really feel like you need to.

Kellyicurn · 05-25-2008, 05:17 PM

I believe Zyrtec is a form of Vistaril/Atarax (hydroxazine). If you look on the back of the Zyrtec box, it says not to take it if you're allergic to hydroxazine. So is must break down similarly. Talk to the phamacist about it. I believe it's class B.

Otherwise, please remember that there are women out there that do hard core drugs daily and don't even bat an eye about this. Many have healthy babies.