Ambien

[mommy2besoon]

Has anyone taken ambien while pregnant? I told my doctor I couldnt sleep cause of the pain I'm in from her weighing too much. I cry every night cause I literally can't move to toss and turn or get up to pee cause of the pain. So instead of any kind of pain meds he gives me ambien. Anyone else taken this drug??

[TARA1178]

Well, good luck!  That is probably most definately why they didn't want to give you anything for the pain!  I had PIH with my 3rd son and got induced 3 weeks early with him as well, so I know kind of what you are going through, but I know when you have the baby it will be a marveloous feeling!  Good luck!

Tara

[mommy2besoon]

I'm actually in the hospital right now for preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. So yeah.... they are planning to deliver me Wednesday so I guess that is why they don't want to give me narcotics.

[TARA1178]

Hi, I just wanted to drop a little note to you.  I have taken this medication before.  It worked pretty well, as regular Ambien is formulated only to put you in the deep stages of sleep for about 4 hours, so usually (not all the time becuase of course everyone is defferent and responds differently) when you wake up in the morning you aren't all hung over like you are sometimes when you take like Benedryl or something.  I was on it for a while, and then I changed doctors and he changed me to Trazodone.  I do not take any of those anymore since I found out that I was pregnant, but I do know that Trazodone is usually ok to take when you are pregnant, or so I have read.  I have been diagnosed with horrible insomnia, so that's how I know these things.  My opinion would be that if your doctor gave you the perscription knowing that you are pregnant, than it should be alright.  The reason why it has not been tested in pregnancy is because they do not approve medication trials on pregnant women....The only bad side effect that I can say that I experienced and also have heard from other people who have been on this medication is that it sometimes will cause abnesia (or amnesia, I am not sure of the spelling, lol)  in some cases.  There was one case that I heard of from a lady that was on the Army base here next to me that she actually got up and went out to her car and began driving around on base, and had no idea!  That was kind of scary, but hwat I experienced was definately not that extreme.  The only thing that happened to me would be when I took it, and I started to get really sleepy, I would wake up the next morning and not remember going to bed, or anything, I would actually have conversations with my husband and not remember a thing about it!  My best advice would be if you have a strong negative feeling about it, then don't take it.  And when you go to your doctor's appointment next, dicuss your concerns with him, and make sure that he understands that it's not the fact of insomnia that's bothering you but it's the pain, and you would like him to give you something to manage that.  I know that taking pain medication during pregnancy is usually safe, as long as you don't take it like the whole time you are pregnant, and it won't do anything to the baby if you take it for a long period of time, it's just that when you have the baby it will go through withdrawls after birth...that's why they don't like you to take it for extended periods of time.  Good luck to you, and remember, in the end it's ultimately your decision, and gut feelings are always right.

Tara

[JoyRenee]

Oh and I want to add this quote from the link I gave you:

None of the animal studies suggested that Ambien caused birth defects.

It is important to note that animals do not always respond to medicines the same way that humans do. Therefore, a pregnancy Category C medicine may be given to a pregnant woman if the healthcare provider believes that the benefits to the woman outweigh any possible risks to the unborn child.

[JoyRenee]

To be honest- this question is great for the pharmacist. Double-check with the pharmacist and ask what class the drug is. In fact I'll do a quick search right now to see if I can find out the "class" of the drug.

Do not increase your dose, take it more frequently or use it for a longer period of time than prescribed because this drug can be habit-forming. If this drug is used for an extended period of time, do not suddenly stop using it without your doctor's approval. Some conditions may become worse when the drug is abruptly stopped. Your dose may need to be gradually decreased.

This medication should be used during pregnancy only if clearly needed. Discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor.

Use of AMBIEN during pregnancy is not recommended and should be considered only if your physician determines it is needed. Sleep medicines may cause sedation of the unborn baby when used during the last weeks of pregnancy.

And finally I found this link:
http://insomnia.emedtv.com/ambien/ambien-during-pregnancy.html

It is a Class C drug, meaning it has not been tested on humans. But during animal clinical trials the drug did cause problems with the animals' unborn babies.