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599316 tn?1256921613

Which meds to stop contractions (preterm)has less side effects? Epidural make you sick?

For preterm labors whats the best med to get at the hospital to stop contractions? And the best i mean not as much nausea or vomiting. No nausea or vomiting if possible! I am going to refuse magnesium sulfate from research i found that can be harmful to the baby and myself. And the list was pretty long.  Also did the epidural make you sick?? Do you use the epidural for c sections too? Thanks! I will suffer being sick if its what it takes but im going to try not too lol
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Avatar universal
There is the mag sulfate, then a pill called procardia and a shot/pill call tributaline, I've had all three and none stop the contractions I'm only 29 weeks and been I'm the hospital for 3 weeks
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Avatar universal
I just got home after being in the hospital for three days for preterm labor. The first thing my doctor gave me was an oral prescription for Nifedipine to take every 4 hours. That didn't work so I went into the family birth center where I was promptly admitted (I was 34.6 weeks). I was given my first shot of tribudaline along with my IV for fluids. It turns out I was severly dehydrated but they saline solution nor the tribudaline stopped my contractions, they increased from 5 minutes apart to 2 minutes apart, but weren't painful, just uncomfortable. The tribudaline was given to me in pill form every 4 hours. At the end of my first 24 hours my doctor decided to give me the steriod shots even though they don't typically give them after 34.0 weeks. In order to give the steriods time to work, I needed to be given magnesium.
So I was hooked up the the magnesium at 4 grams an hour for the first hour and then it was turned down to 2 grams an hour. Other than the magnesium being incredibly painful at the IV injection site (it felt like someone was ripping out my bones with a meat hook) I didn't have any major symptoms at first. I did have some flushing and felt really hot at times but ice packs cooled me down. I felt soooo very thirsty, like I hadn't drank in weeks, but my IV was keeping me completely hydrated. When my contractions came back, they gave me my second steroid shot at 12 hours instead of 24 and increased my doasge of magnesium up to 3 grams an hour. You're only supposed to be on magnesium for 24 hours because it can really mess with you system. The last hour I was on it (I was on for a full 24 hours) I got really sick and couldn't eat or drink. I felt like I was going to die. But as soon as they unplugged me I started to cool off and my appetite came back. I just took a long cool bath in the jet tub, drank a bunch of water, had a sandwich, took ambien and the nurses let me go to bed. I was able to eat and drink whatever I wanted while I was on magnesium, but I did have to stay either in bed or sitting in the rocking chair for a little bit at a time.
The only side effects I have this morning after being off magnesium for 16 hours is my chest hurts, but that should go away soon.
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599316 tn?1256921613
I guess it doesnt seem as bad as i thought. I just wont eat until its worn off. Takes 6 hours to completely get out of your system? When i had ectopic surgery they wouldnt let me eat from 4pm to 11am the next day. They were hardly in so i think they just forgot. Then started on liquids could only eat a total of one chicken soup a day then few bites of solids a day. Took a week or 2 to eat somewhat normal again. I have IBS irritable bowel syndrom so that was the main reason.  I just wont eat or drink till 6 hours are up lol Then start on liquids to get my stomach use to food again. thanks, that was really helpful!
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561451 tn?1257476350
The magnesium sulfate makes you kind of feel like, well let's say this..  I was laying in the bed and like everything is moving really fast but slow at the same time, it's kind of a cool feeling LOL  But you sleep a lot.  Something I needed at the time lol...  While your on that they only let you have ice chips.  no food, nothing to drink.  Because it'll make you sick.  Now You can ask for nausea medicine while on it!!  I think you may need it more when they removed the iv from that, and your coming off of it.  They will tell you to go ahead and eat whatever you want, but take my word, Eat like 1 cracker an hour for 5 hours....With little sips of water.  I was thirsty to I chugged it, LOL  that's the only reason I got sick.  But after 6 hours your fine!  Now the shot for lung development, is for the baby!  You get it in your butt cheek, LOL  One on each side.  It's to help the babies lungs speed up in development, if for sure the baby will come early.  It helps the baby and doesn't do anything to you, and where they put the shot on you is so it travels faster to the baby!

I hope you can make it to 32 weeks.  But it may require bed rest too, and if you get told to do bed rest make sure you listen to the doctor about it, it's stressful because you want to move, but it's soley to help keep the baby in!

So I will write down, the name of the diagnoses for your uterus, and questions about meds, and about the heart palpatations.  The breathing thing, sort of sounds like asthma.  But that's a quick and easy breathing test into a tube at a doctors office.  

Ahaha I have a lot of info on pre-term labor because my doctor gave me tons of books to read about it, lol...It's very helpful when you have a history of it!  :)  I am more than happy to help out!
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599316 tn?1256921613
oh my goodness lol I never heard complaints from the epidrual, but everyone is different not to mention what the body is going through. id be throwing up with 24 hours of no food eaither lol I cant even go an hour!
Helpful - 0
568659 tn?1256139982
Ugh, I got so sick from the epidural, I was throwing up as I was pushing. I hadn't eaten in over 24 hours though so it was mainly dry heaving. The nurse had me squatting on the bed holding onto a bar positioned over my head and they put a bucket by my face. Since I was completely numb from the waist down it took three people to help me keep stable.  I don't regret getting it though.
Helpful - 0
599316 tn?1256921613
Wow you def gave alot of info. Like i said before i will do what i have to do to fight for the baby. But sometimes ithink is the risk really worth taking if its not going to help the baby and affect me long term. Ive had heart palpitaitons for the past 3 years )flutters/pounding in chest) and 6 months ago started slight breathing problems that are now worse in pregnancy(still mild but more frequent) I dont have insurance for heart care so i dont know how im going to figure that one out.


So you just feel like your speeding when your on magnesium and then its comming off when you get sick? When is it safe to eat a drink to be able to not throw up? can they give you nasuea meds? And the shot for the lungs..... i never heard that, does that affect you or the baby? Man, now im nervous lol The magnesium just sounds so awful. Well lets just hope everything goes good and i make it to at least 32 weeks. Yeah thats would be great! I have to go to a comm health clinic until I get my second insurance interview which isnt or another 2 weeks. So the doctor i have now doesnt seem to talk much or isnt specialized in high risk.  When i i found out, i was at the ER for bleeding and you know they dont tell you much. He was in and out. They didnt specialize in pregnancies though. He told me to go to anotehr hospital next time. Youve been so much help! Thank you.
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561451 tn?1257476350
Here is what I will do for you!

I will write down the name of your uterus shape or whatever you call it, and I will talk to my doctor.  He specializes in high risk pregnancies, and since i'm a high risk person and all, he'll answer it.  I go to see him next week, so as soon as I find out I will let you know.

I'll ask for a list of all the medicines too, and see if there is a way to get around the magnesium sulfate.  Is this alright with you?
Helpful - 0
561451 tn?1257476350
On magnesium sulfate you can't eat or drink!  But they wont give you the others unless you've had magnesium sulfate!  But they'll likely keep you in the hospital, and the hospital will feed you.  

If your water breaks obviously you'll have the babies.

If your more then 5 cms, they wont beable to stop your labor!

It *****!  But that's how it works.  You may not beable to get the shots to speed up the lung development though with out the magnesium sulfate.  Those shots are two shots, give exactly 24 hours after each other.  That's all they had me on it for, was purely for the shots.  Then when you come off of it, they will give you one medicine, to see if it'll keep your contractions from coming back, and if that doesn't work they move to the next!

If the baby is born at 5 months, and you refeused the magnesium sulfate to get the shots, there is a higher chance that the baby wont make it.  I mean being born at 5 months there is a high chance, but it'll be higher you know what I mean?  

Best thing to do, is talk to your doctor about it.  In my state, if your before 32 weeks, and you show up to a hospital that isn't a childrens hospital or the biggest hospital that has the nicu that will take a preemie baby before then, in the ambulance they automatically hook you up to it, because thats what their trained to do.  

What I would do, ask your doctor about getting a cerclage, it's a stitch to keep you from dialating.  That way your water can't break, and you can't dialate until they remove it.  They have to do it before your 5 cm dialated too, but the earlier you get it the better.  
Helpful - 0
599316 tn?1256921613
Do they make you eat food? I still wanna refuse magnesium due to the side effects with the baby. I know people say it wont happen but they do. The other meds didnt seem as bad for the baby though. I dont know i guess i just dont feel comfortable taking those drugs with the baby when you cant even take sinus medicine lol Any other ideas that have less effects on baby or mother?
Helpful - 0
561451 tn?1257476350
Now I am remembering why about the preterm labor!  I am so out of it.  If you go into labor at five months, there isn't going to be much you can do.  I am sorry!  It doesn't make you sick, you wont be up and moving except to go to the bathroom, and even then it's not completely throwing up.  It's more like a feeling of moving too fast.  When you start to get sick from it is when your coming off of it, and their telling you to eat food.  Ahaha, omg I came off of it, and I ate a cracker, just 1 and down 3 glasses of water because I was thirsty and the water made me throw up.  But they don't let you eat, or drink water while your on it.  All you get is a measured amount of ice chips every so hours.  But they do that help slow it down so you can get the shots to speed up the baby's lung development.
Helpful - 0
561451 tn?1257476350
Oh this is the name of the shot, tribudaline.  But they don't ask you if you want any of these meds, they give them to you!  


This is why they use it, and when...


Why It Is Used
Some hospitals use magnesium sulfate for preterm labor.2 Magnesium sulfate may be used to stop preterm labor when:

Labor needs to be delayed for 24 to 48 hours to:
Let corticosteroids given to the mother help fetal lungs mature.
Provide time to move a mother to a hospital that offers neonatal intensive care, if her local hospital does not.
Regular contractions of the uterus have thinned (effaced) the cervix and opened (dilated) it less than 4cm, and the mother's amniotic sac has not broken.
The mother is healthy.
The fetus is alive and not in distress.
Another tocolytic medication has not slowed uterine contractions.
The mother is at risk of suffering serious side effects of beta-sympathetic medications (ritodrine and terbutaline) due to conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, or lung disease.
Treatment with other tocolytic medications has been stopped because of side effects.
Helpful - 0
561451 tn?1257476350
magnesium sulfate didn't do anything to my son.  They will give you a show to stop contractions , drawing a blank on what it's called.  But I don't think you can refuse the magnesium sulfate either.  It's the only thing to completely stop you, and if that doesn't stop you your having you baby regardless.  

I was on it for 2 days 3 nights, and they gave me this pill, can't remember what it's called, but it's also for blood pressure, to lower it.  If the magnesium sulfate completely stops your contractions they'd give you this pill!  HOWEVER I think if you try to refuse the magnesium sulfate, which they will only give you if it's before 8 months, you'll be STUCK in the hospital until you have your baby!

I wouldn't know about the epidural, or c-section.  I had my daughter at 34w1d and my son at 35w.

Do you have a history of pre-term labor?  I'm kind of curious what makes you think you'll be going into it, if you don't have a history that is
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363110 tn?1340920419
debgunn~ I have no clue about what stops preterm labor. however I had a spinal for my csection and it went fine. I didn't get a spinal headache or feel sick or anything. Breathing was kind of hard at first, it felt like there was a weight on my chest however other than that it was fine.
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