Expert: Lawrence Jay Rappaport <B>M.D.</B> - 8/20/2004
Question My wife is 35 and pregnant with her 2nd child. We had our first visit with her OBGYN and learned she is about 6 1/2 weeks along. The first day of her last menstrual period was July 2nd. My wife has horrible nausea and morning (all day) sickness. She also had this with the birth of her first child 11 years ago. It got so bad that she had to take a leave of absence during her pregnancy. Her OBGYN gave her a prescription of Zofran orally disintegrating and told her it would be OK to use as needed (when it gets pretty bad). How safe is Zofran and how frequently can/should it be used, if at all during pregnancy?
Answer Morning sickness will disappear by 16 weeks gestation. Until then, it is very frustrating. However, nausea and vomiting is common in early pregnancy. Zofran is safe for use throughout pregnancy and can be taken every 4 hours whenever you are nauseated or are vomiting. (There is always the risk of vomiting it back up, but there is not much else to do). Zofran should get your to the end of morning sickness. Good Luck.
