Cardiac Drugs During Pregnancy and Lactation

Abstract

Fifty to 80% of pregnant women suffer from nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (NVP), also known as morning sickness; ranging from mild discomfort to hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). The treatment options for NVP range from conservative measures, such as reassurance and diet manipulation in the mildly symptomatic women, to drug therapy and if necessary, in severe and intractable cases, total parenteral nutrition or even therapeutic pregnancy termination. Drug free treatments, including acupuncture, acupressure, ginger and hypnosis are also presented. Medicinal therapy addressed in this chapter includes vitamins such as pyridoxine, dopamine antagonists, serotonin antagonists, antihistamines and corticosteroids.