Ambien During Pregnancy

I don't have a response I just wanted to see what others have to say because my doctor wanted to give me something too to help me sleep as I am in my last 5 weeks of pregnancy and recently found out my husband had an affair so we are getting a divorce but it makes it very hard for me to sleep at night and I need sleep! Good luck.

I was prescribed Ambien during my pg. but did not take it because I could not verify if it was safe or not. It is also in a class of drugs that is generally considered not safe. It is a relatively new drug so any long-term side effects would not be apparent now. There are other safe, approved sleep aids available.

I wouldn't take it, as #1, no matter what others have perceived in their or their child's health using it, you & yours are unique and may react differently. #2, Chemical drugs always have side effects.
There are natural choices for the sleep problem :)
Be well,
Liz

If they are giving it to you I wouldnt worry. I am one of those people though that if the doc says it is ok I will do it. They gave it to me after I delivered my third because I was having bad spinal headaches and literally didnt sleep for almost 48 hours because of that. I would discuss your concerns with your doc. How long will you be in the hospital on bed rest? that would be awful. I was in the hospital with my first for four days because of preterm labor and went nuts I could only imagine being there longer would send anyone over the edge!!good luck my thoughts are with you.

http://www.safefetus.com/DrugDetail.asp?DrugId=148&Tr...
plenty of doctors and nurses have given or advised i be given something unsafe during pregnancy, and that includes my midwife who said a particular drug was given to pregnant women with a certain condition i have. it's not. it's a class x drug. always always always question that sort of thing. there are books available that will tell you what drugs are safe during pregnancy and what is not, and are more accurate than what doctors and nurses can pull out of their heads.
you can request that you take unisom instead. unisom has been used in pregnancy for quite some time, for both morning sickness and for insomnia. it is a class b drug for pregnancy, and if you are worried about the ambien (which it sounds like you are or you wouldn't have asked here) then you have every right to request something different. it is your health and your baby's health, after all.

Hi A.

I too took ambien for sometime and it did great for me, but I stopped when I became pregnant. on a different note.. Drs 'to me' have become pill pushers.. and dont really know alot about the drugs they perscribe. just the tier they are in concerning safety.with my first son i had ppd mildly but they put me on antidepressants. when I became pregnant again. I was told they were safe to continue. the benifits outweigh the risks yadda yada we my son has irriversable damage now thanks to my DRS and those pills. he will be going in for heart surgury soon.. so my opinion. no drug is safe during pregnancy dispite what the Drs say.. they work for the pharmacuticals not us.. believe me.. I have done tremendus homework and reading since and the FDA the DRS and PHIZER and all them cannot be trusted.. its all about money and getting those drugs out there. I KNOW I sound bitter maybe . but I HAVE first hand experince with this. and its a nightmare knowing my sons lil heart needs fixed..on top of some other issues he has. like juvinile arthritis. speech delay..believe me.. those drugs are not safe. and do u really want to take the chance..

I wouldn't take it! My md suggested UNISOM - over the counter.. He said it has been tested.

A.,
I too am one of those types that if the Dr. says its o.k. I just trust...but with that being said...I was given a very low dose (5mg, I think) of Ambien during the last few months of my last pregnancy because I couldn't sleep and I tried it, never having taken any type of sleep aid before, and it made me wake up with a start and I was unable to go back to sleep. I hated the way it made me feel!

So please just pay close attention to your body and your mind and always remember that any type of medication you put into your body has the ability to efect you differently than it may others.....no matter if they say its safe or not.

K.

I took ambien throughout both of my pregnancies with now side effects to the babies!

I took it while nursing and didn't see any negative effects on my daughter. And I took Unisom all through my pregnancy with no negative side effects too. I think you're safe.

If you're in the hospital and receiving this drug under your ob's care, I'm sure it's within safe limits. Talk to them, ask them the questions. Tell them your fears and/or concerns. I don't know if it's addictive, to where you develop a need for it, so you may want to talk to them about after you deliver, will it transfer to your breast milk if you decide to nurse? All pertinent questions. Ask away!! Enjoy the rest and 'room service' while you have it. Life will be very busy very soon!! Here's to a happy, healthy deliver and baby!!!

The same thing happened to me with my second pregnancy and my baby is now 6 months old and doing great. I am always leary about taking medication prescribed or not, but I realized that there was no way I could deliver a baby without the rest which is why I gave in and took it.

Hang in there and warm wishes to you and your family!

I took it during my second and 3rd pregnancies. It really made a big difference in my sleep. I actually SLEPT! I wasn't in the hospital but I just couldn't sleep at night because I was so big. The only thing about it is that you can't take it the night before your delivery (if you know it ahead of time - in my case it was a planned c-section) because even though it doesn't affect the baby while you're pregnant, it does go into breast milk and makes your baby sleep too. More than she needs to and makes it hard for her to stay awake to nurse. I would go ahead and take it and plan to stop as soon as you go into labor or the day before you have a c-section.

The night I went into labor with our first son, I wasn't dilating, so the doctor sent me home :( They gave me Ambien, saying it would either help me sleep off the feelings of contractions or help my body relax so they would come harder. It did the latter, and we delivered him less than 4 hours later. The Ambien made the labor really nice, as I slept in between contractions, and was more relaxed, helping the labor go faster. It didn't have any negative side effects to either me or the baby. His heart rate was great, and he was nice and strong. I hope you have a good experience with it, too. Take care!

I would talk to the pharmasist on staff their with your concerns. they are valid concerns and that might help you to resolve some of them! Best of luck to you! I am sorry you are on bedrest too. That must be difficult.