Nausea and vomiting during early pregnancy is common, affecting about 60-80% of women during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. The symptoms can be mild, moderate, or severe. If you have severe symptoms (six hours of nausea and more than five episodes of vomiting or retching per day) or are experiencing weight loss or dehydration (e.g., infrequent urination, dark urine), you should see your doctor as soon as possible.

If you have nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, you should see your Rexall Pharmacist. They will assess your condition and ensure that you do not have symptoms that would be better treated by a doctor. In addition to discussing treatment options, your Rexall Pharmacist will discuss non-drug options for managing nausea and vomiting in pregnancy with you. Suggestions may include eating frequent small meals with bland food, including before getting out of bed in the morning, avoiding spicy foods that could trigger nausea, taking frequent naps and rests, and drinking small amounts of fluids regularly between meals.

Your Rexall Pharmacist may be able to prescribe medication that will help you to manage mild or moderate nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. Mild nausea and vomiting (one or fewer hours of nausea with two or fewer instances of vomiting or retching per day) is often treated with pyridoxine or ginger tablets. Moderate nausea and vomiting is often treated with a prescription medication containing a combination of an antihistamine (doxylamine) and pyridoxine, or different antihistamine tablets (dimenhydrinate, diphenhydramine, or promethazine). Your Rexall Pharmacist will discuss the pros and cons of the medication options with you and together you can decide which one would be best for you. Always be sure to check in with your Rexall Pharmacist right away if you are experiencing any bothersome side effects.