Morning sleepiness w/Diclegis (Unisom+B6)

By MrsADS Jan 27, 2015

Hi all, my OB just gave my some samples of Diclegis and a RX to try for my nausea. I have been taking Zofran which works ok but gives me terrible constipation so she wants me to try this.

I am going to start by just taking it at night, but I'm pretty sensitive to meds/sleeping pills so I am a little worried I am not going to be able to get up in the morning and go to work! I am thinking tonight I will take it super early, like at 7pm, to give my body time to sleep?

What did you do? How did it affect you? Were you super sleepy the next day?

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22 comments

oliviaoblivia
pineapple / 12793 posts

Jan 27, 2015

I couldn't handle the drowsiness, it made it hard for me to do my job so I chose the nausea.
Banana330
nectarine / 2317 posts

Jan 27, 2015

@MrsADS: It made me a bit drowsy the first few days.. then I got use to it and no issue... I started on a thurs, by monday I was fine.
mrsjyw
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22646 posts

Jan 27, 2015

I take b6+unisom at nighttime just before I sleep, it hasn't affected my morning wakes, but the couple times I woke up to pee in the MOTN or to tend to DS if he woke, it was HARD to get out of bed. Body was so heavy.

I get really drowsy on meds too and it hasn't been as bad I expected. I only take the one dose and it helps me to get through the following day.
meredithNYC
pomegranate / 3314 posts

Jan 27, 2015

I took four pills/day - one morning, one afternoon, two before bed. I suppose I was a little sleepy, but definitely nothing drastic.
SleepyMonkey
grapefruit / 4006 posts

Jan 27, 2015

The first week i was on unisom and b6, it was really hard to wake up i felt very drowsy for the first couple of hours in the day. But my body got used to it and i felt fine after that first week. But when i went off it, i had a hard time sleeping soundly thru the night.
blackbird
wonderful grape / 20453 posts

Jan 27, 2015

Totally unphased by it when I only took 2 pills at night. I kinda figured, if i was tired, it was from being pregnant, not the meds
Iced Tea
persimmon / 1310 posts

Jan 28, 2015

I'm pretty sensitive to meds too. I think your plan is good.

I was tired the first few days but got used to it pretty quickly. Eventually I was on the max dose and was functional. Certainly a lot more functional than with severe nausea all day!

Just a note though: it took a little time to start to work, so give it time. You might have to increase the dose too. I hope it works well for you.
MrsADS
nectarine / 2262 posts

Jan 28, 2015

Thanks all. I have a long AM commute so I can't really be sleepy for it. I am going to wait and take the first dose Friday night and see how I do over the weekend.
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eggplant / 11716 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@MrsADS: maybe it's just because my nausea is so, so awful......but I take 3 full unisom tabs a day and I still function just fine, or....better than if I were "just nauseous", which for me is like, laying on the bathroom floor, unable to function, crying with the sweats, dizzy when I stand, kind of thing.

I am tired constantly. I started with half tabs for a couple of weeks and then moved to full tabs when my body got used to the halves.
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eggplant / 11716 posts

Jan 28, 2015

eta: I also take the Reglan at the same time, which also causes sleepiness. Again, the benefits for me outweight the tiredness. I can't function when all I can do is lay on the bathroom floor wanting to die, but I can function if I'm just yawning occasionally. Now (6 weeks into taking it), I don't even notice a tired effect anymore.

Really, I just notice my degrees of nausea 24/7 and all my other bodily feelings are diminished somehow, haha. That's a sad haha.
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eggplant / 11716 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@MrsADS: I wouldn't wait! But again, I get so sick I can't function, so I guess it depends on your degree of nausea. I started taking it on a work day, and then added the Reglan also on a workday.

The first day I took them together was a day I had two back-to-back 1 hour presentations in front of adults, and I was just happy I wasn't throwing up.....so I didn't have time to notice anything else, I guess.
macintosh
pear / 1750 posts

Jan 28, 2015

I took Diclegis at night and sometimes in the day at the beginning of my MS. It definitely made me sleepy when I took it during the day - I was told not to drive but I did a few times anyway. I was pretty sleepy in the mornings, too.

I started taking Zofran during the day because I needed something stronger. I agree, the constipation sucks.

You may want to start with one Diclegis at night first and see how you do.
MrsADS
nectarine / 2262 posts

Jan 29, 2015

Thanks all. Tuesday afternoon and yesterday (until bedtime) I seemed to feel a lot better so I was like, "Oh! M/S going away! I won't take the Diclegis."

... so of course, I was up for 3 hours in the night sick, I feel like crap today, so I should have started it Tuesday. I'm going to start it tonight. But I'm hopeful maybe the fact I had 1.5 "good" days means that it is starting to decrease?

I am taking Zofran as needed which helps (and doesn't make me sleepy) but on Tuesday my doctor was freaked out that my constipation is so severe I am going to get a bowel obstruction So she wants me to try the diclegis.
MrsADS
nectarine / 2262 posts

Jan 31, 2015

I took my 1st dose Thursday night, tired Friday but still sick...

Took my 2nd dose last night and I am so sick this morning.

How long did it take for this med to work for you? Or am I going to have to go back on Zofran?
Iced Tea
persimmon / 1310 posts

Jan 31, 2015

@MrsADS: My midwife said you need to take it a week for it reach full effectiveness. Also your morning sickness may be worse now and you may need to up your dose. She told me I could up the dose daily until I saw enough relief or reached the max dose. The weekend would be a good time to up the dose, since the sleepiness would be less of a concern. Hope you feel better soon!
Cole
grapefruit / 4649 posts

Jan 31, 2015

@MrsADS: I had to take it every night for awhile before it helped- and really I just took the edge off. A lot of people also get used to the medication and the tiredness goes away.

If you go back to zofran, ask about taking magnesium with it. I was told to take 500-1000 mg per day and it totally counterbalanced the constipation, I was on a low dose though.
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eggplant / 11716 posts

Jan 31, 2015

@MrsADS: how much are you taking? And is it just at night?

Because of the severity of my nausea, I find that it only makes a difference for about 4 hours, but I try to only take it every 6. I take it at 8 am, 2 pm, and 7-8pm. Then I take the Reglan about 2 hours after the Unisom. Most days I can function on just those...

But on my really bad days, I also end up taking 8 mgs Zofran around 12 pm that kind of lasts till my 8 pm dose of unisom. I wake up each morning just feeling mildly nauseous but by 8 am I am fully nauseous and by 2 pm I am really really sick and I get worse with each passing hour until I go to bed at night.

Just keep playing around with when you take it and how much--hopefully you can find something that helps you.
spaniellove
honeydew / 7916 posts

Jan 31, 2015

@MrsADS: From what I remember, Diclegis isn't a subsitute for Zofran if your nausea is so severe that you actually need the Zofran. Is there anything else they can try for the constipation?
MrsADS
nectarine / 2262 posts

Feb 1, 2015

Thanks guys. Last night was night #3 of taking the Diclegis and I have to say this morning I do not feel nearly as bad. Not great but an improvement for sure. I'm almost afraid to say anything in case I jinx myself!!

So, I guess I will keep taking it. It makes me so tired during the day, though. I just feel like I'm walking through mud up to my hips all day, moving so slow. It's going to be hard going to work feeling like this, but I guess it's better than being sick and miserable. And I hope the sleepiness will get better in a few days once my body adjusts. I don't think I could take this during the day and go to work, though.

I have also resigned myself that if I have to take Zofran occasionally to get through the worst of it, it's okay. My GI gave me the green light for up to 4 doses a day of Miralax so I am hitting that stuff hard and the constipation is much better (I actually went so much yesterday I lost 3.5 lbs ).
BSB
hostess / wonderful apple seed / 16729 posts

Feb 24, 2015

Just started taking it. First dose was last night around 1am. This morning, I'm dragging! It felt like I was carrying 5 lb weights on each shoulder. Good news is that the nausea went away, though I do get the dry heaves but it's happened twice so far which is far better than yesterday! But exhaustion is pretty bad. I think my mistake was taking the pill so late. I'll take it earlier tonight. Oh, I'm so happy to have my appetite back! I ate a bagel with cream cheese. So good!!
ValentineMommy
pomelo / 5791 posts

Feb 27, 2015

I'm starting it tonight after 18w of nausea. I can't take it anymore. I'm really hoping I'm not a zombie in the morning!!!
spaniellove
honeydew / 7916 posts

Feb 27, 2015

Ugh my heart goes out to you guys.

@bluestriped bee: @ValentineMommy: Fingers crossed for you both that it works great for you guys!