Cyclizine
Risk Factor: B
Class: GASTROINTESTINAL AGENTS
/ Antiemetics
Contents of this page:
Fetal Risk Summary
Breast Feeding Summary
References
Questions and Answers
Fetal Risk Summary
Cyclizine is a piperazine antihistamine that is used as an antiemetic (see also Buclizine and Meclizine for closely related drugs). The drug is teratogenic in animals but apparently not in humans. In 111 patients given cyclizine during the 1st trimester, no increased malformation rate was observed (1). Similarly, the Collaborative Perinatal Project found no association between 1st trimester cyclizine use and congenital defects, although the number of exposed patients (N=15) was small compared to the total sample (2). The Food and Drug Administration's OTC Laxative Panel acting on this data concluded that cyclizine is not teratogenic (3). In 1974, investigators searching for an association between antihistamines and oral clefts found no relationship between this defect and the cyclizine group (4). Finally, a retrospective study in 1971 found that significantly fewer infants with malformations were exposed to antihistamines/antiemetics in the 1st trimester as compared to controls (5). Cyclizine was the fifth most commonly used antiemetic.
An association between exposure during the last 2 weeks of pregnancy to antihistamines in general and retrolental fibroplasia in premature infants has been reported. See Brompheniramine for details.
Breast Feeding Summary
No data are available.
References
- Milkovich L, Van den Berg BJ. An evaluation of the teratogenicity of certain antinauseant drugs. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1976;125:2448.
- Heinonen OP, Slone D, Shapiro S. Birth Defects and Drugs in Pregnancy. Littleton, MA:Publishing Sciences Group, 1977:323.
- Anonymous. Meclizine; cyclizine not teratogenic. Pink Sheets. FDC Rep 1974:T&G-2.
- Saxen I. Cleft palate and maternal diphenhydramine intake. Lancet 1974;1:4078.
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Nelson MM, Forfar JO. Associations between drugs administered during pregnancy and congenital abnormalities of the fetus. Br Med J 1971;1:5237.
Questions and Answers
Have you taken 'cyclizine' while pregnant? Hi, I am suffering from dehydration due to all my lovely pregnancy sickness!!! im sick morning noon and night, its terrible, im not keeping anything down not even fluids, this has been for about a week now, I was at the hospital this morning after my doc sent me up to see the gynaecologist and she wants me to take these 'cyclizine' anti-sickness tablets, i told her I wasn't happy about taking them but she said if I didn't she would be admitting me to hospital and putting me on a drip and an injection of these tablets.
Was just wondering if anyone else has taken these and how did you get on, im only 6 1/2 weeks and unfortunately have sickness the whole of my pregnancies, i've been hospitalised in both my previous pregnancies due to dehydration but with 2 children now at home I really cant be going into hospital and leaving them
Hiya im 25 weeks and 2 days and i have been taking Cyclizine practically everyday through my pregnancy i started being sick before i was due to start my period! i have been in hospital on the drip and had to have the injections and when i ran out of tablets i ended up back in there once again on a drip so they gave them me again! believe me these tablets are a god send! i was the same as you worried but i was so ill when i wasnt taking them! i could hardly walk i was that ill and weak! and as for food nothing would stay down! i have tried having days off them and i just start with the sickness all over again! i know can eat i have a huge bump and a very healthy active baby he doesnt stop moving all day long so dont worry your dr wouldnt give you them if he thought they would do harm ont forget you have to stay healthy to and believe me if you dont take them and you are constantly ill that will be worse for you and the baby!
good luck.xx
Hello im a 20 year old female 3 months pregnant, is cyclizine harmfull to my baby??? Im suffering from real bad morning sickness which leaves me dehydrated and having to go into hospital for iv fluids and anti sickness injections. One doctor however told me that cyclizine and other anti sickness tablets can cause damage to my baby. I just wanted to hear from anyone going through the same condition as me and whether they have been told the same. Cyclizine really helps with my sickness and wish to continue but worried of what that doctor has said. Would love to hear from anyone. Thanks, Victoria......
i had horible morning sickness before and wanted to take something to help it.. i mean it was like the worse and my doctor told me that it can be toxic to my baby ... so i just dealt with the nausea and hoped that it would go away sooner or later and it went away when i was about 14-16 weeks.. Cyclizine is in the FDA pregnancy category B. This means that it is unlikely to harm an unborn baby..this is my first baby so i was very paranoid and didnt want to do anything that would harm the baby .. so i just used Non-pharmacological measures like .. Small, frequent, high-carbohydrate, low-fat cold meals, Plain or ginger biscuits about 20 minutes before getting up,Avoiding any food or smells that trigger symptoms,Avoid caffeine and alcohol, and crackers.. also found this info hope it helps
Animal studies have reported teratogenicity with cyclizine but data from human studies have not indicated an increase in malformations after fetal cyclizine exposure. The studies include data on 111 mothers given cyclizine during the first trimester, a small cohort in the Collaborative Perinatal Project and retrospective studies, that did not find a significant association between first trimester exposure to antihistamines (including cyclizine) and malformations (14). No association between oral clefts and cyclizine exposure in the first trimester was found in a study of 599 children
I'm 4 months pregnant and I have very achey feet, with swollen...? Hi,
I'm 4 months pregnant and my feet are constantly aching. It's been like this for the last couple of weeks but I thought nothing of it. On the inside of each foot, more or less in the middle is where it's really aching, and when I walk much, it seems to slightly swell up too. I'm a big walker so it's causing problems!
My general health is okay, I'm a little overweight, morning sickness is extreme. I'm on Escitalopram tablets and Cyclizine for morning sickness.
Worrying now, so any help appreciated.
What do I do about swollen feet?
Because gravity plays a big role in swelling, elevate your feet at least three to four times a day. When lying on a sofa or in bed, prop your feet up on pillows; when sitting in a chair, place your feet on a footstool. (This also helps prevent back pain.) Here are some more tips:
•Don't sit for long periods of time. Make it a point to get up and walk for a few minutes of every hour.
•Wear full-length support stockings as often as possible, and avoid socks with tight bands around the calf or ankle.
•Exercise helps. Water aerobics are ideal because the "hydrostatic" pressure helps distribute fluids that have pooled in your feet.
•Ask your partner, if you have one, to give you a foot massage. It will increase circulation and help disperse the edema.
•Increase your fluid intake. It seems counterintuitive, but the more water you drink, the less swelling and water retention you'll experience.
•Don't squeeze your feet into ill-fitting shoes.
Will my feet go back to their "normal" size after pregnancy?
Usually. Even though the fluid-related swelling will disappear within a few days of delivering your baby, some women find that their feet are as much as a size larger following a pregnancy. For that you can blame the hormone relaxin. Relaxin helps loosen your pelvic joints in preparation for your baby's journey down the birth canal.
Can swollen feet ever be a sign that something is wrong?
Some swelling in your feet during pregnancy is normal, but if it appears abruptly or if you notice that you are also getting swelling in your hands at the same time, call your health-care provider immediately: These could be signs of preeclampsia, a type of pregnancy-related high blood pressure than can be very dangerous. You should be aware, too, that diuretics to reduce water retention are considered unsafe for pregnant women, unless they are advised by a physician to treat preeclampsia.
is cyclizine safe? hi there im eleven weeks pregnant and have been haveing really bad sickness carnt keep anything down not even water and after weeks of suffering i went to the doctors and she prescribed me cyclizine to help with the sickness but ive read that it can be dangerous to the baby but then ive heard it carnt harm the baby im so confussed anyone else taken these and everything been ok i know the doctor wouldnt give me anything that could harm the baby but after a misscarge i just panick
cyclizine (valoid) is used world wide for sickness in pregnancy. It is considered safe as there have never been any reports of detrimental effects on fetuses.
we use it all the time in the uk
no drug manufacturer will ever claim that it's drug is safe to use in pregnancy, not ever.
9 weeks pregnant - morning sickness suddenly stopping!!? Hi everyone. I am 9 and a half weeks pregnant with my first baby and ever since christmas day i have stopped being sick. I have been being sick since 6 weeks and it has been terrible. The doctor perscribed me with cyclizine tablets and said it was hyperemis. Im usually sick around 6 times a day and feel incredibly weak. Although im not complaining that the sickness has stopped i am worried that something maybe wrong. On christmas eve i was sick 5 times right up until midnight and then christmas day nothing. I had a scan at 8 weeks due to light bleeding and everything was fine. We saw a little heartbeat and it was such a relief. My boobs also dont seem as sore. I do still feel sick but apart from that i feel fine. I have stopped taking the tablets as they made me feel extremely tired so i have not taken them for about 3 weeks.
Has this happened to anyone else? I hope this all makes sense! Any info would be great xx
Don't be worried - be thankful! Symptoms come and go a lot during the first trimester, so to wake up one day and have one or two "gone" is very normal. I was the same when my morning sickness went, I had it from 6 weeks - 14 weeks =/ but it doesn't mean a thing in terms of things going "wrong". You're nearing the end of your first trimester which is when all the horrible symptoms tend to go away anyway.
Don't worry about it, just be thankful that you're starting to feel better :) congrats!
cyclizine in pregnancy? i have been prescibed these tablets for my morning sickness, but the doctor was quite weary about giving me them, im almost 10 weeks pregnant, is this ok to take during pregnancy? im really worried as i dont want to harm my baby! thanks
Congratulations mama!!
This is my second pregnancy and I have NEVER had this bad of morning sickness. I had to go to the hosptial with some problems when I was 7 weeks (everything turned out okay), and while I was there I mentioned to the doctor that the morning sickness was horrible. He prescribed me phenegran for the morning sickness and they work wonders. I can't take them at work because they do make me sleepy, but it's okay to take them.
I also went to my OB and they gave me a paper with medication on it that is okay to take while pregnant. Cyclizine is on the list, so is phenegran. I
f you are concerened, do not take the medicine. You can always try natural methods to ease the morning sickness. Eating frequent small meals throughout the day seem to help. Ginger Ale or Ginger Snaps help settle the queasiness in the tummy as well.
Don't worry. You will be fine! If you still worry, just talk with your Dr. and let them know that you are concerned and they will re-assure you with answers that will help you.
Good luck!!
Awful Morning sickness - can anyone PLEASE help? Hi, I'm only 6 weeks pregnant and already it's terrible. Tried Promethazine (phenergan), Cyclizine, and now on Stemetil which does something but not a lot. Getting desperate, can anyone tell me if there is a better answer? Sooo grateful for your help! : )
I had a very bad one too in year 2005. I was hybernating in my bedroom for a total 3.5 months. I thought that is the best way than taking medicine or injection that may be harmful to my baby. What I did to protect myself were:
- have all doors and windows closed to make sure no smelly air can come in to my room
- eat small quantity but healthy, I was on, almost total, on "FROZEN YOGURT" meal every day during the 3.5 months.
- don't force yourself to eat or drink or take medicine that may irritate yourself
- think of something that you really like to eat and go for it.
- reduce your exercise / move about if you are not eating enough, that's why I have chosen to hybernate myself
sicky feeling in my throat...? im 12 weeks pregnant tomorrow..i have been very ill couldnt eat,drink..and if i did i woukd bring it straight back up..im now on cyclizine,and it is easing...
now i am getting a sicky feeling in my throat,like flem,and very watery..
and if i do be sick its just watery flemmy stuff(sorry)..
could it be because of the cyclizine or another 1 ov them lovely pregnancy things?
also gettin very restless legs..
what is cyclizine? did your doctor prescribe it to you? because if he didn't, you need to talk with your doctor before you take anything. (just checking, because i've never heard of it before).
it could because of the medication, but it could because of morning sickness, the flu, winter, etc... check the back of the label on the medication and see if it says anything.
and restless leg syndrome...yes thats normal. try putting heat on your legs...try a heating pad or something. it sucks, i know.
Please help....My girlfriend needs a good doctor. She's slowly losing feeling/movement in her limbs........... ......one by one and the doctors are saying none of the things wrong with her are REAL!!! She can't go to the toilet without self catheterising and needs help from suppositories. She needs anti-sickness injections before she can take any tablets with water otherwise she just throws it back up 10 mins later. Her boobs have started lactating and hasn't had a period since October, but isn't pregnant. Everythings going at a snails pace at the hospital, but while the doctors are messing about changing her meds every few weeks and making her cry by embarrassing her in front of everyone (patients and visitors) by telling her that shes making it all up.....she's getting worse, her arms started aching now, her legs already packed in!!! Anyone out there clever enough to have any ideas????
She's been to both local hospitals and treat like crap at both local hospitals treat like crap at both of them. She found an African Locust in her dinner in the first hospital. They put her on Oxynorm, Oxycontin, Diazepam, Paracetamol, Gabapentin (although they stopped that today, for some reason), Sodium Docusate, Ondansetron, Metroclopramide, Cyclizine, Senna, Lactulose, Zopiclone, but, last night she couldn't have a Zopiclone (the sleeping tablet) because "they didn't have any on the ward"!!! One doctor suggested we 'stop all medication and see what happens'. But without them she's in agony with back pain, can't eat or drink anything, completely constipated and keeps throwing up. Another doctor suggested all the symptoms are 'psychological'.
Have your girlfriend make an appointment with a neurologist. There could be any number of things wrong with her nervous system...and a specialist would be best equipped with the expertise to help her.
There was an episode of "Mystery Diagnosis" or "Diagnosis Unknown" (can't recall which show) that had a young woman on that was experiencing the EXACT same symptoms, verbatem..and she had a GENUINE neurological problem. I'm kicking myself right now because I can't remember the disorder's name. I'm going to do some research now, and will "edit" this post as soon as I find it.
