Let's talk about the use of the {Vitamin K + Vitamin C} Protocol to Treat Morning Sickness and Hyperemesis Gravidarum

 

This spring, I was super-excited about something that I hoped to publish next year - namely, that I had found something that helped my morning sickness.

If that's not earth-shattering, nothing is.

However, when we miscarried our baby in mid-May (at 11w4d), there were signs - no definites, but certainly strong indications - that our baby may have died long before the actual miscarriage, possibly at the very beginning of the pregnancy. This often results in a pregnancy with reduced pregnancy symptoms. Thus, I can no longer state with any authority that I have definite results for this method working for me.

However, I can say this:

(1) I did still have strong pregnancy nausea, starting at the usual time (3w4d), and

(2) I noticed definite improvement when I used this method - both when I started it, and again when I increased the dose.

That being the case, I wanted to present the data to my readers so that they can do the research themselves, and discuss it with their midwives/physicians. Let's get started.

Before we start, let's quickly differentiate between a remedy and a coping mechanism.

These are my terms, not taken from any source. 

In my personal terminology for pregnancy nausea, a remedy and a coping mechanism are different entities. A remedy is something that actually reduces my pregnancy nausea. A coping mechanism, on the other hand, is something that, while not reducing my absolute level of pregnancy nausea, helps me to cope at the nausea level where I am. Does that make sense?

Coping mechanisms are legion. Some that I use include a protein shake before bed, eating immediately upon getting up, getting more sleep, dropping outside activities, etc. We all have these.

Remedies, on the other hand - something that actually works to reduce my base level of nausea - are incredibly rare. That is, they are a dime a dozen - just check the internet! - but the ones that have actually worked for me are virtually zero. Here are some of the ones that I've tried:

• Bentonite clay
• Ginger
• Preggie pops
• Eating hardboiled eggs before bed
• Herbal morning sickness remedies
• Weekly B6/magnesium shots
• Probiotic therapy
• Basic dietary changes (Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, etc.)
• Dramamine

The only remedies that have worked so far for me would include the following:

• Very-low-carb diet, done for 6+ months pre-conception 
• Medications (Unisom, Zofran)

As I never want to do the very-low-carb diet again (and didn't have time anyway, as this pregnancy surprised us), and I hoped to avoid medication, finding another remedy that worked was super-exciting.

What "it finally worked" method are we talking about?

I refer to the Vitamin K + Vitamin C remedy.

If you've spent more than 30 seconds online researching morning sickness remedies, you have run across the Vitamin K + Vitamin C remedy for morning sickness. Trouble is, there's almost no information, details, or advice on how to make it work. It will inevitably be cited thusly:

"Vitamin K and vitamin C , taken together, may provide relief of symptoms for some women. In one study, 91% of women who took 5 mg of vitamin K and 25 mg of vitamin C per day reported the complete disappearance of morning sickness within three days."

I see that I actually posted that information on my blog when I discovered the reference - specifically in 2008 (over fifteen years ago!) - in the article Research: Vitamin K and Vitamin C.

But although I have known about this for many, many years, I have always feared to try it due to the high dose of vitamin K involved. (Daily dietary needs for vitamin K are usually listed in micrograms.)

However, this time around, I really wanted to stay off of medication. (Don't we always.) So I started researching to see if I could find out more - both about safety and efficacy. Firstly, I found this article giving some details about the protocol:

Morning Sickness: Vitamins C & K

Looking up the doctor mentioned in that article, I found a presentation of the detailed results of the study mentioned above - go to slide 35 in this presentation by Dr. Jeremiah Wright.

The basic results of the 1952 study were to have been as follows (quoted from the above presentation): 

"In the study, 70 women with mild to severe nausea and vomiting of pregnancy took simultaneously each day vitamin K3 (5 milligrams) and Vitamin C (25 milligrams).

                ▪ 64 reported complete remission in 72 hours.

                ▪ 3 were relieved of vomiting, but not nausea.

                ▪ 3 obtained no relief."

In it, he also gives the citation for the original study - here it is, for anyone who wants to look it up: 

Merkel RL. The use of menadione bisulfite and ascorbic acid in the treatment of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy: a preliminary report. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1952;64:416-418

I also found a podcast/radio show in which Dr. Wright discussed his efforts to publicize this method of pregnancy nausea control:

Nausea Caused By Pregnancy and Preventative Vitamins 

I also found another doctor discussing his use of K2 (in the form of intramuscular injections) for pregnancy nausea. He discusses a case in which K2 injections did not work - or did not work on their own - but his background experience was that this method almost always did work:

Hyperemesis Gravidarum: Reversing Autotoxic Hormone Reactivity/Antihormone Therapeutics

He writes:

"Until this year I have had nearly 100% success with intramuscular administration of vitamin K2 (menatetrenone) 2 cc at 10 mg/cc for nausea and vomiting (N/V) of pregnancy in scores of patients. Thanks to Jonathan Wright, MD, for teaching this many years ago... With N/V of pregnancy, I usually administer vitamin K2­ 2 cc daily for the first couple of days until the N/ V stops and then weekly or as needed. Sometimes one shot stops it for the whole pregnancy."

I also found, when I looked up my own post from back in 2008, the following quote from another physician:

 "For morning sickness, I recommend 100 to 200 milligrams of B-6 and 10 milligrams of vitamin K a day. Occasionally, more than 200 milligrams is necessary, but this amount should be taken under a physician's supervision. I also give patients an initial injection of vitamin K, which works in a day or two. Taken orally, the Vitamin K takes somewhat longer to produce results - about ten days." - Superimmunity for Kids by Leo Gallard & Dian Dincin Buchman, p. 47

Safe and effective? This was super-exciting stuff. But...

Are high doses of vitamin K safe for pregnancy?

There are two questions: (1) Are high doses of vitamin K safe in general, and (2) Are high doses of vitamin K safe for pregnancy.

The research that I found was surprisingly reassuring. Besides the doctors quoted above (all of whom used very high doses of vitamin K with pregnant women, with great success and good outcomes), I found a number of physicians quoting the use of very high dosage vitamin K as safe for both pregnancy women and the general population. Here are some of them:

For the general population:

From LiveStrong:

"The recommended daily intake for vitamin K set by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies of Medicine (FNB) is 120 micrograms for men and 90 micrograms for all women, including those who are pregnant and breastfeeding. These RDAs aren't hard to achieve through a balanced diet, and the National Institutes of Health reports that vitamin K deficiency is very rare.

"The FNB sets upper, tolerable intake levels (ULs) for vitamins that pose health risks when taken in excess. However, there is not a UL for vitamin K, because there have been no reported adverse effects from vitamin K excess in any amount from food or supplements in the general population." (emphasis added)

From National Biochemistry (NBI):

"The amount of MK4 (a type of vitamin K) used in studies is 45-135 mg, which is 500 to 1,500 times greater than the IOM adequate intake. Thus, an important question is whether or not it’s safe to consume vitamin K at this high dose. The short answer is unambiguously, Yes. MK4 is safe even at doses much higher than the top amount used in clinical trials.

"US Institute of Medicine (IOM) conclusion:

"The Tolerable Upper Limit (TUL) is the highest daily dose that is safe for almost all individuals in the general population to take on an ongoing basis. The IOM concluded that for natural forms of vitamin K, of which MK4 is one, there is no known TUL. This means that the IOM considers vitamin K to be extremely safe, even at very high doses." (emphasis added)

From WebMD:

"When taken by mouth: The two forms of vitamin K (vitamin K1 and vitamin K2) are likely safe when taken appropriately. Vitamin K1 10 mg daily and vitamin K2 45 mg daily have been safely used for up to 2 years. It's usually well-tolerated, but some people may have an upset stomach or diarrhea." (emphasis added)

 

 For pregnant women: 

 From Sanford Health, showing that high doses of vitamin K are used therapeutically during pregnancy already, for purposes other than pregnancy nausea:

"Vitamin K is important in helping blood clot. Though extra vitamin K is not needed during pregnancy, women who are pregnant and using anti-seizure medications are at increased risk of vitamin K deficiency in their baby. These women should take oral vitamin K, at a rate of 10 mg daily, from 36 weeks until delivery." (emphasis added)

From Oxford Academic (Volume 78, Issue 10, October 2020), regarding high doses of vitamin K for use in osteoporosis in pregnant women:

"Vitamin K2 at 45 mg/d has been used as a safe treatment option in a case series of pregnancy-associated osteoporosis... There is no known toxicity for vitamin K2, and no tolerable upper level has been set for either K1 or K2 in pregnancy as there have been no studies on reproductive or teratogenic risk." (emphasis added)

When you start looking at links, opinions do vary. Some do not recommend vitamin K supplementation during pregnancy. Some say it's okay up to a point. Some say that it's perfectly safe and that there is no upper limit on safety. For myself, I was confident from my reading that therapeutic doses of vitamin K were safe during pregnancy. 

Additionally, it has to be taken in perspective. If I do supplement with high doses of vitamin K, and it works, then I am exposed to a very-mostly-likely safe vitamin. If I don't supplement with vitamin K, then I will most certainly be taking Unisom (doxylamine succinate), which is an artificial drug and has been several times implicated in risks for the unborn child. I think I'd probably take my chance with an all-natural, already-present-in-the-human diet supplement if I have that choice. 

Who should not supplement with vitamin K:

The only firm contraindication seems to be for people who are taking the drug Warfarin. From the NBI article:

"People who take the drug warfarin (Coumadin) should not take MK4. Warfarin is a blood thinner that works specifically by blocking vitamin K’s actions in the blood clotting cascade. Providing vitamin K as a dietary supplement counteracts warfarin. People taking warfarin should absolutely not take MK4 and they shouldn’t take any vitamin K-containing products without first consulting their healthcare provider." 

What about the different forms of vitamin K?

Vitamin K is actually a family of closely-related vitamins, rather than a single compound. There are three forms of vitamin K:

Vitamin K1 and K2 (and there are two forms of K2) are found in nature and are naturally present in the human diet.

Vitamin K3 is an artificial form.

There are some concerns with toxicity from high doses of vitamin K3 - although the doctor mentioned above still used it very successfully for morning sickness treatment. 

Vitamin K3 is not available over the counter in this country at the present time (that I know of). Vitamin K1 and K2 are widely available and can be purchased over the counter (OTC).

How I put this protocol into practice, and how it worked for me:

This spring's pregnancy was a complete surprise - it was much sooner than expected, and at my age, I wasn't sure if another baby would be on the horizon at all for us. So I was not doing any preparations at all - no dietary changes, no supplements, no nothing. 

I got a positive test - quite randomly! - at about 3w4d. My pregnancy nausea started, much to my annoyance, later that same afternoon. While it may or may not have been as strong as with a healthy pregnancy, it was definitely present, strong, and followed my usual pattern. (Week 3 = nausea starts. Week 4 = I'm still okay. Week 5 = I need help.)

I immediately started researching the Vitamin K + Vitamin C method (for some reason, it came to mind strongly in a way that it hasn't in previous pregnancies). I believe that I started using it at 4w2d. And here's the thing: I felt an immediate and powerful improvement in my nausea levels. (Translation: I took the remedy at night, and felt much better the next day.) And while I continued to feel worse as the pregnancy progressed (which is normal), I was functional. I could get up on time, and eat most foods. I did not have to obsessively eat the same thing over and over until my cravings changed. I did not need to take medication. I could keep things down. While I had a lot more on-the-couch time, I was much more "okay" than usual. I didn't descend into the depths of despair. And I only threw up about five times, total. It wasn't a miraculous nausea-cleared-up-completely! sort of thing, but it was profoundly effective and positive. If I'd increased the dosage more - which, again, I wanted to do but was afraid to try - it is very possible that I would have seen even more awesome results. 

I ran into two snags with the protocol:

(1) The original protocol wording that I found said to use the method for a month. That landed me straight into week 8, when I was feeling pretty awful and was in no way ready to give it up cold turkey.

(2) During week 9, I started feeling that I need some extra help. My two options were to increase my dose of vitamin K, or to go back to using the Unisom protocol to some extent.

In an effort to get more information, I reached out via email to two of the doctors referenced in the articles above. To my surprise and dismay, I never heard back from either of them. This was a deep disappointment, as I would have greatly valued their input and advice regarding this method, and was willing to pay consultant fees. If I had felt more confident and energetic, I would have called up their offices to try to deal with the red tape involved in consulting them through their official practices. However, I was feeling (1) awful enough not to be up to the challenge, but (2) not awful enough to be desperate. So that didn't happen.

Another option for me would have been to go to the naturopathic college medical clinic that we have here in the Phoenix valley. However, the same attitude of "I feel too awful to go, and not awful enough to be desperate" kept me from trying it this time. However, I would definitely be up for that in the future. This would be a good way to consult a physician regarding dosage safety, as well as to have the IM injection method of delivery possible, which is often more effective than oral delivery, but which I cannot do at home. 

Some of this information above regarding the safety of super-high dosages of vitamin K I actually didn't see until writing this article, which I regret, because I would have continued to increase the dosage when I felt that I needed it if I had felt comfortable with the safety. As it was, I did increase my vitamin K dose during week 9 to about 7.5 mg, and again felt an immediate improvement. I held that dosage steady until our loss at 11w4d.

Some may wonder if the placebo effect had anything to do with my improved levels of nausea, and to that I will say that I am sure that there was no placebo effect going on. 

Some years ago, I read in "The Case for Miracles" (Lee Strobel) that some conditions are well-known for being vulnerable to improvement due to the placebo effect; other conditions are much less affected by it (in the book, the example given was hearing loss).

In my experience, I have found that pregnancy nausea is not at all affected by the placebo effect - I have tried so, so many nausea remedies, and no matter how much I want a given remedy to work, or how I believe that it is going to work, or how I know that it has worked for other people, pregnancy nausea just doesn't budge. It is implacable. I think other pregnancy nausea mamas will back me up on this one. So when I find something that I sense really works, I have no problem in being confident in my assessment, simply because I have seen how ruthless pregnancy nausea is, and how unaffected it is by my wishes and beliefs. 

A few details:

For vitamin K, I used the Super K supplement - two pills at first, and then three when I increased the dosage at 9 weeks.

For vitamin C, I just used an over-the-counter 1000 mg vitamin C pill. The protocol calls for an absurdly low amount of vitamin C (25 mg), but there is no absolute need (that I know of) to achieve that low dosage. 

My conclusions:

* I believe that the Vitamin K + Vitamin C combination is safe, and I have experienced that it is effective. 

* To say this authoritatively, though, I would have to use it throughout a healthy pregnancy with full symptoms.

* I do not believe that using this protocol caused our miscarriage, as physical evidence showed likelihood of a very early loss - possibly even before I began using the protocol.

* I do not know if this method could help HG sufferers - though several of the doctors above stated quite firmly that it could - but I believe that it would be a good auxiliary treatment even if other treatments were used at the same time. 

* As usual, I think that the best time to research all of this would be pre-conception, when one is not panicking over rising nausea levels. I plan to make some contacts and appointments to discuss this with caregivers, in order to be ready for next time, should there be a next time. (Very likely there won't be, at my age, but one likes to be prepared.)

I would love to hear thoughts, experiences, or input. As always, comments must be rational, conversational, and kind, and offered in the spirit of charity (i.e. no "you are an idiot, woman!" comments). 

I very much hope that this information can be of use to mamas out there. 

As always, this is not medical advice. Take the information and the articles to your midwife, OB, naturopath, or other physician. and get his/her take on it.  

Hyperemesis, Vitamin B, and Magnesium

I found this article recently and thought it was quite interesting:

THE MAGIC OF B COMPLEX-B12 AND MAGNESIUM INJECTIONS

Interesting because (1) it's simple therapy, widely available, and (2) it's written by a doctor who actually used the treatment with hyperemetic patients (i.e. it's not just vague theorizing).

Thoughts, anyone?

***

Over here, we are going through yet another round of illness - it's been insane around here this past month! I am victim #1, and DH looks like he's going to be victim #2. Fun stuff!

Have a great Ash Wednesday, everyone! I am giving up sugary stuff for Lent, so we'll see how that goes! I've already cheated with gummy vitamins (I could live off of those things!) and bread with honey, but I did give myself permission to eat honey and dried fruit and not to be too Nazi-ish about the whole thing. But the entire 40 days without dessert? We'll see.

***

Later note:

I am reprinting this article below, which I had THANKFULLY copied into a document, as the link is now dead:



THE MAGIC OF B COMPLEX-B12 AND MAGNESIUM INJECTIONS 
Dr. George M. Wolverton

 Early in my medical career, my family medical practice included obstetrics. During that time, I delivered approximately 1800 babies. Oftentimes pregnant women in the first trimester would get nausea of pregnancy, or morning sickness. Sometimes an even more unpleasant—and potentially dangerous—condition would develop.


Hyperemesis Gravidarum: “Extended Morning Sickness”

In those days it was not uncommon for a condition called Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) to develop. This is a situation where nausea with the first trimester of pregnancy continues with vomiting during the rest of the pregnancy.

The cause of HG is still not fully understood, but the condition is potentially dangerous for both mother and fetus. The pregnant woman often loses weight and becomes dehydrated, leading to nutritional deficiencies (including depletion of B vitamins) and other problems. Sometimes these women need to be hospitalized for up to a week or more to control the condition.

Treatment with Vitamin Injections 

Though Hyperemesis Gravidarum was fairly common at Clark County Hospital in those days, my practice rarely saw full-fledged cases of the condition. At the first sign of nausea, I instructed patients to receive weekly injections of betaline or Vitamin B Complex with B-12. I gave them extra Vitamin B-6 in the form of supplements. In addition, I would give them shots of magnesium, which is the cation of youth and which makes intracellular function so much better that the nausea of pregnancy would usually leave.

I would also give these women zinc with the first nausea of pregnancy. Well over 95% of patients fail our zinc taste test to determine zinc deficiency, meaning that most people are deficient in zinc. Utilizing the injections and supplements usually helped women get over their HG relatively quickly, giving them an opportunity to enjoy their pregnancy without “tossing their cookies.”

Vitamin Injections for Fatigue and Other Ailments 

I stopped delivering babies in 1983 and actually missed not doing so. As my practice began to age, people would come in with brain fog, chronic fatigue, and generally not feeling very well. I realized that the magnesium and B Complex injections, which had been so helpful for pregnant women, would also benefit many of my other patients.

I would show my patients how to give themselves injections of magnesium on a daily basis and also betaline and B-12 shots every other day, providing that they had enough internal fortitude to do so. Are the shots painful? Yes, but we teach patients how to use a local anesthetic called procaine in the injections so that the pain is not great. However, doing the injections does require you to be “captain of your own ship and master of your own fate,” as the old poem says.

Patients on vitamin injections would often come back to the office several weeks later, saying that they felt like they had dramatically improved. Much of the time, patients on this regimen will feel so much better that they are almost radiant when they come in, merely from “being their own doctor” and giving themselves their own shots.

Of course, I insisted that they follow our wellness program, which avoids chemicals in the food chain by eating organically. I also encouraged these patients to follow our Chelation Therapy program.


Specific Benefits of B Vitamins and Magnesium 

Vitamin B actually consists of several separate but interrelated water-soluble vitamins that are important for cell metabolism. The B Complex mixture we use in injections is a combination of several of these: thiamine (B-1), riboflavin (B-2), niacin (B-3), dexapanthenol or pantothenic acid (B-5), and pyrodoxine (B-6). We also include Vitamin B-12, or cyanocobalamin.

B vitamins help improve energy and are often helpful for people with problems like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, anemia, depression, memory trouble, and neurological problems like polyneuritis, among others.

 God (the Great Physician) knows all three trillion of the estimated biochemical exchanges going on in each cell of the body. Science only knows how to test approximately 1000 of these biochemical exchanges. B vitamins are believed to be effective in about one out of each five of the known biochemical exchanges in the body. I tell patients who come in with a battery of test results that are all normal—even though the patients feel horrible, with much fatigue and brain fog—that their biochemical deficiencies are quite possibly in the areas that can be corrected by these shots. We may not fully understand why they work, but the Great Physician does. We just know that they do work a large percentage of the time.

 Magnesium is also vital to cellular functions. I call magnesium the “cation of youth” because it helps keep the body’s cells young and working properly. Deficiency in this important mineral is relatively common. Magnesium helps with feelings of overall well-being. It tends to have a calming effect and thus can be useful to ADHD patients and also people with high blood pressure. In fact, when a patient comes in to our office with dangerously high blood pressure, oftentimes one of the first things I will do is to give them a magnesium injection, which helps the blood pressure come down relatively quickly. Magnesium injections often help people with headaches and migraines, in addition to many neurological and other issues.

 Sublingual B Complex and Magnesium 

For patients who for various reasons are not able to take these vitamin injections, sublingual, or under the tongue, drops of B Complex/B-12 and magnesium are available. I believe these drops are not as helpful as the injections, which deliver the nutrients directly to the tissues. However, the drops are better than nothing.

 The problem with taking the sublingual solution as opposed to the shots is that the shots deliver the nutrients into your body in 17 seconds, bypassing the “war zone” of the stomach and liver. It is the speed with which the nutrients get into the body that dislodges the “cation of aging” (calcium) from its intracellular place where it has replaced magnesium, which is supposed to be inside the cell. Calcium is supposed to be outside the cell. Chelation Therapy also helps magnesium and calcium stay in their proper places in the body.

 It is my conviction that the real magic of magnesium and Vitamin B Complex/B-12 injections is that they help the body to better function the way it was intended to function. These injections helped me successfully treat pregnant women with Hyperemesis Gravidarum without having to put them in the hospital, even with 1800 delivery patients. The injections have also helped countless other patients with a wide range of symptoms and diagnoses. After all, we all need more intracellular energy so that we can live longer, better, and accomplish our impossible dream, as they sing in The Man of La Mancha: 


To dream the impossible dream 
To fight the unbeatable foe 
To bear with unbearable sorrow 
To run where the brave dare not go […] 
To fight for the right 
Without question or pause 
To be willing to march into Hell 
For a heavenly cause

HG Protocols and Action Plans

As I read more and more writings from hyperemesis mamas, I notice a common theme: Mamas who have had HG once often write out action plans or "HG protocols" while planning subsequent pregnancies. I did, myself, and now I see other women doing it too.

There are two types of plans commonly written up: (1) A pre-conception plan, for preparing one's body and one's family/life/children/etc. to deal with HG or to avoid it, (2) A treatment plan for post-conception NVP. Sometimes the two types of plans are merged.

After #1 was born, and I started noodling about with the idea of a #2, I first wrote out a "things to do before we get pregnant" list. It's not half-bad, on a basic level, but unfortunately I can't figure out how to paste a table into this blog entry. It had a column each for task to complete, date of completion, and notes. Here are the items that I wrote down (this was about 2 years ago):

Item

DH’s job must be stable
DH’s job must be well-paid
Maternity Coverage
House – bought
Belongings – packed
Move – completed
Belongings – unpacked
Major home projects finished
Plan for DS – DS on solids
Plan for DS – sleep through night
Plan for DS – church help
Plan for DS – mom’s help
Meet with naturopath
Meet with OB
Pre-conception cleansing diet
Research HG supplements/drugs
Set target date for conception
Set up budget
Plan finances for future
Learn Natural Family Planning
Pray for guidance, easier pg
Start taking milk thistle
Start taking B6
Purchase Morningwell CD
Purchase Morning Sickness Balm
Speak to deaconesses for help
Plan for office substitutes
Make sure house is clean
Buy supplements
Finish HG-prevention/treatment protocol
Protocol approved by midwife
Protocol approved by OB
Protocol approved by Motherisk
Protocol approved by Shonda Parker
Protocol reviewed by hyperemesis.org
Contact church family to ask for prayers
Contact the churches I work for to let them know unavailable
Contact our midwife for prenatal care

From my notes, it looks like I completed about half of my to-do list before our little surprise-baby joined us.

My second list was the above-mentioned HG-prevention and treatment protocol. You can see the short version here, and gosh, I went to a lot of work for it! I read, researched, went online, got it checked out by Motherisk, my OB, my midwife, and Shonda Parker (a famous herbalist and midwife). Too bad none of it worked (that I know of). Here is the longer version, in case anyone is interested:

****

Pre-Conception

WHOLE FOODS DIET
Purpose: Cleansing
Dosage:
Brand:
Notes:

WATER WITH LEMON
Purpose: Liver cleanser
Dosage: At least once a day – as often as possible
Brand:
Notes: Recommended by Shonda Parker

VITAMIN
Purpose: General nutrition, folic acid
Dosage: One daily
Brand:
Notes:

PRO-BIOTICS
Purpose: GI health and general health
Dosage: Acidophilus (1 cap daily) and yogurt
Brand:
Notes:

OMEGA-3
Purpose: General health
Dosage: 1-2 capsules of fish oil daily
Brand:
Notes:

B-COMPLEX SUPPLEMENT
Purpose: Morning sickness prevention
Dosage: 1 B-100 daily or 2 B-50 daily (each contains 100 mg or 50 mg each, respectively, of all the B-vitamins, including B6)
Brand:
Notes:

MILK THISTLE
Purpose: Liver Cleansing
Dosage: 2 capsules daily
Brand: Thislyn is a good brand. Anything with 70-80% silmaryn
Notes: Recommended by Shonda Parker

As Soon as Pregnancy is Confirmed

WHOLE FOODS DIET, cont’d
Purpose: Cleansing, health
Dosage:
Brand:
Notes:

WATER WITH LEMON, cont’d
Purpose: Liver cleanser
Dosage: Lots and lots and lots and lots!!
Brand:
Notes: Recommended by Shonda Parker

PRENATAL VITAMIN
Purpose: General nutrition, folic acid
Dosage: One daily
Brand: Possibly something without iron???
Notes:

PRO-BIOTICS
Purpose: GI health and general health
Dosage: Acidophilus (2 tablets with every meal) and yogurt
Brand:
Notes:

OMEGA-3
Purpose: General health
Dosage: 2-4 capsules of fish oil daily
Brand: Possibly NOW?
Notes: Is this needed if I’m doing the Entrox EFA supplement?

DICLECTIN REPLICA:
- Start with 4 doses per day, up to 6, then up to 8 with OB’s supervision. Standard timing is one morning, one mid-day, two at night

B-COMPLEX SUPPLEMENT
Purpose: Morning sickness prevention
Dosage: 10 mg four times per day (not sure if should do B-complex or B6 alone). This dose is to replicate Diclectin. It is safe to take up to 200 mg of B6, so I’d probably take more
Brand:
Notes:

UNISOM (DOXYLAMINE SUCCINATE)
Purpose: Morning sickness prevention
Dosage: 10 mg four times per day, taken with the b-complex (cut 25 mg pills in half)
Brand:
Notes:

VITAMIN C
Purpose: Absorption
Dosage: Take a little bit with the B-complex and unisom
Brand:
Notes:

MILK THISTLE
Purpose: Liver Cleansing
Dosage: Increase to 3 capsules daily
Brand: Thislyn is a good brand. Anything with 70-80% silmaryn
Notes: Recommended by Shonda Parker

WILD YAM
Purpose: NVP prevention
Dosage: (1) 3 capsules per day, (2) 1-2 tsp. dried extract three times daily, (3) 2-4 mL tincture three times daily)
Brand:
Notes:

DANDELION
Purpose: Cleansing, health, NVP Prevention
Dosage: As directed on bottle?
Brand:
Notes:

MORNING SICKNESS BALM BY MOUNTAIN MEADOW HERBS
Purpose: NVP prevention
Dosage: As directed on bottle
Brand:
Notes: http://www.mountainmeadowherbs.com/morning-sickness-balm-p-32.html?osCsid=8792a1b5dfaa82954bd35f5bd4534f0b

GINGER
Purpose: NVP prevention
Dosage: 1,000 mg every 2-3 hours as needed, no more than 20,000 mg per day
Brand:
Notes: Shonda Parker

ENTROX
Purpose: NVP prevention; this is an EFA supplement
Dosage: 3 caps per day with meals
Brand:
Notes: Shonda Parker

ABSORBAID
Purpose: NVP prevention; this is an enzyme supplement
Dosage: 2 caps three times daily with meals
Brand:
Notes: Shonda Parker


SPECIFICALLY FOR NVP

LEGUMES
Purpose: Supposedly helps deal with nausea
Dosage:
Brand:
Notes: http://www.karenhurd.com/morningsickness.html

BREASTFEEDING
Purpose: Helps some women with nausea
Dosage:
Brand:
Notes: Reference – Midwifery Today

GINGER
Purpose: NVP prevention
Dosage: 1,000 mg every 2-3 hours as needed, no more than 20,000 mg per day – or till you can taste it!
Brand:
Notes:

MORNINGWELL CD
Purpose: Supposedly helps deal with nausea
Dosage:
Brand:
Notes:

CHIROPRACTIC CARE
Purpose: For NVP
Dosage:
Brand:
Notes:

ACUPRESSURE/ACUPUNCTURE
Purpose: For NVP
Dosage:
Brand:
Notes:

HOMEOPATHICS
Purpose: For NVP
Dosage:
Brand:
Notes:

PHARMACEUTICALS
Purpose: For NVP
Dosage: Under an OB’s care
Brand:
Notes:

FALSE UNICORN TINCTURE
Purpose: For NVP
Dosage: ½ - 1 tsp. tincture or ½-1/4 tsp. (1-2 g) extract three times daily
Brand:
Notes:

OTHER HERBS
Purpose: For NVP
Dosage:
Brand: alfalfa, basil, black horehound, chamomile, ginger, lavender, peppermint, peach leaf, wild yam root, red raspberry leaf, yellow dock
Notes:

****

Of course, when I say that it didn't work, I mean the parts that I got around to. I didn't get around to everything - too sick! So don't write off what was written, as it really did have a lot of research behind it and might help someone. Just not me!

I thought my HG plans/protocols were pretty good... until I saw other people's plans! If you go to www.helpher.org and read the forums, you will see a lot of pre-conception plans. Two HG bloggers have published theirs as well, and they are excellent.... and light years beyond mine. Please take a few minutes to check them out:

Knocked Up, Knocked Over: The Protocol

(Also, check out her "The HG Kit" - WOW!)

While you're at it, "Knocked Up, Knocked Over" could really use your thoughts, prayers, and written encouragement - she is in the middle of a really bad time with HG. Head over and leave your love if you have a moment.

And here is the other pre-conception plan:

Island of Grief, Mountain of Joy

So.... Have any of you other mamas out there made lists and action plans? I think it's a smart thing to do, especially the "to do before trying to conceive" ones. Lists make me feel better, even if nothing on them helps.

What do you think?

Don't Go Here, Go There!

Sometimes I think that my blogs (both of them!) consist of posts saying "Hey! Someone wrote a great post, so go over to his/her blog and read it!" This is one of those posts.

So check out these posts by Sleepwalker! Important stuff, ladies!!

An article she links to: 

Rare, Severe Form of Morning Sickness Appears to Be Genetic

And a really important article, also on the issue of hyperemesis and medical marijuana: 

Hyperemesis gravidarum: the heartbreaking cries from around the world + sativex cannabis research and mission

This mother is doing great research for HG mamas of the world. If you haven't subscribed to this blog, definitely do so! It's for-sure one to watch. Sleepwalker, thank you - thank you - thank you for all you are doing!

Did I Say This Was an HG Blog?

Apparently I was wrong! It really is a medical marijuana blog, despite my best efforts. Pretty soon I'll have to change our button from a green ribbon into a green leaf.

I swear that I really am a fairly normal, suburbanite American. Really. How on earth I came to have blogs advocating placenta encapsulation and medical marijuana, I'll never know.

But anyhow! Back to the topic at hand!

Sleepwalker, an HG mama living in the UK, posted the following comments and thoughts on my articles about medical marijuana for hyperemesis, and I wanted to repost them here so that everyone could see them.

"I'm not pregnant but had awful hg and have been researching marijuana on my blog. Vaporisers (volcano digital) look to be the way to go as you don't get smoking fumes and if you have hg you won't be able to keep anything down and you only need a tiny bit, much less than you'd ingest from hash cakes. I have bought 'chronic ice' tea from an online shop here in the UK to try. It is legal and has 5% hemp syrup. It tastes fine, like any ice tea, and I would say I feel a little mellow after a while but certainly not high or anything. MS sufferers have reported that they have found beneficial effects from drinking the legal teas (chronic ice and C-Swiss are the two I have read about). Chronic ice is about £1.30 a can. If it helps MS sufferers then maybe there's enough hemp syrup to help hyperemesis gravidarum but you'd have to be able to keep it down. If I am ever brave enough to be pregnant again (I'd love another baby) then I will find a way to get medical marijuana for the sake of me and the safety of my unborn baby. I've read all the scientific papers and it is safe to use medicinally in this way and much more safe than doing nothing imho. I was so starved and dehydrated that I really don't know how my baby girl did survive. I've posted links to further reading on my blog."




And then: 




"Here is the online shop I bought my tea from (I live in Scotland so this is completely legal here). It is £1.45 a can and is a tiny tiny amount of THC but it is as hemp syrup, not a synthetic additive.
http://www.thehempshop.co.uk/product-26.htm

"In the US I think it depends which State folk live in whether or not this is available and I've sern it on amazon.com but sold out. The packaging is different on my cans, they are green. I bought the 'The Hemp Solution' DVD from that site too and it is very interesting. Marinol, which is prescribed in the US for HG is almost pure THC, much stronger than even the strong strains of cannabis. Drug companies can't make any money from cannabis as they can't patent a plant so they are developing synthetic cannabis compounds which are less effective and not tested on pregnant women (obviously). There's an interesting scientific study of Jamaincan women who make cannabis tea for morning sickness and their babies do really well. I'm going to contact the researcher. See my blog for links." 



And then this evening, an utterly fascinating article:




Lack of endocannabinoids may cause hyperemesis gravidarum suggests Dr Ethan Russo

In terms of evaluating any of this, I am completely out of my element! But I think that there is more-than sufficient evidence to show that medical marijuana has overwhelming potential for the successful treatment of hyperemesis gravidarum. And the main problem is not safety concerns, but legal concerns. If anyone has anything to add, feel free!

I would write more, but I have to go water some plants in my basement.

Night, all! (And I apologize for the formatting errors - my fault for not being careful enough with my pasting.)

* Yes, the line-before-last was a JOKE.

More Hyperemesis Material!

From an HG mama! A blog that is not a "hyperemesis blog" but which contains a lot of material on and experience with HG - with the added bonus of a search bar for quicker searching!

It's Just a Liminal Phase

Mamas of the world - if you have written down your stories/experiences/research online, whether in an HG blog or a personal blog, do let us know so that we can post it!