Can You Take Dramamine While Pregnant?

Pregnancy can come with all sorts of unpleasant side effects—from bone-crushing exhaustion to food aversions to peeing all the time. But one of the most common pregnancy ailments is morning sickness, which affects up to 70 percent of all pregnant women.

I’m more than familiar to say the least. With each of my three pregnancies, I was sick to my stomach beyond just the mornings and the first trimester—and I was desperate for relief.

One of the nausea remedies my ob-gyn recommended was Dramamine, or dimenhydrinate, which is “an anti-nauseant that’s used to prevent and treat nausea, vomiting or vertigo of motion sickness,” explains Dr. Jennifer Ludgin, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist and the associate director of labor and delivery at Tufts Medical Center. This over-the-counter antihistamine helps to combat motion sickness by helping your body maintain its sense of balance, according to Cleveland Clinic. Taking Dramamine while pregnant isn’t just helpful for motion sickness—it can provide relief if you’re experiencing persistent, non-motion related nausea.

But introducing any medication during pregnancy comes with questions and concerns, particularly over its safety for baby. Here, we break down everything you need to know about taking Dramamine during pregnancy—including its uses, potential side effects and more.

Key Takeaways

• Dramamine, or dimenhydrinate, is an antihistamine that can also be used to prevent and treat motion sickness and its symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting and dizziness.
• Dramamine is considered safe to take during pregnancy, including during the first trimester.
• Dramamine during pregnancy can be used alone to treat motion sickness or morning sickness, or in conjunction with other doctor-approved remedies.

Is Dramamine Safe for Pregnancy?

When Erica Z., a mom of two in Fairfield, Connecticut, was struggling with crippling carsickness during her second pregnancy, she found herself in the aisle of her local CVS hunting for Dramamine—and “frantically Googling if it was safe for pregnancy on my phone,” she recalls.

The good news for Erica and other expecting moms is that, yes, taking Dramamine while pregnant is considered safe, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Still, it’s best to only use it as needed.

While there’s no human or animal data that shows taking Dramamine while pregnant poses risk to baby, the medication does come with a few potential (generally harmless) side effects for Mom. Pregnant women who take Dramamine most commonly report drowsiness as a side effect, but may also experience dry mouth, lightheadedness or constipation, says Dr. Ashlee O’Shell, MD, FACOG, a board-certified ob-gyn at Associated Obstetrics and Gynecology in Michigan.

Uses for Dramamine During Pregnancy

Dramamine is used to prevent and treat symptoms related to motion sickness, such as nausea, vomiting and dizziness in both pregnant and non-pregnant people. “With my second pregnancy, I began to get exceptionally sick during long car rides,” shares Erica Z. “I was so focused on not throwing up, that I couldn’t even answer my toddler’s questions during the car ride.” When she learned that taking Dramamine while pregnant was safe, she began taking it as needed before longer car rides and found relief for her travel-induced motion sickness.

Besides motion sickness, you can also use Dramamine during pregnancy to treat morning—or, as it was in my case, all-day—sickness. Dramamine “is considered a safe medication for persistent nausea and vomiting in pregnancy,” says Dr. O’Shell. “Early treatment may prevent progression to hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.”

Alternatives to Taking Dramamine While Pregnant

While taking Dramamine during pregnancy can be effective for both nausea and motion sickness, it’s not considered the first line of defense in either scenario. Instead, doctors recommend trying a variety of lifestyle adjustments, natural remedies and other medications before turning to Dramamine for relief.

Pregnant women with motion sickness can try various non-pharmacologic options to combat their symptoms. Dr. Ludgin recommends adjusting your body position (such as sitting in the front seat or looking at the horizon), reducing your sensory input (by closing your eyes or lying down) and hydrating well to help prevent the onset of motion sickness. Another option is to use acupressure wristbands, “though evidence regarding effectiveness is inconsistent,” Dr. Ludgin adds. (If they work for you, though, that’s all the evidence you need!)

If you’re experiencing persistent nausea and vomiting, it helps to eat small, frequent meals every one to two hours, avoid spicy and fatty foods, take a ginger supplement and incorporate acupuncture or acupressure, suggests Dr. O’Shell.

If those methods don’t provide relief, your ob-gyn will most likely recommend exploring a medication, or combination of meds, to help address your symptoms. Pairing pyridoxine (vitamin B6) with doxylamine (most commonly found in the sleep aid Unisom) is “the first pharmacologic approach” to treat persistent nausea and vomiting in pregnant women, says Dr. Ludgin. This combination is found in both Diclegis and Bonjesta, which are currently “the only FDA-approved treatments specifically for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy,” adds Dr. O’Shell.

If these medications don’t work for you, your doctor might recommend adding an antihistamine—such as Dramamine. They may also suggest Bonine (meclizine) or Benadryl (diphenhydramine). Sometimes, it will take trial and error—with the guidance of your physician—to discover which option works best for you. For example, a combination of daily Diclegis and Dramamine as needed provided the best result for Erica Z. “I did find Diclegis was the most helpful with my day-to-day nausea, but had to layer Dramamine on top for car rides,” she shares.

For pregnancy nausea and vomiting, your doctor might also recommend medications such as Zofran or Phenergan, two powerful antiemetics. Keep in mind that before trying any of the methods or medications mentioned here, it’s critical to consult with your provider.

To Sum It Up

Take it from me: There’s no need to suffer through constantly feeling like you’re going to puke when you’re pregnant. Taking Dramamine during pregnancy can be safe and useful for combatting motion sickness, nausea and vomiting. You can take it on an as-needed, situational basis, on its own or in conjunction with other doctor-prescribed anti-nausea remedies. But while Dramamine is considered safe to take while pregnant, it’s important to talk to your doctor before taking any medication.

How We Developed This Article

We spoke with two ob-gyns as well as real moms to complete our research on taking Dramamine while pregnant. We also turned to research from medical institutions such as Cleveland Clinic and ACOG. After editing, this article was vetted through fact check and reviewed by our ob-gyn medical adviser. Learn more about how we ensure the accuracy of our content through our editorial and medical review process.

About the author: Lynsey Eidell is a freelance writer and mom of three. She has researched and written dozens of reviews and lifecycle articles for The Bump about pregnancy, postpartum and beyond—and as someone who experienced morning sickness during all three of her pregnancies, she was especially qualified to write about taking Dramamine while pregnant to quell nausea.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.