PYRIDOXINE FOR NAUSEA AND VOMITING OF PREGNANCY - A RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED TRIAL

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine the effectiveness of pyridoxin e for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: During an 11-mon th period 342 women who first attended Chiang Mai University Hospital antenatal clinic at less than or equal to 17 weeks' gestation were ran domized to receive either oral pyridoxine hydrochloride, 30 mg per day , or placebo in a double-blind fashion. Patients graded the severity o f their nausea by a visual analog scale and recorded the number of vom iting episodes over the previous 24 hours before treatment and again d uring 5 consecutive days on treatment. RESULTS: There was a significan t decrease in the mean of posttherapy minus baseline nausea scores in the pyridoxine compared with that in the placebo group (t test, p = 0. 0008). There was also a greater reduction in the mean number of vomiti ng episodes, but the difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.0552). CONCLUSION: Pyridoxine is effective in relieving the se verity of nausea in early pregnancy.