Xonvea®

Date: March 2025, Version 3.0

Quick read

Xonvea® can be used to treat pregnancy sickness.

What is it?

Xonvea® is used to treat nausea (feeling sick) and vomiting (being sick) during pregnancy. Xonvea® contains an antihistamine (doxylamine) and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine).

For general information, please see the bump leaflet on treatment of Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.

Benefits

What are the benefits of taking Xonvea® in pregnancy?

Treatment of pregnancy sickness can help you to feel better and allow you to carry out your everyday activities. Treatment can prevent complications from nausea and vomiting, including dehydration (when you don’t have enough water in your body), because you can’t drink normally or if you are being sick a lot.

Risks

Are there any risks of taking Xonvea® during pregnancy?

Xonvea® has been well-studied and there is no concern that it causes birth defects.

Alternatives

Are there any alternatives to taking Xonvea®?

Yes, other medicines can also be used to treat pregnancy sickness and might be tried first. For further information, see the bump leaflet on Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. If you have severe pregnancy sickness (hyperemesis gravidarum) you might need to use a stronger anti-sickness medicine, possibly in combination with Xonvea®.

No treatment

What if I prefer not to take Xonvea® during pregnancy?

There are other medicines that you can use instead to treat pregnancy sickness.

If your doctor has suggested that you take a medicine to treat pregnancy sickness, this is because you cannot live your normal life, and nausea and vomiting might be affecting your physical and/or mental health. You can decide together with your doctor whether taking a medicine is right for you.

If you cannot eat normally, are struggling to keep drinks down, or are vomiting up medicines that you need to take, it is important to get the right anti-sickness treatment. Severe vomiting can cause you to become dehydrated and very unwell. Using an effective anti-sickness treatment can help some women avoid hospital treatment for dehydration.

Will my baby need extra monitoring?

All pregnant women in the UK should be offered a very detailed anomaly scan at around 20 weeks of pregnancy as part of their routine antenatal care. No extra monitoring for major birth defects is required following Xonvea® use in pregnancy.

Who can I talk to if I have questions?

If you have any questions relating to the information in this leaflet, please discuss them with your health care provider. They can access more detailed medical and scientific information from www.uktis.org.

The charity Pregnancy Sickness Support provides resources, information and advice for women experiencing hyperemesis gravidarum.

How can I help to improve drug safety information for pregnant women in the future?

Our online reporting system (MyBump Portal) allows women who are currently pregnant to create a secure record of their pregnancy, collected through a series of questionnaires. You will be asked to enter information about your health, whether or not you take any medicines, your pregnancy outcome and your child's development. You can update your details at any time during pregnancy or afterwards. This information will help us better understand how medicines affect the health of pregnant women and their babies. Please visit the MyBump Portal to register.

General information
Sadly, miscarriage and birth defects can occur in any pregnancy.

Miscarriage occurs in about 1 in every 5 pregnancies, and 1 in every 40 babies are born with a birth defect. This is called the ‘background risk’ and happens whether medication is taken or not.

Most medicines cross the placenta and reach the baby. For many medications this is not a problem. However, some medicines can affect a baby’s growth and development.

If you take regular medication and are planning to conceive, you should discuss whether your medicine is safe to continue with your doctor/health care team before becoming pregnant. If you have an unplanned pregnancy while taking a medicine, you should tell your doctor as soon as possible.

If a new medicine is suggested for you during pregnancy, please make sure that the person prescribing it knows that you are pregnant. If you have any concerns about a medicine, you can check with your doctor, midwife or pharmacist.

Our Bumps information leaflets provide information about the effects of medicines in pregnancy so that you can decide, together with your healthcare provider, what is best for you and your baby.