Largactyl

[Marty & Tina]

Recently I have been doing some work in a private hospital on the maternity ward.  Some of the Obs have been ordering Largactyl for hyperemesis.  I had never seen this before... is it becoming a common drug of choice in obstetric care?  I heard one time a couple of months ago that a woman with hyperemesis at approx 8/40 wks gestation was ordered this but then the pharmacist came to investigate the order & was not happy about it because ? it is not safe at this early gestation (is it safe at any gestation).  The pharmacist requested the doctor change the order.  Yet just 2 weeks ago I went back to the same hospital & it was again ordered for hyperemesis... can't say if it was the same Ob. though.   On a different note.....  I moved back to QLD in the middle of last year & had not worked in birth suite since my mid training finished in early 1998.  I discovered they were using Largactyl & another strong medication (can't remember the name of it - could start with a P) that I had only ever seen used in a high dependency psychiatric ward (usually for the acute admissions who were quite psychotic on arrival).  The midwives that I work with don't seem to question this practice & seem to feel that it is a beneficial medication in labour (I am talking quite generally - obviously not all of the midwives in this hospital feel the same way... I HOPE).  Is this also becoming common practice?    Tina H.