How long do patients take magnesium sulfate?
In preterm labor, magnesium sulfate is given over 24 or 48 hours to try to halt labor. Sometimes, a woman will then be put on a different preterm labor drug like terbutaline or nifedipine and can be sent home. (For more information on terbutaline, click here.) Some women who are very far from term and whose condition is precarious may be kept on magnesium sulfate for longer periods of time – sometimes weeks and months.
