My doctor is recommending I try the terbutaline pump. What are its advantages?
The pump may make it easier for the pregnant woman to maintain an around-the-clock schedule of terbutaline doses. It provides a continuous low dose of terbutaline along with larger doses (called boluses) at regular intervals. The pump may allow a woman to sleep more at night since she won’t have to get up to take a pill. The pump also can fine-tune doses to a greater degree than pills. The overall dose of terbutaline is lower on the pump than with terbutaline pills. However, it is important to note that terbutaline by pump is a *concentrated* and injected dose that reaches the bloodstream more quickly. Because part of a terbutaline pill is absorbed by the stomach lining, the dosages of terbutaline pump and pills can be quite comparable and equally strong.
