What is safe to take while pregnant?

Question

I have just found out I'm five weeks pregnant, well i knew anyway I've had symptoms for 3 weeks, headaches, nausea, tender breasts.

So my question is are painkillers safe to take & which ones also is it safe to take vitamins? also i have allergies ( hayfever usually) that have been troubling me this week, the doc said i can't take antihistamines so is there anything natural that will help me?

Answer 1

First thing to-do is make sure you are taking Folic Acid tablets everyday starting today, you can also get multivitamins for pregnancy (including the folic acid). I believe paracetamol is safe, but it's best to check with your Doctor or midwife.

Answer 2

Paracetamol is safe to take as a painkiller. Its the only over the counter one that is recommended in pregnancy.

Having said that I know someone who had to take morphine throughout her pregnancy for a pre existing condition - although that was obviously under the advice and monitoring of a doctor.

As for antihistamines, well I was suffering terribly with hayfever in the summer and there ARE safe antihistamines which you can take, its basically the "old" style ones (that make you drowsy). I was prescribed Piritin (Clarityn) by my GP which didn't really do anything - so I went to see my OB Consultant and he prescribed me Flixonase (same as Beconase) - a steroid based nasal spray which was really good - he said that the amount of steroid that would reach the baby from using it would be far too small to cause any harm.

As for sickness, well there are safe anti emetics (often used for women with excessive nausea/vomiting) but again they need to be prescribed by a doctor.

The trouble is doctors are all different and have different approaches to prescribed medications in pregnancy. I've had doctors who tell they never prescribe anything to a pregnant wonan while my OB Consultant (who I guess is more knowledgeable than a GP) was happy to prescribe certain medications which he knew to be safe - he said that GPs are more cautious as they don't actually know an awful lot about the effect of the medications in a pregnant woman, but those "in the know" (OBS) will know whats safe and whats not, and there are actually an awful lot of medications that ARE safe.

Its a shame that some pregnant women have to suffer terribly with sickness, hayfever, pain etc thinking they can't take anything when in fact they can (but their GPs don't know or aren't confident enough to prescribe it).

There are natural hayfever remedies but I've never found them helpful, plus you have to be just as careful about taking natural or herbal remedies as you do about medical drugs - at least the drugs can be prescribed by a medical professional whilst with the natural remedies no one is really sure what they may or may not do.

So if I were you I'd speak to another doctor (are you seeing an Obstetrician?) and ask their advice - mine is great and is so down to earth about these things. He's been so helpful.

Answer 3

Do not take antihistamines during pregnancy. I'm 8weeks pregnant at 6 weeks my doctor told me ok to take paracetomol, I did for sinusitis, but keep reading nothing sould be taken within 1st 12weeks then paracetmol ok. Do not take asprin as thins blood unless advised by doc. Drink plenty of water u may not take enough, also there is a herbal headache stick what u put across your forehead but ask your chemist if safe during pregnancy. Good luck:)

Answer 4

it is safe to take paracetamol unless anything has changed since i asked my GP on Monday! i carried my son through the summer and suffered from terrible hayfever, the doctor gave me a nasal spray which didn't work as well as the tablets you can get but at least i knew it was safer and it did have some effect, write a list of question for the doctor or midwife and get the answers written down as it is so confusing which you can take and which ones to avoid, Good luck!

Answer 5

Paracetamol is considered safe, but asprin and ibuprofen are not safe.

Check this with your doctor, but I believe antihistamines that are non-drowsy are not considered safe, but the drowsy ones have been around for a very long time with no noted side effects, so you may be able to take them.

Get yourself a specially designed pregnancy multivitamin. Most vitamins are safe, but some aren't so stick to pregnancy vitamins.

Answer 6

it is not recommended that you take anything during pregnancy for hay fever as it hasn't been tested enough. even herbal remedies cannot be seen as safe i have had 3 children and was pregnant in summer with all of them, try saline nose drops for a stuffy nose it helps a bit. also try to keep your clothes inside when you are drying them i found that worked.
The problem is people really don't want to test medication while they are pregnant for fear of what could happen.

if you are suffering from morning sickness hunger makes it worse so eat little and often also try ginger or peppermint tea or ginger biscuits.
later on you will probably get heartburn gaviscon is best you can get a prescription from your gp.
don't worry it will be so worth it , if you have any worrys your midwife will be happy to help don't feel scared to ask.

take care

Answer 7

when i had severe headaches at the beginning of this pregnancy i was told the only safe painkiller to take was brand name tylenol, and that i could not exceed 6 tablets a say instead of the regular 8 i never took that much anyways because i try to steer clear of that stuff as much as possible, but at a few points i had to take them because my headaches were so severe

Answer 8

Well, I am looking at my list of approved over the counter remedies from my doctor right now. He does state whenever possible try to avoid any meds during the first 3 months.

Nausea:
Emetrol
coca cola syrup

Colds:
Sudafed: decongestant(only the plain sudafed)
Benadryl: dcongestant(again orig formual onlyl)
Tylenol:aches and pains
Tylenol Sinus
All Robitussin Except CF

Answer 9

You should never use soap down on your vagina anyway! unless it is a PH balanced soap like dove or special lady cleaning soap. This can cause irritation and cause the bad smell that you say is there. Stop using soap and just use water for a while and hopefully it should clear up. If it doesn't then you should see your doctor and ask him to do a test. Hope everything goes ok

Answer 10

My doctor has told me that taking Claritin is safe. Tylenol (2 500mg tablets) is safe, too. This is my second pregnancy, and I took both meds with my first, too. My son is happy, healthy, and smart.

You can also take Sudafed, Milk Of Magnesia if you need it, and Zofran for the nausea if your doctor prescibes it.

Ask your doctor about this list, though, because all doctors are different.

Congrats on your pregnancy.