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What Medications Are Safe During My Pregnancy?
Deli sandwiches, sushi, that evening glass of wine, that morning cup of joe — the moment you find out that you’re pregnant, these foods and drinks will disappear from your menu. The old adage that you’re eating for two now is an important consideration as you navigate pregnancy, but we want to discuss something else that passes your lips — medications.
It’s not until your circumstances change that you realize how much you might rely on medications, from allergy meds to combat spring fever to ibuprofen for a sore neck.
We know there's a lot to absorb when it comes to pregnancy dos and don’ts, so the all-female team of women’s health experts here at Women’s Health Services wants to spell out a few rules of thumb for medications.
Prescription medications and your pregnancy
Consider this — two-thirds of adults in the United States (more than 131 million people) take prescription medications, which very much includes women who are pregnant.
If you take prescription medications and you’re worried about the effect they might have on your baby, we’re happy to work with your prescribing doctor to make sure you can safely take these meds during your pregnancy.
It would be impossible for us to get into every type of medication, but we want to touch on a couple of examples. To start, if you’re among the more than 38 million Americans who have diabetes, you can, and should, continue to take insulin as needed.
On the other hand, if you’re taking blood thinners for a cardiovascular issue, we prefer that you stop during your pregnancy and we’ll work with your provider to find an alternative solution.
As you can see, it’s best to figure this out on a case-by-case basis and, rest assured, we will cover this during your prenatal care.
Over-the-counter (OTC) medications and your pregnancy
Now let’s get into those everyday medications that you can get over the counter. Again, there are simply too many to touch on here, but we want to give you some rules of thumb, such as:
- Take acetaminophen for pain, but not nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories.
- Most heartburn medications are OK, but avoid bismuth subsalicylate combinations (Pepto Bismol®).
- For morning sickness, we suggest doxylamine succinate, which is found in Unisom®.
- For allergies, Benadryl®, Claritin®, and Zyrtec® are generally OK.
- For colds and flus, Robitussin® and Mucinex® are good remedies, but steer clear of Sudafed® in your first trimester.
These are just a few examples of the many different OTC medications that Americans take on a regular basis. In reality, we want you to ask us in advance any time you want to take medications during your pregnancy, especially if it’s one that we haven’t discussed before.
The importance of checking with us on medications
Not only can we guide you on which medications are safe during your pregnancy and which ones to avoid, we look at the whole picture.
Sometimes, it’s not the medication that you’re taking that could be problematic, but the combination of meds. Certain medications can interact with one another in a way that’s potentially harmful, so please check with us anytime you add a medication.
Bear in mind that this same advice holds true for supplements. Please let us know which supplements you’re taking, or homeopathic remedies, so that we can double-check to see that they’re safe during your pregnancy.
The bottom line is that we’re just a phone call away, and we’d rather you err on the side of caution when it comes to pregnancy and medications. So, before you take anything, please contact us at 817-277-9415. You can also schedule an appointment at one of our three offices in Arlington and now Grand Prairie, Texas, using our online booking tool.
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