Conference moira::parenting_v3

    You should ask your pharmacist or your doctor for a recomended
    antihistamine that you can take during pregnancy.  It won't matter
    if you aren't right now, atleast you'll know for the future 
    anyway and you will still get the required relief you need now
    without causing harm to your unborn child (if you are pregnant).
    
    --Just a thought.
    
    Hope it helps...Lisa

    I am familiar with your problem. When i was trying to get pregnant 9
    months ago, was working 3rd shift. I couldn't sleep at all anymore
    during the day. So I asked my gynecologist what I could take and I hate
    to tell ya that I had to suffer. He said that I should treat my body as
    good before I get pregnant as I would if I were pregnant. Ask your
    doctor what you can do if you already haven't. He may give you an
    option. Or try one of those old home remedies like,a warm bath before
    bedtime or warm milk and honey! You never know untill you try!
    
    Good Luck and keep us posted  
    (I'd be interested in hearing what you Doctor has to say)
    
    
    Sandy
    
    
    
    

    When I was pregnant and desperately needed an antihistamine,
    my OB told me that Sudafed was O.K. but not to overdo it.
    (He's not really into pills - even Tylenol).  Best to contact
    your doctor and ask if it would do any harm if you are pregnant
    and don't know it yet.  Take care, and I hope you get some
    relief soon.
    
    - Kathryn
    

Re: .3

Sudafed is not an antihistamine - it is a decongestant (pseudoephedrine
hydrochloride).  There is a "Sudafed Plus" that also contains an
antihistamine (probably chlorpheneramine maleate).

I would strongly recommend getting your doctor's advice on this.  One thing
you may want to consider is a liquid form, where you can take less of a
dose if you want to (I often find that half a dose of antihistamine is
enough for me).

				Steve

    I recently suffered from a very bad cold.  My doctor told me I could
    take sudafed, tylenol, and robitussen, ONLY because I wasn't improving
    AND I was past my first trimester.  If I had still been in my first,
    no medication would have been recommended.  I think it is better
    to be safe than sorry.
    
    But, I would think if you take the medication between the time you
    start your period and the time you ovulate you should be fine. 
    Even if you end up ovulating early, it takes the embryo quite a
    few days to implant in the uterus which would give you extra time
    to not have the medication in your system.  This is just my theory.
    

    There is a book out that I can't remember the title of but it is
    all about preparing for pregnancy, ie. what to do _before_ you get
    pregnant, and it says that basically you should eat healthy, abstain
    from drugs or alchohol, as if you were already pregnant.  That is
    the philosophy of the book anyway.  But they do maintain that the
    week following implantation (7-14 days after conception) the embryo
    is _especially_ sensitive to environmental effects.  The reason
    probably has something to do with rapid cell division or
    differentiation or something.  Anyway, that makes it hard, because
    that is before any of the home pregnancy kits can detect pregnancy.
    I would be cautious, and try "natural" remedies.
    	Linda

    
    Before I knew I was pregnant, I took about 4 Seldane tablets
    (antihistamines) and took about 3 squeezes from the nose spray bottle 
    because of congestion.
    
    When I told my doctor about this he said not to do it anymore and that
    I could use plain Sudafed and plain tylenol.  Nothing extra strength.
    He said there most likely would be no problems from taking the other
    things I took before I knew I was pregnant because I used them
    so sparingly, but it's not recommended. (Baby was born just fine!)
    
    Some people swear by the Sudafed, but it did nothing for me.  I hope
    you have better luck with it (if you doctor says you can use it).
    
    I can sympathize with you, I had congestion during a really bad cold I
    had when I was 3 months pregnant, I couldn't wait till it was over!
    
    Good luck,
    
    Nancy  
                                                                      

    I'd ask your doctor.  There are things that are generally regarded
    as safe.
    
    I had a pretty severe sinus attack the first month I was pregnant. 
    My doctor said there was no problem with Sudafed because it's not
    an anithistamine, but antihistamine medications are a bad idea. 
    They work on all the mucous membranes in your body, not just the
    ones in your nose, so they can dry up vaginal and other fluids as
    well and increase the difficulty in getting pregnant and perhaps
    in the embryo implanting. 
    
    I was hesitant to take anything, but I was feeling lousy and not
    sleeping or eating much, and the doctor said that was worse for
    the developing fetus than the very slight possible dangers from
    short-term use of sudafed.
    
    --bonnie

	I occasionally suffer from migraines.   During my first trimester 
I got one.  I tried tylenol and walking in the fresh air and a hot shower 
and a massage and the relaxation techniques I had learned during biofeedback 
sessions to control my headaches.  Nothing helped.  Light was incredibly 
painful.  I couldn't eat, which was probably just as well cause I would have 
thrown it right back up again.  Sleeping was absolutely out of the question.
My regular "drug of choice" (percoset) was out of the question.

	My doctor had me take Darvoset which is strong enough that it is
*not* something routinely reccomended for pregnant women.  His rationale was 
that while we weren't certain that it was a good idea to take Darvoset, we 
*were* certain that lack of sleep and food and liquids are a bad idea.  (True
migraines can last *days* even with medication.  The only treament is to knock
the pain level down enough that you can sleep through the worst of it.  If they
get bad enough to screw up your sleep, you can get into a migraine cycle where 
you get one after another.)  

	I survived.  Katie was born just fine. Cute as a button, too smart for 
her own good, and the healthiest kid in her daycare class.  I think sometimes 
we get a bit paranoid.  Most things that are not reccomended during pregnancy 
are things that have *slight* risks associated with them. They are not instant 
death sentences for the baby.  This is not to say that we should cavalier about 
those risks, just that sometimes you have to look at the whole picture.   

	Bottom line, check with your doctor.  He/she may be able to suggest 
something to take or at least offer some more "home remedies" to try.  And 
even if he/she can't, at least you'll have the comfort of knowing that you 
doing the right thing.  

Tracey

Re: .9

I believe Darvocet is codeine and acetaminophen (Tylenol).

			Steve

    My doctor's office gives out a memo with a list of medications
    that they deem safe during pregnancy.  For headaches, they
    recommend Tylenol (regular AND Extra Strength) and Datril.
    They suggest drinking lots of fluids too, this seems to
    help relieve the headache.
    
    For colds/congestion:  Actifed, Sudafed, Co-Tylenol.
    
    
    I suffer from allergies and it effected me during my pregnancy.
    I was nervous about taking Actifed/Sudafed even though the
    doctor said it was okay.  I called the Pregnancy/Environmental
    Hotline (sponsered by the March of Dimes).  They provide 
    info about drugs, chemicals and other environmental agents thought
    to be harmful to a pregnant woman and her unborn child.
    I found them to be extremely helpful and reassuring.
    
    Their number is : 1-800-322-5014 or (617) 787-4957
    Monday-Friday 9am-4:30pm
    
    Good luck!
    Linda
    
    p.s.  I took sudafed until I was told that it was safe to receive
          allergy shots...I have a VERY healthy 21lb, 7 1/2 month old
          boy!

    Early in my pregnancy I got the book "Peace of Mind During
    Pregnancy."  (sorry, can't remember the author)  It lists
    hundreds of different substances, such as medications and 
    environmental conditions.  Each one is discussed as it 
    pertains to pregnancy--if there are risks, how great the 
    risk factor is, what kinds of studies have been done, etc.
    I found it very thorough and educational.  And, what I 
    read always agreed with my doctor's advice.
    
    I, too, had a really bad cold during my first 3-5 weeks
    of pregnancy.  I just took my pre-natal vitamins and made
    sure to get lots of vitamin C from my diet.  At 4 months
    when I started getting really bad headaches, I took extra
    strength Tylenol.  Other than that I haven't had a need 
    for any medication (thank God!).
    
    I highly recommend this book.  There may be others out there
    with similar information.  BUT, always ask your doctor...that's
    what they are there for!!
    
    Linette
    (8 weeks to go!)
    

	Yes, Darvoset is Codeine and tylenol.  They frown on Codeine if you
are pregnant.

Tracey

A lot of replies here seem to show a confusion about decongestants and
antihistamines.  The two types of medications do very different things, and
the fact that they are often combined in a single product is rather puzzling.

Decongestants, the most popular brand name of which is Sudafed, relieve
congestion by causing more mucus to flow.  Antihistamines, for example
the brand name Chlor-Trimeton, block the actions of histamines which cause
allergic reactions, and act to dry up mucus membranes.  It seems a bit
strange to combine the two.

Decongestants are less likely to cause unwanted effects than antihistamines.
But the two aren't interchangeable.  If all you have is allergy symptoms,
an antihistamine is what you want.  If all you have is congestion, pick a
decongestant.  But above all, consult your doctor if you are pregnant or
might be pregnant before taking medications of any sort.

				Steve

	Steve's points are well taken, but one quibble.  I believe that Chlor-
Trimeton brand makes both decongestants and antihistamines.  (I'm pretty sure
that I also was allowed to take a decongestant but not an antihistamine. And
I was allowed to take C-t, ergo...)

Tracey

I am in my 9th month and suffer severe allergies (and asthma).  My OB told me
I could take Chloritrimiton, but only the kind with no decongestants.  He said 
antihistimines are ok, but NOT decongestants.  He told me that it was the 
decongestants that effect all mucus membranes.

Laura

    I don't think Sudafed is either a decongestant or an
    antihistamine.  Its chemical name is "PSEUDO-phedrine
    hydrocholoride", which means that it acts a bit like the other
    chemical but isn't really the same thing.  
    
    Which is why it doesn't make you drowsy, but why it's sometimes
    totally ineffective for some people.
    
    --bonnie

Sudafed (pseudoephedrine Hydrochloride) is classed as a decongestant.  I
believe it mimics the effect of ephedrine ... which for starters is a
stimulant ... perhaps someone else knows what else ephedrine does.  Hence
the warning that it may cause "mild stimulation".

Actifed is a mixture of sudafed and triprolodine which is an anti-histamine.
Anti-histamines usually make one sleepy, so these mixtures of sudafed+
antihistamine usually give the warning "may cause drowsiness or mild
stimulation".  Talk about ends of the spectrum!

I find I cannot take a whole actifed ... it makes me feel weird ... I probably
metabolize it too fast, so I divide them in two and take 1/2 twice as often
and that works ok.

Mind you, sudafed's effectiveness as a decongestant does seem to vary.
Sometimes it works well and other times it's useless.

The general concensus of our Docs has been that they prefer you take nothing
when pregnant, but if things are so bad you must, then the smaller the
doses the better.  From what I can tell in the last few years, it's mostly
a matter of "they just don't know", so their recommendations are to play
it safe and take as little as possible consistent with other conditions.

It seems to me that both anti-histamines and decongestants are similarly
risky because they both have CNS effects.

Stuart

Just to confuse things a little more, some doctors *recommend* Robitussin
if you're trying to get pregnant and your cervical mucus is scant.

Things have gotten a lot more confusing in recent years with manufacturers
of certain popular medications (Sudafed, Chlor-Trimeton, Drixoral, etc.)
diluting their brand names by coming up with variant formulas.  For example,
Drixoral now has a "NDF" (Non-Drowsy Formula) that simply omits the
antihistamine and is a straight decongestant.  Of course, they still want the
premium price for it.  You can buy store-brand Sudafed-equivalent decongestant
for $1.79 per 30 tablets (or get a prescription for generic 60mg tablets for
even cheaper).

Sudafed now has "Sudafed-Plus", which ADDS an antihistamine.  Chlor-Trimeton
also has a couple of variants, one without the antihistamine.  You need to
read the labels very carefully - it's not safe to go by brand name alone.

I've also noticed a resurgence in shotgun remedies such as Co-Tylenol and
Co-Advil, which combine a weak dose of decongestant with a weak dose of
pain reliever.  Save your money and buy these medications separately.

			Steve

    Hi,
    
    I have this problem.  I am pregnant and suffer from Hay Fever.
    My doctor has allowed me to take Beconase - which is a nasal
    spray, and it works really well - stops the nose part completely.
    I do sometimes need some eye drops too though.
    
    He did also say to me that if this didn't work, there were some
    antihistamins that are safe.  I have not pursued this, as the
    spray has wroked for me.
    
    I suggest that you speak to your doctor, and ask for Beconase
    (may have a different brand name - I am in the UK), or which
    of the antihistamins are safe.
    
    Good luck,
    Sarah

    Re: .21
    
    I am absolutely astonished that your doctor would let you use Beconase
    (beclomethasone dipropionate), a corticosteroid, while you are pregnant.
    I have the manufacturer's data sheet in front of me, and it is labelled
    as "Pregnancy Category C" which means that it "should be used during
    pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk
    to the fetus."  It also goes into some rather scary detail on the
    effects the drug was found to have during animal testing; "There are
    no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women."
    
    I would suggest you go talk to your doctor and review the
    manufacturer's data with him or her.  From what I read, I would not
    recommend your using it to cure hay fever symptoms.
    
    I use Beconase, and it works well for its intended purpose of reducing
    inflamed nasal polyps.  It is not an antihistamine nor a decongestant,
    and is not an "instant relief" product like over the counter nasal
    sprays.  Used over time, it reduces blockage due to inflammed nasal
    passages, which can certainly alleviate some of the symptoms of
    allergy (such as sinus headaches).  But it's useless against a cold
    or other allergy symptoms.
    
    				Steve

    I use a synthetic cortisone type nasal spray as well. I've taked to my
    doctor about it and he says that very little of the drug ends up in the
    bloodstream. The reason for the hair rising warning is thay very little
    testing is done on effects of drugs on pregnant women (for obvious
    reasons...) I believe that the effects on pregnant rats were primarily
    associated with "increased maternal toxicity" (the effects showed up
    when/because they gave the rats so much it made them sick).
    
    Don't listen to any of us, go talk to your doctor and decide with her
    if the benefits outweigh the risks.
    
    	-- Charles

re .21 (Sarah) and .22 (Steve)

My allergies were bad enough this year that I finally went to an allergist.
When it came time to discuss treatment, I told him that I was planning on
trying to get pregnant in the "near future" and to take that into account.
First we tried Nasalcrom, a nasal spray, which didn't seem to work well.  When
I went back for part 2 of my tests, he prescribed Vancenase, which sounds a lot
like the Beconase.

I had read the manufacturer's data sheet for the Nasalcrom, and I think it was
a Class C drug.  It had the same sort of information as Steve pointed out.
Ditto for the Vancenase, which I read when I got home.

I asked the allergist about all this, and he said, basically, that it was safe
and the company lawyers make them say all that to cover themselves.  I didn't
like that answer very much, needless to say, and I will talk to my OB-GYN
before we start trying.

Meanwhile, the Vancenase is working well; it stopped my nose from being stuffed
up, and stopped almost all of my sneezing (I can count my sneezes on one hand
now). I'm having chest congestion problems now, which are new to me, so the
spray certainly isn't a cure-all, but I am glad to have some relief.

Jill

Re: .24

Vancenase is the same as Beconase - just a different brand.  Nasalcrom is
an entirely different product that is designed to reduce sensitivity to
airborn allergens. 

Re: .23

Charles, the effects that the animal studies showed included various
mutations, "embryocide and fetal resorption".  But these were with the
medication injected.  Inhaler tests on rats didn't show these results.

Being aware that the manufacturers tell you all this in an attempt to
cover themselves, I still would not be personally comfortable with the
idea of a pregnant woman using corticosteroids.  Not much gets into
the bloodstream, true, but some does.

Unfortunately, few doctors take the time to explain the risks of medication
with their patients.  And also unfortunately, few patients want to hear
about it.  I seem to be unusual in that I read up on the medications that
are prescribed for me, much to the astonishment of doctors and pharmacists.
(One pharmacist figured I must be in the health profession, to know "so much"
about the medicine I was given.  No, I just ask for and read the manufacturer's
data sheet.)


One good thing about Beconase/Vancenase is that you don't have to take it
in high doses.  One spritz every couple of days is usually enough to keep
your symptoms down.

				Steve

    Hi again,
    
    I have done some further checking about Beconase in light of
    what Steve has said.
    
    I spoke with my brother, who is a doctor, and he assures me
    that it is perfectly safe, far more so than any drug I might
    take.  He did also add, that he wouldn't recommend it or any
    thing else in the first three months of pregnancy, but I am
    now six months pregnant, so he has no worries.  I must trust
    that my brother has my and my babies interests at heart, more
    so than any normal doctor, so I do believe this.
    
    Incidently, the comments made about Beconase not being the right
    type of drug/spray for hay fever is cetainly not true for me.
    I have had hay fever since I was 3 years old and have been
    a really bad sufferer, I have tried every drug and spray on the
    market, Beconase is the first one that has ever worked completely
    for me.  So regardless of what you say, Steve, I'm convinced it
    is a good remedy to me!!  I was dying a month ago before I
    started with it, now I have no symptoms at all (expect when
    I forget to take it!!).
    
    Anyway, thanks for the information, but I'm satisfied that it
    is safe for me at this stage of pregnancy.
    
    Cheers,
    Sarah

    Sarah,
    
    I didn't mean to say that Beconase was worthless for hay fever.
    It will do wonders to relieve the stuffy head and sinus headache
    symptoms.  But it isn't an antihistamine, and won't relieve 
    symptoms such as itchy eyes.  Beconase shrinks or eliminates
    nasal polyps, whose presence can lead to headaches, stuffiness
    and other symptoms. 
    
    			Steve

    
    
    I'm sure I'm gonna shock a few people with this info..
    
    I'm a bronchial Asthamatic and during my pregnancy, I took prednisone,
    tylenol, cough medicine with codeine.. anitbiotic...  The one thing
    my doctor told me was that YOU are the main person to be concerned
    about..  The baby will be strong only if YOU are strong...
    
    Needless to say.. I had a very healthy baby who is now 15 weeks
    old and a mom who never felt guilty cuase I made his environemnt
    healthy..  
    
    Sometimes you have no control over your system..  and you need
    medicaton..  I do recommend you talk to you doctor but I just wanted
    you to know from a person who took/has taken drugs for most of
    her life.
    
    			/Penny

    Does anyone know what is in Advil and what the effects of it would
    be?
    	Linda

    Advil is the same ingredient, however...and this is the big one... it
    would take *4* advil to equal the strength in ONE prescription Motrin.
    As explained to me by a hospital ER doctor, following a recent Motor
    Vehicle Accident.
    
    Just as an aside, I took Advil in the late stages of pregnancy with AJ,
    because I was having severe back pain.  My OB told me to take only
    advil, according to directions (every 4 to 6 hours) and rest in bed
    with a heating pad on my back.  As far as I can tell this had no harm
    on the baby.
    
    Lyn

This definitely is a "talk to your Doctor" -- the list of cautions for
ibuprofen (Advil) is high.  Acetaminophen (Tylenol) was certainly considered
preferable to even asprin for many years for pregnancy, and since there
is a chemical relationship between asprin and ibuprofen, I'd be careful.

As ever, it is unlikely that the odd one would cause any problem, but if
you had to take them regularly, sI'd start to be concerned.  But don't
listen to me ... call your dr's office!

Stuart

    	Actually 4 Advil is equal to 1 prescription Motrin 800mg (it also
    comes in 600 mg strength).

    	Before I got pregnant, I used Motrin 800 on a regular basis for
    orthopedic pain and for inflammation, my Doctors have insisted that I not
    use *any* Motrin (Ibuprofen) throughout my entire pregnancy and
    afterwards while I am nursing. I don't know if this is because of a side
    effect of the drug in general or at the level that I am used to taking.

    	I will tell you that I am looking *very* forward to be able to take
    it again, as far as pain meds are concerned, Motrin has always worked
    wonders on me (you can have your aspirin and tylenol). Motrin has
    always been a good friend during the winter months.

    				Wendy

    I called the information number given in one of the earlier replies
    and they said that Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammation
    drug.  It is not recommended because acetomephin is a safer
    alternative.  Studies with lab animals have not shown birth defects,
    but it is thought that there is a chance of irregular heartbeat type 
    of stresses in the baby if it is taken during the last trimester.
    The person at the hotline was real nice and they will send out a
    letter summarizing the information given on the phone.  In return for
    providing  the information they ask that you fill out a questionaire
    which will be mailed out around the due date.  It sounds like they
    are keeping track for epidemiological studies.
    	Linda

    My OB warned against taking either ibuprofin or aspirin late in the 
    pregnancy.  The reason he gave me was that both these products will
    "thin" your blood, making it more difficult to clot if you should start 
    to bleed.  If, for some other completely unrelated reason, you begin to
    hemorage during labor or pre-labor, the ibuprofin or aspirin would make
    the situation worse.  Consequently, his recomendation was for me to take
    tylenol.

    Of course - I agree with previous noters that nothing beats Advil for
    over-the-counter pain releaf.  I recall one particular headache that I
    ignored his advice and took the Advil anyway.

    I had a fiorinal when I had been pregnant a week - I was somewhat
    horrified, but the doctor was emphatic that I should not worry. 
    (fiorinal = aspirin, codeine, caffeine, and misc. barbituates, used
    for migraines),
    During the pregnancy she gave me permission to take tylenol to try
    to head off headaches, since, she reasoned, the stress of the headache
    is probably worse than the medicine. However, I have always considered
    tylenol a "spit in the ocean" when it comes to pain relief. Under
    normal circumstances, I'd prefer 222's (aspirin, codeine & caffeine),
    but, I had to make due with the occasional tylenol during the
    pregnancy.
    
    Monica
    

    This reply is a bit late now but I'll enter it anyway.  The person to
    call if you have questions about taking drugs is a pharmacist.  Doctors
    do not necessarily know all the side effects and precautions associated
    with various drugs.  That's the pharmacist's job.  I would recommend
    shopping around for a decent phamacist though because I have not been
    too impressed with the one I talked to at Walgreens.  Fortunately my
    wife's sister is an OR Pharmacist so we're all set.
    
    							John

    Another possible source is a hotline; either a poison control
    centre, or a children's hospital hotline. 
    Here in Ottawa, we have a combination: the Children's has a hotline
    which is called MotherRisk, (its part of the same hotline as the poison
    control hotline). If they don't know off-hand, they will definitely 
    find out for you.....
    
    Monica 
    

    Monica, nice thought but....  here in the states, or at least the
    Massachusetts area.  The poison control hotline is an 800 number which
    is utilized by both parents AND medical personnel for advise of "what
    to do after" the child had consumed something, etc.  I have called
    several times and have been put on hold by them.  I would feel horribly
    guilty tieing up a line with a general questions, when someone with a
    genuine emergency might need advise now.
    
    I have heard those TV ads lately for Ask A Nurse, maybe something like
    that would be able to give you advise.  I second the thought about
    asking your pharmacist.  My experience is that the pharmacists know
    more about drug interactions than just about anyone.
    
    my 2 cents worth!
    Lyn

    You can look up any drug in the PDR (Physicians Desk Reference). They
    can be purchased at most book stores. At Many DEC sites, the Nurse will
    have one. I've used the nurses many times.