Common Cold Medicine and Pregnancy: Go Natural Before you consider taking drugstore medicines for the common cold, you might want to consider some good old-fashioned home remedies, says Elisa Ross, MD, an obstetrician and gynecologist on staff with the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. The reason: No over-the-counter medicines are really treating the cold or helping you get better, they just control symptoms.
Hot showersA vaporizerA saline nasal washChicken soup
Common Cold Medicine and Pregnancy: What’s Safe? If you can’t get enough relief from those home remedies, it’s possible to use common cold medicines with a few precautions. First, guidelines say it’s best to avoid all medication during the first trimester. “In the first 12 weeks the baby is making its organs, and so in general, if people don’t need to take something during that time it would be great if they didn’t,” says Dr. Ross. “[There are] more serious consequences at the beginning of the pregnancy." Next, Ross says the safest bet is to look for medications with the fewest ingredients possible. “The main thing about [common cold] medicine is it’s best to take the ingredient you need for the symptom and not the combination, one-size-fits-all,” says Ross. “It’s better to separate your ingredients and take the ones that you need at a usual adult dose.” There are also specific medicines to avoid during pregnancy:
Ibuprofen (such as Advil, Motrin)AspirinAny herbal medications or remedies
Herbal medications in particular aren’t regulated, so it’s difficult to know exactly what ingredients they contain and whether they’re safe. Herbs can cross the placenta and reach the baby, so it’s best to avoid them. Common Cold Medicine and Pregnancy: The Safe List The best option is always to talk to your doctor before taking any medication during your pregnancy, but here are some medications that have been found to be generally safe for pregnant women:
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed)Loratadine (Claritin)Zinc lozengesChloraseptic spray (but a salt water gargle is just as effective, with no risks)
Of these possibilities, Ross recommends Sudafed the most for the common cold. “Sudafed is okay for a decongestant after the first trimester unless the woman has high blood pressure,” says Ross. “Sudafed sometimes is the medication that packs the most bang for its buck.” Remember, the simpler the better. Ross recommends that pregnant women steer clear of products that contain multiple ingredients or tackle a combination of symptoms, such as Nyquil, Robitussin DM, and Claritin-D. A bad cough is certainly annoying, but you might also be concerned that you will cough so hard it will hurt the baby, or that your water will break. Ross says there’s no need to worry — your baby will be fine. Common Cold Medicine and Pregnancy: Check With Your Doctor Ross cautions pregnant women to be careful not to assume that what you have is the common cold. If it’s actually an illness like the swine flu, it can pose a much more serious problem for pregnant women. If you experience fever and muscle aches, or if symptoms don’t subside within about 10 days, see your doctor to see if it’s an illness that requires special treatment. Yes, many over-the-counter cough and cold medications are considered safe for pregnant women and their developing babies. But that doesn’t mean you should just grab something at the drugstore and take it. Call your doctor before you take anything, even if you think it’s safe.
