Medications?

ReadyForaB

Any mamas here on any type of medication they won't be able to take now? I get bad migraines and have been on Imitrex for years. I recently got a daith piercing in my ear as its supposed to act as a permanent acupuncture to prevent them. It is (to my surprise) actually working and it's been over a month (really long for me). However, I'm terrified of one does strike what I will do. Grin and bare it I guess.

Pam973

I'm pregnant with my second but I suffer from migraines as well. Last time I was lucky and due to the hormones I didn't have any while pregnant but talk to your OB mine had some safe options though now I don't remember what they were.

misspuppychow

I have a horribly chronic stuffy nose. I have always used Afrin, Veramyst, and Sudafed. I can't take any of that now so I have basically been suffocating since I got my BFP. I can hardly sleep and I always feel short of breath because I'm not mouth breather. It's miserable. I hope it improves soon! 

WinchesterGirl

@misspuppychow, my doc told me I'm good to take claritin (plain only, not the decongestant version) and my Rhinocort nose spray. Obviously it depends what causes your stuffy nose, but there may be options.

misspuppychow

@WhinchesterGirl, I do take Zyrtec during my allergy season, but everything I'm allergic to is currently dead so I quit taking it. Plus, Zyretec (like Claritin) is Category B which means animal studies failed to demonstrate any risk to the fetus and there are no human studies. It just makes me so nervous. No drug is proven to be safe. They have just not found it to be risky and most have never been studied in humans. So I try my best to suck it up and deal with it if I can!  Despite no guarantees, Claritin, Alavert, Zyrtec, Rhinocort, etc are the best option when needed. Pregnancy categories are weird though.  Some allergy nasal sprays are Category C but the same medication given via nebulizer route are B. It just means it spray version hasn't been studied! 

sunflower717

Can't take my imitrex and unsure about official opinion on xanax, but I would be uncomfortable taking. Luckily, I haven't used either in months. I can't use pot anymore, which I used for my fibromyalgia.(I live in Oregon, LOL) So that has been interesting. I didn't use it often, but during a flare up it is the only way I can actually function. 

misspuppychow

@sunflower717, Xanax is Category D which means there is evidence of risk to the fetus in humans but sometimes potential benefits outweigh the risks. 

sunflower717

misspuppychow said:

@sunflower717, Xanax is Category D which means there is evidence of risk to the fetus in humans but sometimes potential benefits outweigh the risks. 

Yeah. I haven't needed it in forever, and never took it often anyways. I prefer to be as med free as possible in general life, but especially in pregnancy. 

Stephanie7693

With my first 2 pregnancies, I was given a narcotic that I took when I got a migraine.

Car0liiine

So I have been on an ssri (celexa) and my np at the OB GYN said it was fine to take until 3rd trimester. But then my gp said he wouldn't recommend taking it, he would switch me to prozac. When I told my np this, she said no to prozac but switched me to Zoloft at a higher dosage than than my original Celexa. Between that and all the stuff in the media this week about SSRI s and autism I'm so confused and worried!

kwilliams3402

I have awful allergies that prior to being well managed, resulted in half a dozen or so bad sinus infections or bouts of asthmatic bronchitis a year. Pre-pregnancy, I had allergies managed with allergy shots, Dymista nasal spray, saline washes, and constant Zyrtec-D. The nurse first told me I couldn't do any of it, so I went 4 days cold turkey and miserable. I then talked to my allergy Doctor and the OBGYN nurse again, and we currently have me doing Rhinacort nasal spray and I'm cleared to take Benadryl or straight Zyrtec. So, the Rhinacort + nightly saline wash + breathe-right strips at night + a Benadryl before bed has been working well. I did cut the Benadryl last night to take the unisom/B6 combo and my allergies seem under control. Haven't gotten my monthly allergy shots yet and am a tad nervous about that, but managing!

kwilliams3402

For what it's worth, I was on Celexa for 6 years, at 20 mg, before I tapered it down before we started TTC. I tapered over a 4 month period, and every time I lowered the dose, I had side effects for a couple weeks that were annoying but not debilitating. I ran out of the medicine a few times and the cold turkey days in between we're very unpleasant--couldn't function (dizzy, nauseated, couldn't think straight, headaches, etc). If you do plan to get off of it by the 3rd trimester, give yourself plenty of time to do it slowly. That's between you and your doctor, but I would definitely not plan to just cold turkey when you hit the third trimester. Hope that is of some help--don't mean to freak you out at all!