Anyone taking Zyrtec D?

utfan92

Hi all...I have had terrible sinus congestion for awhile now...I am assuming it is allergies since here in Austin allergies are bad and a lot of people seem to suffer from it. Pre-pregnancy, I haven't been one to be too bothered by allergies, but here and there I have taken Claritin. Anyway, I told the nurse at my OB about the congestion and she told me to take Zyrtec D. I started taking it on Thursday and feel no relief at all yet...I actually feel worse today. Does anyone know if it takes awhile to kick in before you feel better? My mom seemed concerned I am taking a decongestant and when I look I just looked it up on the web it says to avoid decongestants which makes me feel nervous taking it even though the nurse recommended it. I am so ready to get rid of this sinus congestion, but not sure what to do to help it get better. Saline drops and a humidifer don't help much each. Any tips?

Yellow_Daisy

I take regular zyrtec daily due to chronic hives.  When I miss a dose by a few hours I break out into hives (which is my reminder to take my meds) and it usually starts to work within 30-45 min.  If it has been a few days I would start to wonder if what you are experiencing is really allergies.

I can't answer the question about whether you should take a decongestant, but my OB and allergist only allowed me to take the zyrtec because I have a chronic skin condition, basically I am allergic to being touched by anything.  They both said if I just had seasonal allergies they would opt for me to deal with it without meds.

Karen1998

My OB also vetoed my seasonal meds - regular Zyrtec and Mucinex are my go to meds when not pregnant. 

Since you live in the allergy capitol of the world, allergies are possibly your problem, but it could be something else.  Are you sure it's not just pregnancy related sinusitis?  A lot of congestion issues are due to swollen nasal passages and not excess mucus.  From what I understand, pregnancy sinusitis is one of those things.  Decongestants can aggravate that issue by drying out already dry passages and making the swelling worse.  I know that swollen nasal passages become an issue for me in the dryness of winter, which is a common thing. 

I use Neil Med's sinus rinse (you can buy the starter kit and refill packets at Walgreens for about $15) daily to help keep my nasal  passages moist and to keep the inflammation down.  My doctor is fine with me using it (it's basically a saline rinse), but you should check with yours.  I find the saline nasal sprays to be completely worthless, but the rinse actually gets into my sinuses and helps keep everything moist and the inflammation down.  Granted, I also flip my head over after rinsing, turn it side to side to let it get into my sinuses, go back to straight down and then flip my head up quickly to aid my sinuses in running.  That's what my old allergist (who was in Austin, ironically) told me to do years ago and it's always worked for me.  Make sure you use warm water in it, as cold and/or hot water hurts.  I also blow my nose after using it.  That may be against the package directions, but I found that my nose ran like mad when I didn't and I'd end up blowing it anyway.

I also use an allergy air filter (in addition to an allergy rated on our a/c that we change regularly) in the bedroom to keep the allergens down.  I wash our sheets on hot often (and especially the pillowcases) to keep the dust mites and other major allergens down.  You can also buy allergy rated bedding to help with this issue, though you still need to wash it often.  My doctor has OKed Benadryl, so I take it at night.  It's not my favorite allergy med, but it does help to cut down on my sneeze attacks during the day.  Doing these things greatly reduced my need for allergy meds pre-pregnancy and has helped to keep my pregnancy from being one where I'm desperate for good allergy meds. 

Mrs.Saxy

yesterday and this morning I had to take plain sudafed.  I take zyrtec every day.  i would not take zyrtec D, but I guess i'ts the same as sudafed.

have you tried a neti pot?  it's better than saline drops. 

11kacey

Fellow Austinite here.. zyrtec (regular) is what I take when I need relief. I started with allergy shots last year and they have helped immensely. I only need a zyrtec about once every few weeks or so.. before I needed it daily if not twice a day.(I am allergic to EVERYTHING they test you for here except four things and my asthma is pretty bad, so it is imperative that my allergies stay in check)

I would call your ob and ask about a separate decongestant and just take zyrtec at night before you go to bed. I have taken zyrtec d in the past and if I remember correctly, it was a 12 hour dosage and it never worked as well for me.

My allergist gave me the same thing that a pp discussed. It isn't a netipot, but very similar. It might help with your congestion.

Make sure you are staying inside to reduce your exposure and wash your clothes and take a shower after you have been outside so the molds and pollens aren't following you inside. 

LegalLadyBug

My doctor's office is very much against any kind of decongestant. Before my BFP I was on prescription allergy meds with a decongestant every day, as soon as I found out I was pregnant I switched to Zyrtec, not the Zyrtec D. I used it for a few months but got a sinus infection and it wasn't really working for me so I have switched to Claritin, again not the D. That is working much better for me.

I do have to confess that I have occasionally taken a sudafed here and there when the sinus pressure becomes too much. I also have a netipot but I think my allergies are too severe for it to help, I never seem to get any relief from it. I did run out of Claritin the other night and took an old Alavert-D that I found in the medicine cabinet. I will never do that again. I had the most miserable night of my pregnancy, I couldn't sleep at all. Not sure if it was related to the Alavart-D but it has never been a problem before and it's the only different medicine I took that day.

As far as whether it is safe to take a decongestant, maybe. Here on the Bump it seems everyone's doctor has a different opinion. From the research I did it seems that problems arose when they fed rats way more sudafed than a normal human would ever consume. I suggest you do your own research and make your own decision, no medicine is 100% safe for pregnancy. You need to do what you are comfortable with. Along with allergy meds I highly suggest getting an air cleaner for your home if you don't already have one, they will do wonders for your allergies. 

utfan92

Thanks for the replies everybody! I didn't take the Zyrtec D today and feel better than I did yesterday, although still congested. I am starting to wonder if I have pregnancy related sinusitis. Who knows. I haven't heard of a netti-pot and will look into it. Thanks for all the helpful tips...I appreciate it!