Anyone on Category C meds ?
This sucks! I hate that I just might have to go back on my regular meds, which are a category C.
I have had allergies for many years, allergies to dust mite and perfumes. The only thing that works is Allegra 180mg pill a day and my flonase nasal spray. I was taken off of it before I conceived nd was given Xyzal 5 mg, which really doesn't do crap, but it's safer Category B so I been taking it for months.
I"m now 15 weeks pregnant and this week , after having a headache and migraines for over a month I was told I have a very mild sinus infection and was given antibiodics. My pcp said that I just might feel better and wont have to get back on the Allegra but if the antibiodics and the new nasal spray didnt work for me to might as well go back on my Allegra.
I called ob's office and talked to the nurse who then talked tothe covering ob and said the same thing that maybe it was time for me to just get back on the Allegra since that is what works for me.
I ony got the antibiodics and not the nasal spray rhinecort because the rhinecort was 80 bucks and I didnt have th emoney for it. So my pcp said it was fine tojust continue my flonase at home.
Well I was doing well for the past 3 days untill this morning. My headache is coming back and my nose is just runny runny, like a faucet and nothing is helping. I"m nervouse and scared to get back on my meds but dh said that I can't be suffering like this. Trust me it's been realy bad to the point that talking, the light,and even walking I feel my head pounding. I have a toddler at home and have no patience and can't even play with him because i'm lying down so much.
I just feel like I have my age against me and my high blood pressure against me and dont want to add anymore issues esp taking a category c meds and make things worse.
But like my pcp and ob nurse said I shouldn't be suffering like this and my allergies might get worse where I can't breath. The same thing happend in my first pregnancy where I had to go back on my category c meds but it was later in my pregnancy like 5 months i believe.
I'm tring to hang in there much longer but I dont know if i can.
I guess i'm just nervous and wondering if i'm alone and how do I handle this.? again being much earlier in the pregnancy than my first time around.
Re: Anyone on Category C meds ?
Are you open to a nasal flush? What about a hypotonic solution nasal spray? I have had good luck with both for my allergies and they are class A safe for the baby.
I'm not a doctor, but I believe that a lot of newer drugs are category C because they no longer get tested on pregnant women, not because they are harmful. Within that category, I know docs are more comfortable with some of the drugs than others.
I take a daily asthma controller drug that is category C, because it hasn't gone through the formal drug trials on pg women to change the category. I'm not concerned, and my doctors strongly recommend that I continue on the drug - the effects of me not taking it are worse for baby than the effects of taking it. So far, dd looks "perfect" and my pregnancy has been far easier to manage with effective asthma drugs.
I broke down and started taking Prilosec (category C) for my reflux a few weeks ago -- I was literally waking up feeling like I had vomited in my mouth, regardless of how long it had been since I had eaten, so I felt I could not hold off any longer, as the Zantac just wasn't working. Had I experienced this earlier in my pregnancy, I would have done it then, too. I have two friends, a doctor and a nurse, who both took Prilosec during their pregnancies from practically Day 1, and their kids are perfectly healthy (one has twins!)
I think the take-home message here is that if your OB is on-board, and the Allegra has had a noticeable positive effect for you in the past, that it is likely safe for you and baby. It's almost ALWAYS better for mom to be her healthiest than for her to not be able to breathe and potentially compromise baby. Good luck, and feel better.
Side note: Rhinocort nasal spray, in my personal and RT experience, doesn't work any better than Flonase, so if you skipped it, you probably didn't miss much.