If you take OTC medications, are you a young mom?

sonrisa · May 2013

I've noticed a number of pregnant women are willing to take pharmaceuticals during pregnancy if given the okay from their doctor. It feels like more women are willing to do so than in the past. I'm wondering if age is a factor.

I'm in my late thirties and grew up on stories of thalidomide, DES, lead in cereal bowls. It's been deeply ingrained in me that "safe for pregnancy" means that at this time there have been no studies showing any correlation with known harms. But just because it doesn't cause flippers or a rare form of childhood cancer doesn't mean that it doesn't affect fetal development. Unless the absence of medication will correlate with a known harm to my fetus, then I'm not taking it. Especially not first trimester when the development is so early and small changes can cause drastic consequences.

I'm wondering if those who feel differently are generally younger.

Neesey · May 2013

I'm 34 and willing to take approved meds as needed throughout my pregnancy. Not treating my allergies that could cause a full blown asthma attack is not an option I would ever consider. I also too antibiotics very early on for a uti.

waTracy · May 2013

katyj25:
No, I am not a young mom and I have no issue taking OTC meds that are approved by my doctor.

This.

sleepymonkey · May 2013

I'm 36 so definitely not a young mom but I am perfectly fine with taking any meds that my doc says are ok. I am highly affected by how I feel physically and if there are meds that are safe and help me function, I'm all for it. I can't just grin and bear debilitating nausea and acid reflux.

notkateanymore · May 2013

I'm exactly the opposite. I'm 34 and I trust my OB enough and don't fall for all the overblown scare tactics of the internet to know that some meds are safe.

ChuggingWater · May 2013

With my first pregnancy, I didn't take much of any OTC medications other than PNV. This pregnancy, I will be continuing on my Zoloft as leaving my anxiety untreated would leave me in bed. If my RA symptoms don't subside, I will probably have to treat those as well. I'm almost 29. Does that make me younger or older?

golfingdarwinfish · May 2013

I'm a 31 year old molecular geneticist with training in pharmacology. As such I have the knowledge and ability to perform the research necessary to have an educated conversation with my physicians regarding any OTC or prescription medicine.

MrsQueale · May 2013

I don't think age has much weight to this theory.

I have so many 20 something friends that use homeopathic over otc medications. I am 24 and will result to otc if nothing else works. Like heartburn, I take what my dr prescribed for that... but only when it's really bad.

So, I really think it's more individual preference.

insertclevername · May 2013

I am 32 and have taken the occasional Unisom and Benedryl with this pregnancy. If I have an issue that needs to be treated with medication while pregnant then I will discuss it with my Dr. and make an informed decision.

SandraLee1123 · May 2013

I am 25 and use meds including Tylenol only as a last resort. I would also use 110% certified organic everything if I could afford it, ha.

I think it is all person preference.

Nikkidoll15 · May 2013

I'm in my twenties and I am strictly against taking anything whatsoever. I have had headaches that make me put a frozen water bottle to my temple because its so painful and yet I still won't take anything. I just feel like its the first part of being a mom to make sure the babies growth comes before my needs. I haven't even used the anti nausea meds. It's all just a matter of opinion and my SIL, who has one baby, tells me I am going overboard. However her baby was born 4lbs 5oz at 39 weeks.

MEP923 · May 2013

I had my first at 23 and now I am 27. For both of them I would only take OTC meds that were okayed by a doctor. With LO I would only take Tylenol and Tums in the beginning. This time around I have only take Tylenol one time (the day I stopped caffeine) and Benadryl one time. When I get a little further a long I'll feel more comfortable using them.

sonrisa · May 2013

Okay, not an age thing. Just a personal thing. I guess I know more people whose health was adversely affected by the well meaning advice of informed doctors who treated their mothers while pregnant.

VCGolfNYC:
I'm a 31 year old molecular geneticist with training in pharmacology. As such I have the knowledge and ability to perform the research necessary to have an educated conversation with my physicians regarding any OTC or prescription medicine.

Sure, but you also know enough to know that your OB can only speak to health risks and correlations that have been identified. It is my familiarity with medical research that helps me understand it's limitations. (DH is an MD PhD with a penchant for research).

FutureMrsCaesar · May 2013

I'm 30, oldest ive been with all 3 kids and I'm taking unisom and b6 because I literally could not function enough to take care of my children all day if I didn't. I'm not overly happy about having to take something, even with my drs okay, but I have to be able to take care of my children. I'm still very, very sick, even with the meds, but without them I'd never be able to get off the couch.

MrsQueale · May 2013

sonrisa:
Okay, not an age thing. Just a personal thing. I guess I know more people whose health was adversely affected by the well meaning advice of informed doctors who treated their mothers while pregnant.  
VCGolfNYC:
I'm a 31 year old molecular geneticist with training in pharmacology.  As such I have the knowledge and ability to perform the research necessary to have an educated conversation with my physicians regarding any OTC or prescription medicine.
Sure, but you also know enough to know that your OB can only speak to health risks and correlations that have been identified. It is my familiarity with medical research that helps me understand it's limitations. (DH is an MD PhD with a penchant for research).

I understand where you're coming from. My mom was telling me about babies born with defects, because the mothers were taking something approved by MD's. I forget the name now sorry.

Like everything, there are risks involved. Nothing is certain. Jeepers, it's a gamble to give your children snacks with certain red and yellow dye. There are so many unknowns when it comes to the food you eat.

I always do my research and weigh the pros and cons with my dr.

golfingdarwinfish · May 2013

sonrisa:
Okay, not an age thing. Just a personal thing. I guess I know more people whose health was adversely affected by the well meaning advice of informed doctors who treated their mothers while pregnant.
VCGolfNYC:
I'm a 31 year old molecular geneticist with training in pharmacology. As such I have the knowledge and ability to perform the research necessary to have an educated conversation with my physicians regarding any OTC or prescription medicine.
Sure, but you also know enough to know that your OB can only speak to health risks and correlations that have been identified. It is my familiarity with medical research that helps me understand it's limitations. (DH is an MD PhD with a penchant for research).

This is correct - I was sort of bucketing that under "knowledge" Wink . I am quite familiar with all forms of scientific research and the interpretation/limitations, thank you very much. I performed years of oncology research between industry, non-profits and doctorate.

Most data in regards to pregnancy is animal data. We are starting to get more retrospective data on certain medications in pregnancy, but currently the real focus of the retrospective work is medications that women commonly take during pregnancy, not something that would be considered out of the box.

My ob is a member of a 5 doctor practice and I once saw one of her colleagues because my ob was traveling. I ended up disagreeing with her take on a specific prescription drug after discussing a few studies with a psychiatrist that has a ton of real world experience (including acting as a SME and patient/case consultant to high risk obgyns) with the drug. The ob and I had differing interpretations and extrapolations of the data - it happens. Obviously I do not know with 100% certainty which one of us was right, but I'm comfortable with the decision I made.

*edited for clarity

backoffunicorn · May 2013

I'm 31 and prefer not to take anything unless I absolutely have to. If I'm burning up with a fever though, you better believe I'll take some tylenol. So far, I haven't taken anything except one zyrtec before my BFP.

I'm more concerned with unnecessary ultrasounds and the articles about them causing autism.

molisar · May 2013

I don't think age has anything to do with it. I think it's a personal choice. I'm 28 and have had multiple miscarriages. Because of this, I do everything I can to stay away from any medication, even just tyelonel for headaches. It has everything to do with my experience with loss and nothing to do with my generation.

lp0 · May 2013

I am 31 and this is my second pregnancy. I really try not to take anything unless I really have to. I've taken Zyrtec a couple times because my allergies were so out of control and Tylenol because I pulled a muscle in my back and couldn't move. With DS I lived on tums in my third Tri because of the worst heartburn. But even when I'm not pregnant I don't run for meds unless I really feel I need it.

amberpro · May 2013

I'm 35, had DS at 33. I have no issues with Tylenol, Benadryl, or Tums. I think that's all I took in my previous pregnancy? My doctor said my Cylexa was OK, but I decided it wasn't worth the risk. At this point, my depression is not going to cause me to lose my job, stop caring for myself, or turn to drugs or alcohol. If I was still at that point, I would continue to take it on his recommendation.

sonrisa · May 2013

UTIs and morning sickness that lands you in the hospital put your fetus at risk if untreated, so it is all a balancing act. I'm more surprised when I see someone say "I feel rotten. Why won't my meany doctor let me take X?" or "I'm just going to take Y anyways even though my doctor says no."

xconf143usionx · May 2013

I'm 20, and I'm going to do everything in my power to avoid OTC meds at least until after 14 weeks. That being said, if my doctor okays an OTC med and I'm completely miserable without it, I may consider taking it once or twice for a little bit of relief. It all depends on whether or not I feel like I'm affecting the pregnancy (i.e. not eating due to nausea, having a fever that can be lowered using tylenol) by not taking the meds.

backoffunicorn · May 2013

sonrisa:
UTIs and morning sickness that lands you in the hospital put your fetus at risk if untreated, so it is all a balancing act. I'm more surprised when I see someone say "I feel rotten. Why won't my meany doctor let me take X?" or "I'm just going to take Y anyways even though my doctor says no."

I don't think this has anything to do with age. In my opinion, idiots can by any age. If they do it after their doctor says no, then they are the problem, not their doctor.

doodlyjane · May 2013

I'm 27, and 7.5 weeks pregnant, and I've already had to take medicine that I didn't want to. It was a high-urgency dental situation where if I *didn't* take it, I literally wouldn't have been able to eat, sleep, or go to work until I had this baby. Essentially: the benefits far outweighed the risks. So...I chose to trust my dentist and take the medication, but I did so for the bare minimum that I had to (less than 24 hours). Once I could tolerate the pain without it I stopped.

That was prescription medication though, so I'm not sure if it counts.

MollySm · May 2013

I am 34. I took tylenol once so far for a serious headache. I took antibiotics because the things I had are shown to increase rates of preterm labor, so obviously not good for baby. I am a fan of all things in moderation, but don't take like cold medication even if I am not pregnant.

Amycakes86 · May 2013

I'm a few weeks shy of 27 and have been taking 25mg of promethazine nightly as my ms strikes at night and keeps me awake. IMO it is safer for me to take a small dosage of meds than to compromise my baby's health by not getting adequate rest. It's also dangerous for me to make the 45 min drive to work on no sleep. Drs would not prescribe anything considered risky to pregnant women, especially in this age of the compensation claim. They have far too much to lose.
Yesterday I had to have a local anaesthetic at the dentist, but again the dentist assured me it was safe so I'm not worried. This little baby's are tougher than we think. We've been making them for 1000s of years and in much more difficult environments. I don't think the occasional small dose of something prescribed by a dr is going to be particularly harmful.