category b meds

JessTy3 · January 2016

Hi Ladies! I just found out I'm pregnant last week (cautious yay)! I currently suffer from chronic hives and I take 4 Zyrtecs and 1 Zantac daily to control them. I plan on going off of them but if I do it too quickly I might have a bad flare up. The meds are both category B. My OBGYN is ok with this but I'm an over thinker... Thoughts? Is it ok that I take them? Thanks!

RedMar · January 2016

Here's a similar post:
https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12656676/approved-otc-medications-in-pregnancy

JessTy3 · January 2016

Thank you! I guess I'm questioning the quantity of the category B meds. If I was taking just one I probably wouldn't think twice. It's just that I'm currently taking
5...

mamadomino · January 2016

I wouldn't worry about category b's. I had to take a category c for my hives during my first pregnancy and my son is totally fine! Hives are no joke, I'm so sorry you have them! In this case, I would think the benefit outweighs the risk.

JessTy3 · January 2016

Did you have chronic hives? Did they go away when pregnant? It's horrible!

homebird · January 2016

I'm taking two category C meds right now. You're fine.

homebird · January 2016

The number of category B meds you are taking doesn't matter. It's not like X number of category B meds equals a category C med.

If your OB is fine with it, I wouldn't give it a second thought. It's category C and D drugs that you would need to worry about it.

JessicaC0203 · January 2016

The FDA has officially gotten rid of "category" medicines because they realized it was not really helpful and most people do not know how to interpret what the category meant. Anyways, things are now based on a risk/benefit method. All new medications will have a FDA approved risk/benefit type analysis for pregnancy on medication labels. As a physician who specializes in medications during pregnancy, I would not pay attention to categories as much as speaking with your physician about the risks of medications during your TIMING of pregnancy and decided if that is something you are willing to risk.

Make educated choices ladies.

mamadomino · January 2016

JessTy3 said:
Did you have chronic hives? Did they go away when pregnant? It's horrible!

I do have chronic hives. They tend to come for 1-2 years and then leave for a while, I've had no luck figuring out what triggers them. I hadn't had any for a while when I got pregnant with my son, and then had a short 4 week or so flare at the beginning of my pregnancy, and then haven't had any since! I've been a little itchy lately and I still always look to see if they are popping up again. Hope yours go away with pregnancy too!

Thscary · January 2016

JessTy3 said:
Hi Ladies! I just found out I'm pregnant last week (cautious yay)! I currently suffer from chronic hives and I take 4 Zyrtecs and 1 Zantac daily to control them. I plan on going off of them but if I do it too quickly I might have a bad flare up. The meds are both category B. My OBGYN is ok with this but I'm an over thinker... Thoughts? Is it ok that I take them? Thanks!

Ooh, I can answer this, I am a pharmacist. Category B means that no fetal risk has been seen in animal studies and there are no well controlled human studies. These are usually fine to take during pregnancy, esp if OB is ok with it. I would just separate the Zantac from your prenatal so it doesn't affect the absorption of the vitamins. Is there any way to cut back to just 1 Zyrtec tablet/day though? Based on the literature I am aware of, there is no benefit beyond 10mg a day (it probably wont hurt baby, but I would cut back if I could)

AnnaS930 · January 2016

@Thscary - I'm a pharmacist too! Woop woop!

JessTy3 · January 2016

You guys are the best! I would like to wean... Any suggestions?

JessTy3 · January 2016

Thank you so much! What do you mean by timing? As in which trimester?

Thscary · January 2016

I think what she meant by timing is that some drugs pose higher risks when taken in certain trimesters vs others. For example, Advil can be taken in the first trimester but not in the second or third. It depends on the medication. Timing shouldn't affect the two medicines you mentioned to the best of my knowledge. And as far as weaning down with the Zyrtec, there is no set schedule out there. I would try decreasing by a tablet every week until you get down to 1 a day.

JessTy3 · January 2016

Very helpful... Thank you!

JennM205 · January 2016

Thscary said:

Hi Ladies! I just found out I'm pregnant last week (cautious yay)! I currently suffer from chronic hives and I take 4 Zyrtecs and 1 Zantac daily to control them. I plan on going off of them but if I do it too quickly I might have a bad flare up. The meds are both category B. My OBGYN is ok with this but I'm an over thinker... Thoughts? Is it ok that I take them? Thanks!
Ooh, I can answer this, I am a pharmacist. Category B means that no fetal risk has been seen in animal studies and there are no well controlled human studies. These are usually fine to take during pregnancy, esp if OB is ok with it. I would just separate the Zantac from your prenatal so it doesn't affect the absorption of the vitamins. Is there any way to cut back to just 1 Zyrtec tablet/day though? Based on the literature I am aware of, there is no benefit beyond 10mg a day (it probably wont hurt baby, but I would cut back if I could)

I take Pantoprazole for acid reflux. Currently, I take it in the morning with half of my prenatal and the other half of my prenatal at night before bed. Is taking my vitamin and the Pantoprazole at the same time not recommended? My OB hasn't mentioned it but I think Zantac and Pantoprazole are pretty similar, right?

Thscary · January 2016

@JennM205 , pantoprazole and Zantac are used for similar purposes but are slightly different in how they work. If your prenatal has iron in it, I would take the vitamin separatey from pantoprazole as there is a chance it can decrease the iron absorption. Hope this helps

JessicaC0203 · January 2016

@JessTy3 yes. Like @Thscary mentioned. By timing I mean what is going on with fetal development. Even more so than by trimester. For example, majority of fetal development is done by 10 weeks gestation (except for brain which develops up until 2-4 years old). So many women stop everything when they find out they are pregnant and with how long medicines can stay in their system, it likely does not make a difference at that point. Preconception planning is the most important if you are concerned about chronic medicines.

Also, less is always more but I would avoid not taking enough for the medicine to work. For example, if cutting back on a medicine does not work as well as the higher dose did it is really not worth cutting back. The baby is still exposed and the risks of medications are typically not dose dependent. My motto = take enough to work (per Doctor recommendations) or do not take it at all. Something to consider but as always, speak to your physician.

JessTy3 · January 2016

That makes sense... I'm in a tough spot. I stopped the Allegra which my OB was most concerned about. 4 Zyrtecs and 1 Zantac are left. My OB and hive doctor kind of left it up to me in regards to these two meds. I'd rather have hives than do anything dangerous. I don't want to stop cold turkey but would like to start weaning. What would you do? I understand that this is just your opinion. Please note that these meds control hives... Something that's super uncomfortable but I can deal with if need be. Thank you!

JessTy3 · January 2016

It's such a crazy thing! I even have some joint pain - I'm convinced that they're internal hives. They're controlled now... Hopefully, they stay away once I wean meds. So scared to but I think I should!

Thscary · January 2016

Seeing your recent post, if your allergist has you on the four Zyrtec, he may have a reason for that. I just meant to say that I wasn't aware of any benefit beyond 10mg of Zyrtec/day, but an allergy specialist may be aware of something I am not. I was just trying to suggest if a lower dose could be equally effective, it would be ok to wean to that dose. I truly do not have any reason to believe these two meds are going to harm baby. I hope I didn't cause you any undue alarm.

JessicaC0203 · January 2016

This is only my opinion. How far along are you? Anything you can avoid until the first trimester is over is the best but if you are over half way there then there is not much use in stopping since most of those meds take a bit to clear your system. Other than that, I have not seen any negative evidence from these medicines in pregnancy but they have also not been studied that much. After the first trimester is over, I would not suffer through the whole pregnancy based on the evidence that is out there but that would be your own decision. Hope that makes sense.

JessTy3 · January 2016

I'm 5 weeks and 3 days... I think tonight I'll take just 3 Zyrtecs... 5 days later I'll do 2, etc. I hope that's ok!

JessTy3 · January 2016

I totally appreciate your advice... Basically, my body is releasing histamine for no known reason. It took 4 Zyrtecs, 1 Zantac, and 1 Allegra to control the hives. I'm currently hive free! I was covered from head to toe...yikes! Supposedly they might stay away during pregnancy. Fingers crossed! I hope to wean off in the next two weeks. Hope that's ok!

JessicaC0203 · January 2016

Of course that is ok! The good thing is, you know what to do if it does not work out as well as you liked. It sounds like you are making an educated decision so whatever you choose is right. And you are right, some things do get better with pregnancy!

JessTy3 · January 2016

Started to wean some of my meds... A few hives popped up today. So scared that this is the beginning of a full blown flare! :-(

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