Contents:
- Medical Video: Cough Home Remedies - Fast Relief
- How to choose a safe drug for pregnant women?
- Cough medicine for pregnant women
- Cough medicines that should be avoided while pregnant
Medical Video: Cough Home Remedies - Fast Relief
When you are pregnant, everything that happens to you can affect your body and the baby in the womb. This can make handling the disease more complicated. Because, pregnant women should not be carelessly taking drugs. Likewise when sick, fear of disease can spread to the baby if not treated immediately. So mild pain such as coughing may make you panic and be confused about how to handle it. Well, here is how to choose a cough medicine for pregnant women that is safe for consumption.
How to choose a safe drug for pregnant women?
There are no drugs that are safe and free of side effects up to 100 percent. Even drugs that are safe for consumption by other people during pregnancy may not be safe for you. So, always consult with your doctor before taking medication while pregnant, even for taking over-the-counter drugs.
According to University of Michigan Health System, you should avoid taking any medication in First 12 weeks pregnancy or first trimester. Because, when it is an important time for the development of your baby's organs to become the most vulnerable period of the baby against drug side effects.
It is also important to take medication according to the recommended dosage. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the medication you are taking before pregnancy. The doctor will tell you whether you are still safe to take the drug and if not, the doctor will recommend other alternatives.
Avoid taking drugs that contain several ingredients to treat many symptoms at once. It's better to take medication that can only treat certain symptoms that you are actually feeling.
Cough medicine for pregnant women
Some cough medicines for pregnant women are considered safe after going through the first trimester of pregnancy. However, again that each woman's body and pregnancy are different. So you still have to consult a doctor first before deciding to take cough medicine during pregnancy. Here are the types of cough medicines for pregnant women that are relatively safe.
- Rubbing balm or oil for the chest, temples, and under the nose (only for external medicine)
- The nasal strip, which is a sticky pad that opens a congested airway
- Medication for cough drops or throat lozenges
- Acetaminophen (paracetamol) for pain and fever
- Cough reliever at night
- Daytime expectoration
- Calcium carbonate (mylanta, tums) or similar drugs for heartburn, nausea, or abdominal pain
- Regular cough syrup medicine
- Robitussin and Robitussin DM
Not allowed to consume cough medicines containing alcohol and decongestants pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine, which can affect blood flow to the placenta.
Cough medicines that should be avoided while pregnant
You should avoid the following drugs while pregnant. Unless it is recommended by your doctor. Your doctor may judge that the risks and side effects of the drug are more tolerable than the risk if your illness is not treated immediately. The following is a list of cough medicines for pregnant women that need to be avoided.
- Aspirin
- Ibuprofen
- Naproxen
- Codeine
- Bactrim
