PREGNANCY: WHAT SHOULD I DO AND NOT DO?
Medications. Traditional Western medicine-style medications, prescribed by doctors, usually have been through rigorous testing to see if they have any possible side-effects for pregnant women and their foetuses. Since there have been some rather tragic consequences of drug reactions on developing foetuses in the past, this has become an area in which doctors and pharmaceutical companies would rather be safe than sorry. Consequently, when you look up just about any drug in the big book of prescribing advice, most have some sort of warning against use in pregnancy. Usually this is along the lines of ‘safety in pregnancy has not yet been fully established but there are some drugs with well-documented side-effects in pregnancy. Some medications are more harmful at particular stages of development of the foetus, others may be harmful at any stage.
It is common sense to avoid unnecessary chemicals when you are pregnant. If you do need to take something, make sure you check that it is ‘safe’ in pregnancy. Specialist pharmacologists (chemical scientists) have written guidelines listing specific drugs, and recommendations regarding their use in pregnancy. Your doctor or local pharmacist should have access to this information, and will be able to advise you about particular medications. Many pharmaceutical companies also include comments about safety in pregnancy in the product information on the packaging.
Some women are prescribed certain medications for medical conditions like epilepsy, or asthma. Individual advice about the best medication for a woman and her foetus should be sought from her own doctor. If a woman is planning a pregnancy she should ask her doctor about any medications she is taking, as there may be better alternatives than her current treatment.
There are many drugs which have been found to be safe to use in pregnancy. Commonly used ones include:
• paracetamol (Panadol)
• some antibiotics, including amoxycillin, penicillin, cephalexin, nitrofurantoin, erythromycin
• metoclopramide and diphenhydramine (trade names Maxalon and Ancolan), anti-nausea medications
• most antacids (for example Mylanta)
• most vaginal anti-fungal creams for vaginal thrush.
Some common medications which are not recommended for use in pregnancy include:
• aspirin (except in certain circumstances)
• some antibiotics
• most specific anti-migraine medications
• some cold and flu, allergy and cough medicines.
Specific information regarding the safety of any particular medication should be sought from your doctor.
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