Loratadine and pregnancy

[ahhgowan]

Hi, does anyone know if it's considered safe in pregnancy or has anyone else taken it or been told by a pharmacist/doctor it's ok? I've read so much conflicting advice now I really don't know if it's ok and I've been taking it everyday. I've googled it and the NHS website says it's ok. The leaflet inside the box says 'do not take whilst pregnant' and I did a search on here and there was a thread where everyone was saying 'definitely not loratadine'. I have asthma and I'm allergic to everything so I'm guessing it's better to take them than not?

It was my understanding Loretadine is fine. I’ve taken it through two pregnancies and while breastfeeding on that basis.

www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/pregnancy/can-i-take-hay-fever-medicine-during-pregnancy/

That’s the only website you need to trust, and it says it’s fine.

NHS website say its OK. The problem is that it's unethical to test on pregnant women so there is always a risk that it could be harmful so the manufacturer will advise against pregnant/breastfeeding women taking it because they don't want to be sued.

I took it a couple of times when pregnant and again when breastfeeding.

I don't know about asthma issue though.

Im in Australia and I know some medications are subject to different classifications and rules over here. But Loratadine is fine. I just tried to take them only when really necessary.

My gp told me it was OK.. That they can't test it on pregnant women shop say to do without but that if you symptoms need it then the benefits it provides is greater than any potential adverse affects (medicine manufacturers just can't say it is totally safe) but I was advised to try the nasal spray and eye drops first and only the tablets if I really needed them...
When it came to breastfeeding I was told yea no problem but it might make baby a little more sleepy than normal.. Didn't seem to in my case though he still didn't sleep 😊

Thanks for the replies everyone that's made me feel so much better about taking it and I'm going to continue taking it as the benefit is greater than the risk for me as allergies make my asthma worse. I use a steroid nasal spray and eye drops as well and I did try and use them on their own but it wasn't effective enough.

I took up to 6 a day in the last 7 weeks of my pregnancy - prescribed for PUPPP. Dr said they just advise against taking it because they can’t ethically carry out clinical trials on pregnant women - however there aren’t any known issues with it as such .

I took loratadine whilst pregnant and bf because it was the only thing I was told I could take for hayfever. Sadly it seemed to be very ineffective for me 🤧 But safe, I believe so.