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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Hayfever..... What am I safe to take??

20 replies

OurJourney · 20/06/2013 08:30

That time of year again... hayfever sucks!!! Can anyone help me as not sure what I can and cannot take?

OP posts:

roofio87 · 20/06/2013 08:36

my gp prescribed me some eye drops and a nasal spray that are working for me. he did say that there were certain antihistemines you can take but that the drops and spray were safer so to try them first. be worth asking your gp!!

whatsagoodusername · 20/06/2013 08:38

IME, no antihistamines. I went to the GP and got eye drops and nose spray prescriptions.

lilstar · 20/06/2013 08:38

Hayfever is killing me these days too. I called my doc who told me i can take my beconase nasal spray but he said there isn't anything tablet wise that has been specifically named as dangerous or safe! So basically i am not takig anything except the nasal spray. It sucks!

Aetae · 20/06/2013 08:39

Very little, unfortunately, and the advice is quite variable because very few studies have been done to determine if various antihistamines are safe or not.

Don't take anything OTC without consulting your GP first (except saline nasal sprays which are totally safe) - they will probably start with nasal sprays rather than tablets.

I feel your pain though, every flower in England is upsetting my nose at the moment! Neilmed helps, I find.

mummywantsaliedown · 20/06/2013 08:41

My GP would only prescribe me beconase nose spray and u got eye drops over the counter because I forgot to ask. Pharmacist checked and couldn't find any restrictions. I've actually opted for the nose spray this year, even though I've had my baby, as I think it's better than tablets.

MrsBri · 20/06/2013 08:56

My midwife recommended Piriton and the hospital prescribed it to me after testing negative for OC, but itching like hell. I've been taking one tablet a day since then.

I'd call your midwife and see if she agrees you can take it. Just don't tell the chemist it's for you as they probably won't sell it to you though!

GinotPrigio · 20/06/2013 09:09

I didn't realise you could take Beconase. Excellent, am off to get some now! I have been mainlining local honey as that's supposed to help.

PurplePoppySeed · 20/06/2013 10:08

I posted on a similar thread a while ago about local honey - it's well worth it :)

Takes a while to build up and you need at least a teaspoon a day but you'll notice the difference by about a week. Doesn't cure but definitely dulls symptoms :) it does need to be very local to work, I find mine in farm shops and at the county show.

Good luck!

FoofFighter · 20/06/2013 10:58

The official NHS guidnace on this..

www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/935.aspx?categoryid=54

You can take anti-histamines and it annoys me that many GPs just instantly say no without checking. hayfever isnt' trivial it can totally ruin the quality of people's lives for months each year!

babyhmummy01 · 20/06/2013 11:52

Loratadine is safe in pg, I have been taking it for the last few weeks. just be careful cos it can make you drowsy. Morrisons sell their own brand of it for just over a quid or clarytin also does it but its normally over a fiver

HMT13 · 20/06/2013 12:27

My midwife told me I couldn't take anything! Argh!!

froubylou · 20/06/2013 13:09

I've just had this and got conflicting advice.

I stopped smoking which kicked off hay fever which in turn set off asthma. Nurse, midwife and dr at surgery said no to anything. Dr eventually prescribed beconsse nasal spray.

Stop smoking midwife also said no to anything and basically said it would be better to smoke lightly to keep symptoms at bay! !!

I didn't agree and bought piriton. At next appointment midwife had spoken to a consultant who said she would prescribr piriton in that situation.

Was very frustrating to get the right advice. Nhs likes to cover its back I think.

Dunno how fags with known risks can be safer than something with no known risks? And my hay fever wasn't mild. The midwife didn't recognize me when I opened the door to her on the second visit I was so ill the first time I saw her. And as I said it was affecting my asthma sd well to the point I used s weeks worth of inhaler in a weekend.

Aetae · 20/06/2013 13:16

This is a useful summary of the medical testing status for safety in pregnancy of various allergy drugs.

The first generation antihistamines (that cross the blood brain barrier and hence make you drowsy) are more often used in pregnancy, because they've been around for longer and therefore considered ok on the basis of 'lots of people have been taking it for a while and we've seen no adverse effects'.

TwickyWoo · 20/06/2013 16:50

I was told I couldn't take anything too! I'm prescribed antihistamines, sprays and drop (I have awful allergies all year around) and am struggling a bit with taking nothing. You can use opticrom eye drops and there is a nose spray called Prevalin that is safe during pregnancy. It doesn't work as effectively as Beconase et al, but does provide some relief.

Making sure you wash your face with water if you're reacting badly can help - and if you're been out walking it is always better to come in remove clothing, shower and change. Vaseline around the nostrils before you venture out can also help stop as much pollen getting in and starting the reaction.

I've also got an infrared light probe thing that you put up your nose. I use it 3 times a day (for 2 mins at a time) and it does seem to help reduce the symptoms over time. I got mine from Llyods Pharmacy.

There are very mixed messages on what you can take and I know that the hayfever season can make you feel particularly unhappy. I've made the decision to try and cope without taking anything (that way I don't have to worry about any effects) but if you're still really struggling it is worth speaking to your GP again :)

FruminousBandersnatch · 20/06/2013 16:53

There's no proof that local honey works, unfortunately.

I was given some herbal nasal spray but it did nothing for me. Trying to ride it out :(

PurplePoppySeed · 20/06/2013 17:21

Agreed, there's no medical proof about local honey - but seriously try it - everyone I ever speak to who has tried it swears by it too, you just have to build it up over a period of time - 1 slice of toast and honey wont help, but a daily dose over time will - I think that's why they can't really prove it.

My DH was on all sorts of horrible prescribed drugs for his hayfever for years and years - I've never met anyone with such bad hayfever before of since. A couple of summers in a row of local honey and he was able to manage it with just over the counter stuff.

As I said before, it's dulls it rather than curing, but when so much is banned anything natural is worth a try :)

The shame for DH is that he hates honey now, but still forces it down, so it must be worth it... I still love honey and have used it as a help this summer too.

FruminousBandersnatch · 20/06/2013 17:59

I tried local honey for six weeks last year while staying in a rural location and it did nothing for me but then again the pollen was REALLY bad, worst it had been for years apparently. I do love honey though so it wasn't a problem!

2Labradors · 20/06/2013 19:09

I went to the chemist today as my hayfever has become quite bad over the past few days and they wouldn't sell me anything, I'd asked for a nasal spray and eye drops. I called my GP to ask for a prescription but that won't be ready until Monday afternoon now, that's if GP agrees to give me something, so I've got to suffer until then.

I do find that washing/changing my pillow cases daily and not drying any bedding outdoors, and also washing my hair before bed, does help. It's a pain though when all you want to do is crawl into bed at the end of a day.

Monka · 20/06/2013 22:41

I second the infra red allergy reliever from lloyds pharmacy. It seems to provide some relief from symptoms. I believe eye drops are okay as the pharmacist was only willing to sell me eye drops and the allergy reliever.

nannyl · 21/06/2013 08:17

you can take antihistamines.

the sick tablets that people with HG take are antihistamines....

I have taken max dose, every day for 9months both pregnancies (am 40 weeks now).....
Lots of people with HG take antihistamines all the time too, and although they may not be the normal antihistamines prescribed for hayfever, they certainly take the edge off my hayfever too.

However you need to find a dr to prescibe to you.... when my dr was off sick, 30 weeks into my 2nd HG pregnancy another dr refused to prescribe me the tablets i depend on because he has is own personal policy of never presctibing anything to anyone pregnant.

When i went to the pharmacist he refused to sell me anything as i was pregnant, but told me to go to the drs who could / would prescribe some things that he could and would then dispense to me (also free as pg!)

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