can I take Piriton whilst pregnant?????

[trinityrhino]

really suffering with my hayfever, heard vaguely that piriton might be ok to take, anyone know???

[mummy2bsoon]

i jus rang labour ward, as my hayfever is bad, cnt breath, itchy eye and throat, everything..so se di cn take piriton, and my baby hasd problems, she sed its safe to take

im off to buy sum drugs soooooooooooon

[kitkat9]

I'm in the USA, and have been quite surprised at what they 'allow' you to take here. For instance, Benadryl (antihistamine) is allowed, as is sudafed - I'm not sure though if the ingredients differ over here to those in the UK though, so please don't go and take them without checking! I'm also recommended an over-the-counter anti-sickness medicine called Unisom, which is actually, I believe, a sleep aid. I was given a list of 'safe' drugs to take throughout pregnancy, couldn't believe it when I saw Benadryl, it was a pleasant surprise..

FWIW, I have taken, in previous pregnancies, co-codamol, and anti-histamines, at my midwife's say-so. I also found saline nasal sprays quite helpful, and I'm pretty sure you can get eye drops which are safe too.

Check out this: website - it is American but can be quite useful at times.

[Tallyditter]

Go and ask your doctor.

[Chaotica]

You can take it (I was prescribed it by consultant obstetrician as well for horrific case of PEP (pregnancy rash).) You mustn't take the non-drowsy version (which is more common) though as that can't be take in pregnancy.

[newbishad]

Hi

I was prescribed Piriton in pregnancy to help with insomnia and took occasional tablets at night (4mgs). Now have a 2 week old daughter who is absolutely fine!

Have been told by doctor also oaky for bf

Good luck.

[fledtoscotland]

i have taken piriton with both my pregnancies with no ill effects. it was prescribed both times

[claireeem]

yes you can take piriton when pregnant. I am pregnant and suffer with chronic hives and i take a piriton everyday sometimes more if needed. Piriton is the safest anti-histamine to take if you have to take one. I seen a skin specialist and he says that thousands of pregnant women have to take piriton through their whole pregnancy and there has never been any case of anything happening to the baby. Hope this helps

[Mcknat]

i am suffering big time today been allergic to absolutely everything since the birth of my 2nd child 4 yrs ago - doctor prescribed me with flixonase last time.. but can't get an appointment - dashing to boots nw.. really need summink to take the edge of - serves me right for having a cleaning/ dusting session first day of my maternity!!! intersting about the takes on piritin though - my GP said to avoid antihistamines, but flixonase was ok as long as not taken too much i.e. every other instead of everyday.. because the steroids were very low.
gota dash sneezing like mad!

[LoopyLou34]

I have just been to the doctors as my hayfever is really really bad, she has prescribed me Piriton which she has said is perfectly safe in pregnancy.
She did recommend only taking twice a day instead of the usual 3 times a day dose.
She said the only downside is it can make you drowsy, I doubt I can feel any more drowsy than I already do
She also said it can help to lesson the morning sickness feeling so happy days!!

[moominmarvellous]

I am over the moon to have discovered this thread! I've been taking the homeopathic hayfever tablets from Boots, but they are useless, for me anyway.

I am going to call my GP and double check that I can go back to taking Piriton and actually get a little relief!

Thanks all!

[withorwithoutyou]

Be wary of other anti histamines though. I know someone who was prescribed something for a facial swelling when pregnant and it resulted in a still birth.

Please don't aske me the details/anti histamine name or quiz me on it as I really don't know all the facts. She was a work colleague and it came up once in a discussion about grief.

But it's always stuck in my mind.

[Funkycherry]

I've been told I can take Piriton but not Piriteeze.
As someone else said, its the newer non-drowsey ones that need to be avoided.

Have you tried calling NHS Direct?

[PinkElephant73]

NHS Direct website says nasal corticosteroid sprays are fine in pregnancy, and

"If you can?t use nasal corticosteroid sprays and drops, or if they don?t work for you, your GP may recommend antihistamine tablets called loratidine. Loratidine is the main antihistamine for hay fever during pregnancy.

Chlorphenamine (another oral antihistamine) is also considered safe to take during pregnancy. However, chlorphenamine can cause side effects, such as drowsiness. If you become drowsy after taking chlorphenamine, don't drive or operate machinery.

If you can?t take loratidine or chlorphenamine, your GP may recommend another oral antihistamine called cetirizine. This is considered safe to use in pregnancy."

www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/935.aspx?CategoryID=54&SubCategoryID=129

maybe worth printing this off and taking to GP, mine didnt have a clue and was leafing through her drugs bible when I asked her.

[dappymoo]

I have been prescribed piriton and try to only take one a day, but without it am wheezy, coughy and can't sleep! I don't see why my doctor would give it to me if it wasn't pretty safe.
But then I guess it's personal choice, much like alcohol, cheeses etc...

[BikeRunSki]

No, but have you tried Haymax ? Started using it when I was pg, and have carried on - drug free - for the two summers since.

[herbalmum]

Has anyone found piriton to be effective for itching in cholestasis? I have been prescribed 8mg to take at night to reduce itching and help me sleep, but since the itching is caused by bile acids under the skin rather than by a histamine reaction, I'm wondering whether or not I should bother.

[japhrimel]

I haven't got an OC diagnosis yet (waiting on tests) but have been prescribed Piriton to help me cope in the meantime. It doesn't do much/anything for the itching - which I expected having read that it wouldn't on the OC Support site - but it does make me so drowsy that I can sleep through the itching. Without it, I get no sleep and then struggle to stay calm and not scratch.

[ro5es]

DO NOT advise loratidine, this is mediaclly proven to harm the unborn child, it clearly states this in the BNF . loratidine is the worst to advise.

check this with any health care professional.

[yellowflowers]

Sorry to contradict advice but I sought expert advice when I had very itchy asthma in week 16 and was told that I could take clarityn (loratidine) as long as I was past first 12 weeks which is when the nervous system is developing. This is also the most up to date nhs advice. Sometimes taking it for a few nights means you don't scratch which allows symptoms to subside a bit so then you don;t need it so much after that.
I am not a doctor so don't take my advice as if I were, but I did stress about this a lot and I rang some of the top medics in this area saying I was researching it for a newspaper (because I was desperate) and that is the info I got.