Hayfever - can we take anything?

[quarantinevibes]

Hi everyone, does anyone know if it’s safe to take anti allergy tablets? I’ve been sneezing all week which seems to have got worse the past couple of days, my throat is very itchy, woken up this morning and my eyes are a bit swollen and really puffy - I’m putting it down to hayfever but is there anything we can take?

I suffer with hayfever badly every year, i am interested to know as well.

Yes - you can take phenergan - it's old fashioned and makes you sleepy as hell, but it's effective and doesn't harm the baby.

Obviously always read the label blah blah blah...

I have a feeling that nasal sprays such as beconase are what the GP will suggest in the first instance, but worth checking if you can.

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

My consultant told me I could take Piriton whilst pregnant it's chlorphenamine. Not supposed to use it when breastfeeding though.

You can buy the unbranded versions cheaply on line, it can make some people drowsy though so I suggest taking it an evening!

I continued to take my prescribed antihistamines- fexofenidine. Had an extensive chat with the GP about it, and he said that while obviously there are no clinical trials on pregnant women and so he couldn't say officially it was safe, the combination of the way it worked combined with no reported issues basically meant that it was safe. Used during two pregnancies, no issues.

Also, the bugger who said that hayfever symptoms improve during pregnancy was a liar.

@Notlostjustexploring yes the symptoms get worse!

Officially, no. You can't really take anything other than one specific nasal spray (I think Boots?) as none of the normal meds have been tested as being safe in pregnancy. But I took piriton while I was pregnant after discussion with my doctor.

You can take loritadine. NhS says it's fine. I took it throughout pregnancy

If you want to stay on the safe side, there are some nasal sprays that are deemed to be safe even when breastfeeding, also some eye drops.
I was told this by the milk bank as when I donated milk with my last baby and was hay fever season.

Thanks so much for all the replies, very helpful. I have some nasal spray, the comments have just reminded me I will go and dig it out and see how I get on with that! Will try the tablets if no joy. Thanks again xx

Cetirizine - I was prescribed this last year.

I was told I couldn't take anything in my first trimester but after that any over the counter antihistamines is fine after that point!
Much to my relief as boy was I suffering!
Still am but thankfully not as bad!

I’ve tried the nasal spray but didn’t seem to do anything. Taken a cetirizine about an hour ago, thanks guys.
Glad you’re a bit better @lockdownpregnancy it’s horrible isn’t it

My GP relative looked up cetirizine in her big book of drugs (sorry I don’t actually know its title ) and I think it is contraindicated in the last trimester, but this is not based on a great deal of evidence

I was so bad just before my 12 week scan @quarantinevibes I was terrified I had coronavirus and couldn't go!
Thankfully it was just hayfever and scan went ahead and that's when the doctor told me I could take tablets! The first thing I did when I got home was take an antihistamine! Within an hour or so I started to feel better! The sneezing reduced and so did the congestion!

@lvinghoebeacon thank you. Il take it for now then and hopefully it’s gone by the 3rd trimister, long way off there!

@lockdownpregnancy that’s how I’m feeling at the moment! I am worried I have it although I know I’m probably just being really silly!! I felt like was trying harder to breath today, but again I think I am just very anxious and giving myself panic symptoms!
x

@quarantinevibes my anxiety is awful at the moment. I've started yoga and even did some meditation the other day.
I was relaxed after I fell asleep! 😂 definitely worth a shit if you fancy it 👍🏻

@lockdownpregnancy thank you, I’m glad it helped you. Il give it a shot xx