ANYONE know if you can take piriton when pregnant??

[QueenofVenus]

Am suffering and need to take something, im only just pregnant though!

I have horrendous hayfever and dustmite/fur allergy and am now 27 weeks pg. I generally take one Piriton at night as this is when I find symptoms worst, and also because it sends me to sleep! I take Beconase steroid nasal spray several times a day which helps a lot.

I am an obstetrician and have routinely prescribed piriton for patients for many years, after discussion with hospital pharmacists and manufacturers. Yes, all guidelines say cannot be proven 100% safe - for all drugs, basically, as to prove this you would need to do a double-blind randomised controlled trial on pregnant women which is clearly unethical. Piriton is such an old drug which has been used in pg for many years, that it is viewed as the safest drug if you do need to use something to relieve severe symptoms.

I tried Haymax balm for the nose too and found it helped a little. Wouldn't bother with anything homeopathic unless you enjoy chucking money down the drain

although iterestingly homeopathic treatment works on the same principle as all the latest allergy treatments ie giving people minute doses of what they are allergic to and over time their body stops reacting to it.

They are conducting a trial at the moment to treat nut allergies in this manner and it is working!

It's true that you can get "used" to an allergen over time: I'm no longer allergic to my own cats, for instance, but homeopathic remedies contain nothing! They are just sugar pills. The "active" ingredients have been diluted so much that the chances of one molecule remaining are infinitesimal.

As for local honey, I find that I'm just as allergic to the pollen in that as I am to the pollen in the air...

My GP prescribed Piriton for me. I could have hugged her.

Oh hey thankyou soooo much for all this GREAT advice! - i did buy some of that hay max stuff too the other day, its pretty good, althp i do find in the evening when its worst it doesnt help that much, and my eyes are still like red-raw p*ssholes in the snow! so i guess i may go and take a very very occasional piriton!

my doctor would not prescribe piriton which is a pain as i really do suffer. i ended up buying the electric hayfever device from LloydsPharamacy (as herbal stuff just doesn't do anything for me). the electric device is 2 rods you stick up your nose and I have to say I am pretty impressed with it and has made a huge difference really (no itchy eyes, scratchy throat or runny nose just an itchy nose still which I can live with)

Show your doc the NHS advice Tigerbump (if the electric device doesn't do it for you)

I use sodium chromoglycate eye drops and nasal spray. Neither GP I consulted on either of my pgs knew that there was a sodium chromoglycate nasal spray though, so you have to get them to look it up in their BMF (or whatever their drugs book are called). You have to use the drops 4 times a day and the spray 4-6 times a day for them to be effective but they do work and there's no question mark over whether they are safe in pg. These, Haymax and wrap round shades do the trick just about for me, though I'm looking forward to getting back on AH and steriod sprays asap! HTH

hi all, i suffer with really bad chronic hives and they are becoming unbearable. I am 5 weeks pregnant and have to take a piriton a day to help, even this doesnt get rid of them totally. Has anyone else ever had to take piriton through out their whole pregnancy, really worried about harming the baby?

I was told by my doctor that the answer was definately not! I can sympathise as I have really bad allergies to dust and my FILs dog too. Go see your doc and she can give you safe stuff to use. I was given eyedrops and a nasal spray and that's as good as it gets I'm afraid! I work for GSK and although the product has been around for years I still wouldn't want to take the risk just in case.