Hay fever... is there anything I can take in pregnancy?

[BettyButterknife]

That's it really. Been sneezing all day today, really sniffly and runny-nosed.

Please say there's something!

Yes and its totally natural, no side effects, no risk to baby.

Its honey. If you eat about 2tsps of local honey every day (roughly must be from within 20 miles radius) then after a couple of days the sneezing will stop. Keep doing it throughout the year (obviously the local bees are making honey from whatever is in flower at the time) and it can have a long term effect.

Hope you like honey

Yeah what kickarse said but otherwise, pretty much no. I asked the nurse once and she wouldn't give me anything. I'm pretty sure there are somethings if it's really bad but it would depend on your GP or midwife.

My Gp has always said its fine to use nasal sprays and eye drops.

I was absolutely miserable with hay fever a few months ago, followed similar advice about local(-ish) honey and also water with elderflower cordial, and felt much better. Or perhaps the particular pollen that I am allergic to is no longer in season...

umnitsa, Its probably a bit of both, try the honey trick earlier next year and see if it helps.

i used beconase(sp?) nasal spray with opticrom eye drops.

they work really well for me, and my gp and mw both said that because the medication is localised ie..shoved up yer hooer! it is perfectly safe if pg or bf.

hth.

You can also smear vaseline around your nostrils - catches some of the pollen!

Ooh great! I shall suffer no more

Thanks for all the tips - I'd heard the thing about local honey but was somewhat sceptical... good to hear it works. Any excuse to eat more honey, I say.

I found really, really strong mints did the job for me!

there is a new nasal spray called Avamys, which is meant to be very good, I DONT KNOW IF ITS SAFE IN PG though, but worth asking your GP about it

second the beconase idea. Was prescribed it by GP last time round, just capitulated and started using it again a few days ago and am finally starting to feel human! I was sneezing about 300 times a day; no way to live. Inhaled steroids in pregnancy have been really well studied because they are used by asthmatics (at way higher doses than just a few sprays up your nose), and there's no evidence of it doing harm.

Do check with the doctor or at least the pharmacist before taking Beconase or Flixonase though. If they say they're okay, I would go with Flixonase not Beconase as less of it enters the bloodstream.

If you find it, there's a gel called HayMax to put on your nose, which is like posh Vaseline to trap the pollen. I think Lloyds Pharmacy do it.

My pharmacist said I can take piriteze tablets, he checked on the phone too. I haven't taken any yet but I'm really suffering today.

My midwife told me the nasal sprays aren't safe because they enter the bloodstream and do it faster than normal. It isn't just localised apparently.

Flixonase enters the bloodstream a lot less than Beconase, which is its advantage.

Cetirizine (Piriteze, Zirtec) is one of those where safety hasn't been definitely established but there is no evidence of teratogenicity. Some initial studies have been carried out without finding any issues. The manufacturers say it shouldn't be taken in pregnancy because safety hasn't been established.

As always, it's a case of weighing up the small chance of possible issues to the baby with the benefit to you. If you're really struggling, the benefit to you is greater than if you're doing okay.

FWIW We definitely want to avoid hydroxyzine and loratadine, and the sedating antihistamines (e.g. piriton).

bnf.org/bnf/bnf/current/3018.htm#_204094

I have been told Piriton is the safest to take in pregnancy by several GPs (i.e. one said to me if his wife was pregnant and she had hayfever he would advise her (don't want to use the word allow!) that piriton was safe). Piriton is also prescribed to pregnant women for the itching that sometimes experience.

japhrimel you need a BNF subscription to check out that article and DH is having his saturday lie-in, what does it say?

Ooops, sorry, forgot about that.

Pregnancy and breast-feeding
Most manufacturers of antihistamines advise avoiding use during pregnancy; however, there is no evidence of teratogenicity except for hydroxyzine and loratadine where toxicity has been reported with high doses in animal studies. The use of sedating antihistamines in the latter part of the third trimester may cause adverse effects in neonates such as irritability, paradoxical excitability, and tremor. Most antihistamines are present in breast milk in varying amounts; although not known to be harmful, most manufacturers advise avoiding use in mothers who are breast-feeding.

So Piriton should be avoided in late pregnancy.

Avamys nasal spray is totally safe. Doctor, midwife, Asthma nurse and pharmasist all agreed that i could take this twice daily for as long as i needed. It is brilliant. I usually take piriton tablets when not preg and this is even better.

I am 30 wks and been using it for two weeks.

I've also been using Avamys but only once a day (possibly different strength) and opticrom eyedrops. I'm 37 wks btw.

If you don't want to go down the drug route there is a nasal sparay by Potters AllerClear and also the New Era tablets, local honey is good but you need to build it up a little bit!

I'm finding that it's so bad this year I'm using the drugs AND the herbal stuff, but then I do generally suffer badly.

My pharmacist turned round and said a very blunt 'no' when I asked, but I was told by my GP that this is not the case.

He made me really cross (can tell men don't get pregnant)

There's Haymax, which seems to be helping me a little: www.naturesense.co.uk/naturesense/healing-relaxation/hayfever/haymaxi-lavender-5ml-for-hayfev er/prod_222.html
Homepathic remedies can ease the congestion: www.helios.co.uk/homeopathy-for-hayfever.html
I've also been using natural sea salt based nasal sprays.
Hope you feel better soon!

My pharmacist, GP and MW have all said a big fat NO to all madication but then they are all men!! Glad to hear that some of you are getting some relief.
I have been drinking nettle tea when it starts up and it does seem to help.

Went to see the pharmacist yesterday, who basically sucked his teeth, and said, 'more'n my job's worth, you'll have to see your dr'.

Will try and get telephone consult Monday, seems a bit stupid to waste an appointment.

Am seriously considering getting a mask like cyclists wear, like this. Bloody expensive, though. And obviously you'd look a bit of a tit wearing it outside the house... But at least I'd be able to take DD out into the garden for more than ten minutes.

NETI POT.

It is the answer to your prayers.

I dunk my head in a sink of cold water, try and suck a little cold water up my nostrils and blow it back out again a few times

(careful there, it's easy to suck too much... although that makes your eyes water which also helps in a way)