hay fever medication

[tigger15]

What do you take if you're pg or ttc? I've been getting hay fever for about 9 years (probably grass related given it comes on towards the end of May but I've never been tested). When not pg or ttc loratidine clears it up very easily. However, I have been either pg or ttc for over a year now and the hay fever is getting appalling!! What do you take for it? I have tried various homeopathic remedies but none really hits it on the head plus they vary from year to year. I'd be interested in any response.

Don't take anything (don't believe in homeopathic and can't take anything that actually works), but HayMax or Vaseline around my nose has been helping.

You can't take loratidine when pregnant.

Ask your doctor - if they're okay with it, some will prescribe something. Piriton is often used as it's so old, but certirizine has been through small studies in pregnancy and some people think the steroid sprays (e.g. flixonase, beconase) are okay because people with asthma have had to take steroids when pregnant for years and not much gets into your blood stream with the nasal spray anyway.

It's a case of weighing the risks and benefits.

Homeopathy has no scientific rationale or decent evidence it works beyond placebo so i don't bother wasting my money there. My hayfever isn't bad and is erratic, not all the time so I don't bother taking anything.

My doctor prescribed a nasal spray but the pharmacist told me it's identical to Beconase -which you can buy over the counter and is safe for pregnancy. I'm not finding it's working at the moment though!

My doc said that Piroten when REALLY needed was fine. Both GPs I've seen and midwife said that it is prescribed to pregnant women who have serious allergy itching anyway so is fine to take as there have been no reports of adverse reactions to any of the ingredients. I have taken 2 so far this pregnancy (35 wks now) and I must admit I didn't feel great about it, mainly because you get told left right and centre to avoid drugs so even ones you're told are ok (piroten, paracetamol etc) feel a bit weird. So I've been using Haymax to counter my normal hayfever, and I think it must be pretty good as despite the high pollen count I've been a bit snivelly but not much more. If I do get really allergic I will take piroten though. (The quick acting one, not the one-a-day type.)

I've been prescribed Fexofenadine Hydrochloride as an alternative to loratidine.

This is what the BNF says on anti-histamines during pregnancy:

"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."

Fwiw, the one-a-day "piriton" is actually piriteze, which is completely different drug to piriton (it's cetirizine). Although this has been tested in small studies in pregnancy, it isn't an old drug like Piriton. So if your doctor okays you taking Piriton, they don't mean the Cetirizine Piriteze.

Beconase is a steroid so it's not without any risks at all, although using steroids in pregnant asthmatics is considered far better than now treating it. You should only use it if you really need it and it might be worth talking to your doctor about taking Flixonase instead as even less of it gets in the bloodstream.

When I was pg and had it badly the GP gave me Piriton and signed me off work for a few days - which I really needed as Piriton makes you so drowsy.

It was lovely to be able to have naps when I was all tired and crotchety and hay feverish!

Good luck

Thanks for the responses. I may give haymax a try. Homeopathy works for me a lot of the time so I don't care that it has no scientific basis. The trouble is that my hayfever seems to get triggered by different things each year like this year cut grass is fine but the last couple of years it would set it off awfully.

It might not help much, but when I was pg the doctor suggested a saline nasal spray. Luckily I found my hay fever was much less severe both during pregnancy and bf. Its generally a good deal less severe now than it was a few years ago too - which is such a blessing. Its miserable isn't it.