is prilosec otc safe in pregnancy?

[ElliesMomma]

i have bad heartburn, had it before pregnancy, and it's worse now. the tums pills have caused some extreme constipation for me, so now i'm afraid to use them anymore. my midwife today suggested i start prilosec otc, she said it's safe in pregnancy. is this true? anyone with experience using it? TIA.

[melis79]

Yes it has been found to be safe to take during pregnancy. I worked in OB for a loooong time and it was added to our list of safe OTC meds once it became OTC. Our MD's used to Rx it for patients who didnt have relief with Zantac 150mg OTC when it was only available by rx.

I was on Zantac until about 2 months ago when it just stopped helping. Now I take Prilosec OTC (the generic is way cheaper) and as long as I take it daily it is great. I switched on my own and let my CNM know at one of my check ups and she had no problem, even mentioned that it was a good choice for chronic pregnancy heartburn/acid reflux.

[BeckyBird]

Make sure you follow the directions on the box. If it says to take the pills for 2 weeks, then only take them for 2 weeks!! My husband used to take Prilosec every day, for months, then suddenly found himself in the hospital with heart palpitations. It was awful!

[cristeen]

Always look up a drug yourself before taking it during pregnancy, do not take ANYONE else's word for it. Safe Fetus is a great resource to use. No drug is 100% safe during pregnancy, but most practitioners will not give you the risks associated.

Taking any drug during pregnancy is a risk/benefit assessment, and it is not up to your practitioner to do that assessment for you. You're the one that needs to decide if it is worth the risk to your family.

Prilosec is a Class C drug:

* Not teratogenic in animals but fetotoxic at high doses increasing the incidence of fetal death.
* Crosses human placenta.
* No adequate data in human pregnancy but reported association with anencephaly and hydranencephaly when the drug used in first half of pregnancy.
* Chronic, high doses are carcinogenic in animals producing gastrointestinal tumors.

[darcytrue]

My OB has it on their list of safe meds to take. I have taken it maybe a hand full of times in the last month.

[geekgolightly]

I use it because there isn't another drug that works. If pepcid or zantac worked, I would use that. My GERD is severe. I aspirate at night.

[TzippityDoulah]

has anyone noticed swelling or weight gain from it? I realize it's a seriously hot and humid summer in my parts and I am prone to some swelling at the end of pregnancy, but I feel like I have gained so much weight in my butt and thighs! They don't even look like my own! This is my forth pregnancy and over all I'm eating well and trying to stay as active as my sciatica will allow.  I am swelling A LOT and have to sit down most of the time. I can't handle the heat even a little bit without gaining more water weight. It's scared of becoming pre-eclamptic and I'm thinking of going off of Prilosec now. I'm concerned though b/c it's the only thing that helps my heartburn and indigestion--which is intolerable bad right now.
 

I'm going back to zantac 3 times a day. ugh.

I would love to know how others have been with prilosec during pregnancy...