Allergy relief

[SoonToBe]

Hi there.

I'm not pregnant yet, but hope to be soon. I am suffering from seasonal allergies badly. Headaches, dizziness, facial pressure, as well as the usuals. Anyway, I used to take Zyrtec which worked wonders and I loved it. I stopped it 4 months ago in anticipation of pregnancy. I am suffering bad now. I know it is a Class B drug, but I don't want to take any medication during pregnancy if I can avoid it.

Do you know of any effective allergy relief/prevention during pregnancy? I already do sinus rinses, lots of vitamin C, etc. I also use raw honey.

Thanks so much!!

[loonar]

My allergist recommended avoiding Zyrtec and Benadryl (my usual lifesavers) in the first trimester, so for me it was a matter of surviving those few months. He did say chlorpheniramine is okay so I took that in moments of desperation, but mostly I just did my best to avoid triggers (ended up being easy because I was mostly too sick to get out of bed). I also kept receiving allergy injections.

[EnchantedMamma]

Take medication, period. Allergies make things pretty miserable. For me they lead to other respiratory issues that require more medication I don't want to take.

Claritin/Benadryl is very safe.

Also, ask for the safe nasal spray. I think it's Rhinocort.

[lillymonster]

I took zyrtec through both pregnancies - my OB for the first and my Midwife for this one both approved it, and I called them both as soon as I got a positive pregnancy test to ask because I have been on allergy medicine since I was 4 years old (I am 40 now, so a looong time!) No one said there were any reasons to avoid it. DD #1 is 3 1/2 now, and I was told baby #2 is looking great.

1) zyrtec HELPED my morning sickness - I have heard the same for benedryl. I was less sick on it. Of course I was still on zofran, but I needed both or else I would have been in the hospital for dehydration, which is far worse than taking a drug, IMO. In fact it worked better than benedryl for me in helping with morning sickness.

2) if I don't take zyrtec for some reason during this pregnancy I will develop a nasty cough and can't breath. If I am off it more than a day or two, I have almost asthma-like feeling when I breathe. My allergies have been worse since I got pregnant, and the cough and breathing issues scare me to much not to take it.

[Buddhamom]

I was told only Chlor Trimeton (sp?)

[Yuba_River]

This isn't quite a powerful as taking something, but I have really good results with drinking nettle tea. I've had bad allergies this pregnancy, but I make a quart of my pregnancy tea, which has lots of nettles and drink the whole thing, and the allergies are gone for a day or so. I make the tea with 4-6 tablespoons of herbs per quart of boiling water and steep for several hours.

[Dichotomy]

(Im pregnant and also work for an OBGYN)

Benadryl
Claritin
and Chlortrimeton

These medications are all okay during pregnancy, assuming you stay away from the decongestant kinds (ie, ClaritinD, Zyrtec D). However, the very few times its been bad enough for me to resort to trying to take something, I didnt feel like it helped enough to warrant me trying to take it again.


Personally, Ive had the best luck (symptom wise) with hylands sinus. Clears out my nasal passages pretty well, even if only temporarily. And I feel alright with taking its natural ingredients.

[Ola_]

I have bad fall allergies, got pg at the beginning of July, and also didn't want to take anything. Somehow it seems like my allergy symptoms are much better this year. I don't know if it has to do with the pregnancy or what, but maybe you'll get lucky too (crossing fingers!).

[myk]

my pharmacist and OB both said that benadryl was the one they were most comfortable with. i need to take it semi-regularly because of seasonal allergies. i only take it at night though, cause i manage ok during the day and just need to breathe better at night.

[Shyentist]

I have horrible, horrible allergies (hives all the time, hay fever, etc), and have been taking Zrytec since well before I got preg (have to take it every day or else I break out in hives immediately). Both the OB and the allergist said it's class B and I SHOULD be taking it (the inflammation and risk of anaphylaxis are worse than a class B drug). I've also been using breatheright strips when the zrytec's not quite enough and I LOVE them! (Alright, I'll admit, I'm addicted to them!)

Benadryl, sadly, was out, because my heart races when I take it. But if it works for you, it's very well-documented as a class B.

I wouldn't suffer too much if you really need to take something. It's probably more important that the baby gets enough oxygen (i.e. that you can breathe) and isn't exposed to a bunch of inflammatory immune responses throughout the pregnancy, than to avoid pretty safe medications.