I have pink eye and I am 5 weeks pg....... scared to take meds.....

[amyandelle]

So I called my OB and she prescribed me a Class C eye drop to take for my pink eye. I am scared to take it. I am also scared that if I don't take it the infection will spread to the baby. Wwyd? I am nursing so do you think it is safe to try breastmilk in my eyes for 24 hours to see if they clear up? If I take the drops not only will I be risking my baby but also I will have to stop nursing my 1 1/2 year old for a week which is not ideal.......

Thanks,

  Amy

[HawaiianBlesing]

Zofran is a class B medication and pregnant women take it ALL the time w/o significant risk to the fetus.  If it were me, I would not want to deal with an eye infection and would definitely take the meds.

Phenergen is a class C and pregnant women are prescribed that too.....

I'm not seeing how breast milk in your eye would help.....

Good Luck!

Changed classes of drugs....My mistake classing Zofran and Phenergan.  Looked at a different source with different classes. 

[javilu]

Breastmilk couldn't hurt.  I've heard of people using it for conjunctivitis.  It has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory factors in it.  I've also had eye irritation and used breastmilk and it was very soothing, to say the least.

I would also do more research into whether you really need to stop nursing.  A week is a long time.  Maybe it is only necessary to pump and dump for a few hours after using the drops each day, or you can use it right before bedtime before your child's longest sleep stretch.

[javilu]

Also, to clarify, Phenergan is Class C, not Class D.  And Zofran is Class B.

I take Class B & C medications everyday (Zofran as well as an asthma inhaler) and for me and baby, the benefits outweigh the risks (the risks being dehydration and difficulty getting enough oxygen, respectively).  Your situation is hopefully a short-term one, so that's something to take into consideration - you won't need the medicine for very long.  I would definitely do more research into the matter of nursing, as that is a significant period of time to not nurse, though.

[Orionsmama]

Did your doc mention erythromycin ointment for your eye? I am an ER nurse and that is really the only thing I have seen the docs prescribe for pink eye. It is very benign and they actually use it for hospital births  in the newborns eyes. 

[amyandelle]

Originally Posted by Orionsmama 

Did your doc mention erythromycin ointment for your eye? I am an ER nurse and that is really the only thing I have seen the docs prescribe for pink eye. It is very benign and they actually use it for hospital births  in the newborns eyes. 

Thanks for the suggestion I will write that down! I am calling my eye doctor tomorrow to see what he thinks about using drops and which ones might be a safer choice :) I am just going to use some artificial tears tonight to see if that helps.... I am praying that my eyes will be better tomorrow!

Amy
 

[tzs]

i get pink eye fairly often and have only used drops when it was required for work (at a preschool.) really without meds it clears up in a few days. as far as i see it, the drops are mainly so you can send your kids to school if they get it. 

(and for the record, i take all kinds of meds all the time. i'm not anti-med by any means. it just seems like a lot of trouble for pink eye.)

[erigeron]

Bear in mind the Class C designation belongs to the drug itself, not to the eye drop formulation. It may be a Class C when given systemically (and not all Class C drugs are equally safe or equally dangerous; it's kind of the catch-all class) but there may be no or minimal systemic absorption from the eye drop. Check with your pharmacist.

[javilu]

Great point!  I take a daily asthma medicine that is designated Class C, but it is essentially topical and not really absorbed systemically.  What you said makes a lot of sense!

[amyandelle]

Thanks everyone :)

After a long day of trying to find a clinic to go to just to get my eyes checked out to see if they are sure it is bacterial, I am just going to head over to the ER when dh gets home. I am in the process of changing insurances and pretty much the only place that can see me today with my current insurance is the ER. I would wait it out a few days but I am in Chicago and don't plan on leaving my house until after the snow storm..... I already called ahead and the nurse seems to think that they will find something for me that is safe for both pregnancy and breastfeeding :)

[Steady101]

No idea why it posted like that.

[Steady101]

Now my previous post is completely gone. Hmm.

Anyways. Pink eye is conjunctivitus. It goes away on its own even if it is bacterial. Antibiotics and eye drops are not needed unless there is no improvement after 3 days. The antibiotics only make it go away faster( and by faster it only means by a day usually with pink eye).

[Mayfly]

Our Dr. always just recommended using saline wash in your eye for 3 days and then going from there if it didn't clear up. It always cleared up or was obviously on it's way out. He recommended this esp. if it was only in 1 eye. The saline eye wash is sold in drugstores in the contact lens section, in a giant bottle.

[dallasslynn]

Breastmilk always worked for me!!  Also was able to use some drops that were safe during pregnancy when I had a "bad" case of pink-eye.  Feel better soon!!

[gingergrltea]

I don't know if it would work but Virgin Coconut oil sounds like it could help.I have taken eye makeup off with it before.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5885201_treat-eye-infection.html

[amyandelle]

Thanks for the link about the coconut oil! I have some on hand as well as the suggestion above it for use of tea bags!!

So I went to the ER last night and sat there for HOURS. I ended up leaving before being seen. There were still 25 people ahead of me and my dh had to get to work.....

Amy

[mkmoro311]

Walgreens makes a great Homeopathic pink eye drop.  Works just as good as the prescription stuff:)

[mylilmonkeys]

I'll second the homeopathic eye drops.  They work great!