Can I take Airborne while pregnant?

[CallMeMommy]

Please someone say yes, I have a monster cold and all I want is my Airborne :sneeze:

[Barcino]

I think I have read that airborne is not a good idea but you can take emergen-C

[Bella Mia]

Ditto to PP - my ob says no to airborne but is a-ok with emergen-c :)

[JenMidwife]

Are zinc lozenges okay?

[lincap]

zicam is fine!

[CallMeMommy]

Uggggggh, I'm stuck at work with no access to emergen-c. I didn't think airborne was okay but it never hurts to ask! I remembered I had some peppermint tea hiding in my desk, though, so I'm nursing that.

[Miss Blue]

What's wrong with airborne? I just took it last week, 3 doses, I think.

[Jokerama]

My midwife says airborne is ok as long as it isn't the nighttime one.

[JenMidwife]

What's wrong with airborne?

I would guess it has something to do w/ the herbs that are in it (I think all the vitamins & minerals are okay)?

[kirstier]

My OB's nurse said 'NO way' to Airborne. Said you can OD on vitamin A and C. Am very concerned now because I'm 19 weeks pregnant, took Airborne 2 weeks ago 3x for 1 day, and it kicked an on coming cold. Started getting another cold 2 days ago, and accidentally took it 4 times in one day (only supposed to take it 3x) and late couldn't sleep so I took Acetaminaphene (tylenol) for pain and sleep! Hoping and PRAYING for no longterm or permanent affects on BABY! Didn't call the Doc till after I did this. Thought it would be safe!

Found good info on wikipedia site about Airborne and pregnancy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_(dietary_supplement)


Airborne (dietary supplement)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Airborne is a dietary supplement and health formula which is claimed to help ward off harmful bacteria and germs, and help prevent the flu and the common cold. The formula contains herbal extracts, amino acids, antioxidants, electrolytes, vitamins, and other nutrients, and can be purchased in many U.S. retail stores over-the-counter in three different forms: a tablet which can be taken orally or dissolved in water, a chewable "Gummi" lozenge, or a concentrate powder….

Pregnant women are advised to exercise extreme caution regarding Airborne consumption. Excess preformed vitamin A during early pregnancy has been associated with a significant increase in life-threatening birth defects. Vitamin A is indeed necessary for fetal development, but most women already carry stores of it in their fat cells. Researchers recommend that pregnant women either restrict their supplemental consumption of vitamin A to 4,000 - 8,000 IUs daily, or they should instead consume beta carotene.[7]…

Supplement facts and ingredients
Following are the supplement facts of the original Airborne tablet. Though the ingredients of other versions of Airborne vary slightly to produce different flavors and functions, all of what would be considered the active ingredients of the formula are included below.
• Calories: 5
• Sodium: 230mg
• Total Carbohydrates 0g
• Sugars 0g
• Protein 0g
• Vitamin A (Palmitate) 2,000 IUs
• Vitamin C 1,000mg
• Vitamin E (Acetate) 30 IUs
• Riboflavin 2.8mg
• Magnesium (Oxide & Sulfate) 40mg
• Zinc (Sulfate) 8mg
• Selenium (Amino Acid Chelate) 15mcg
• Manganese (Gluconate) 3mg
• Potassium 75mg
• Amino Acids (Glutamine as L-Glutamine, Lysine as L-Lysine HCl) 50mg
• Proprietary Blend 350mg: Maltodextrin, Lonicera, Forsythia, Schizonepeta, Ginger, Chinese Vitex, Isatis Root, Echinacea

[Kitten]

Your OB's nurse is talking out of her hoo-hah. While you can overdose on vitamin A you cannot overdose on vitamin C. Vitamin C is water-soluble and any extra will just get peed out of your body. But she is right that airborne isn't really a very good thing to take during pregnancy.

Then again neither is emergen-c. It has a lot of other stuff in it besides zinc and vitamin c that a pregnant woman could overdose on. And you can overdose on zinc too.

Just take plain old vitamin C tablets every day, whether you are sick or not. It will help make a strong amniotic sac and help you pass a GBS test.

And take a probiotic too. I use Florajen and give my 3 yr old DS a powdered probiotic. We have both been much healthier this winter than my DH who pooh-poohs our vitamin C and probiotics.

[Barcino]

FYI when I took EmergenC I did not take my prenatals per my midwife.