I am in a constant arguement with my husband about medication I can take. He keeps trying to make me take herbal remedies for everything and wont research weather it is in fact safe to take during pregnancy. He seems to be under the assumtion that if the earth grew it, it cant be bad! And he thinks that I am being paraniod following baby book advice about do and donts with my diet and health. He tells me that they only say no becuase they have not researched it and dont know for fact it is safe. I keep trying to tell him that even if that is the case, why would I want to be a test experiment? Why would I want to take the risk? He acts like I am using pregnancy as an excuse, and must enjoy being sick becuase I am choosing drug free (natrual or chemical) pregnancy. Can you please, if nothig else for my sanity sake go over which herbs and medications are off limits during pregnancy?”
The label says “natural,” but is it safe to take when you’re pregnant?
It’s also true that about 99 percent of medications are not approved by the FDA
for use during pregnancy because they have not been studied. So it’s best to avoid taking any medicine, be it herbal, over-the-counter or prescription, you’ve checked with your health care provider or a pharmacist to make sure it’s safe for use during pregnancy. That said, here’s a (partial) list of some common herbs and medications to be particularly cautious of:
- Anything containing synthetic Vitamin A, including skin creams such as Retinol®.
- Medicine containing aspirin, unless directed by your health care provider.
- Anything containing pennyroyal, black or blue cohosh
- Herb teas that contain yerba mate, which has been associated with liver damage.
- Certain antibiotics, including tetracycline and doxycycline
However, just because some medicine may be off-limits is no reason to suffer when
you’re sick. When taken as directed, acetaminophen (Tylenol®) has been used safely
by pregnant women for many years. Most decongestants are also safe. So instead of being
miserable, call your care provider when you’re sick, and ask him or her to recommend a
course of treatment.
