Having a baby is a wonderful experience that changes your whole life, even before the child is born. When you’re pregnant, there are several foods, beverages, activities, and medicines that become off-limits. Here’s a closer look at the do’s and don’ts of taking over-the-counter medicine while pregnant.

Do:

Have a pharmacist consultation about your medication.

Anytime you’re considering taking a medication, even prescriptions, consult with the pharmacy specialist about its safety. Pharmacy technicians should know what’s safe during pregnancy and what isn’t, and they can guide you to baby-friendly alternatives if needed. A pharmacist can also tell you how often you can take acceptable medicines during your pregnancy.

Find alternative treatment or medication.

If one medicine isn’t safe during pregnancy, look for alternatives. Taking ibuprofen and naproxen for pain relief isn’t recommended during your pregnancy, but Tylenol® is considered safe if taken occasionally. Consider natural remedies, too, but use caution with them as well because some herbs and supplements can do damage.

Read medication labels.

Start reading all of the label ingredients and information on every over-the-counter medicine and supplement you buy. Alcohol, caffeine, and other components unsafe for pregnant women can be found in surprising places, like headache relief medication or cold medicine.

Don’t:

Take combination medications.

Medicines that relieve more than one symptom, such as allergy and cold medicines, often have unsafe ingredients in them, such as phenylephrine, pseudoephedrine, and caffeine. If the label has some kind of “multi-symptom relief” advisory, double-check the ingredients before taking it.

Ingest more than 200mg of caffeine a day. 

Caffeine in small, infrequent doses is okay during pregnancy, but taking too much can cause serious complications, including miscarriage. It’s used in many migraine-relief medications, such as Excedrin®, and your daily intake shouldn’t be more than 200mg, which includes what you ingest through medicines as well as food and drinks.

Take too much of the “safe” medicines.

Even when an over-the-counter medicine is deemed safe, you should still use caution when taking it more than once or twice a month. Tylenol, for example, is one of the safest pain-relieving options available, but taking it for several days in a row or frequently throughout your pregnancy increases your risk for complications.

For almost 70 years, Pack Pharmacy in Cincinnati, OH, has been providing personalized health care services to the O’Bryonville area. Privately and locally owned, they’re passionate about serving their community with exemplary service, taking the time to get to know every patient so they can offer the best care. With in-house compounding for prescriptions, they’re able to provide specialized medications and expert pharmacist consultation to ensure patients have the medicine and knowledge they need. They have a full inventory of over-the-counter medicine as well, and local delivery is available for patients who aren’t able to make it to the pharmacy. Learn more about their services online or call them at (513) 871-7770 to schedule delivery.