allergy medicine?

[michellerayne]

does anyone know how bad allergy medicine is for a pregnancy, my RE told me that I should slow down on my allergy medicine and my athsma medicine before I get pregnant so that when I do it's not that hard to not take it. I don't know about any of you, but my allergies are absolutley horrible, it doesn't help that I'm allergic to cats and I have one, but I'm not about to give her up, I love that cat, lol, even though she makes me sneeze, I just didn't know if anyone had heard how bad the stuff is for a pregnancy, if it's that bad I'll cut back, but I didn't know if it could cause miscarriages, birth defects, etc. Thanks

[MomZ]

Hello,
I know I was taking a medicine that you sniff in your nose (sorry I cant remember what it was) and I was told to stop while ttcing. You might want to do some research on it and find out. Try webmd.com
GOOD LUCK!
Julie

[trebleclefj]

I have a cat and she makes me sneeze too! And I went and got an allergy test and Im extremely allergic to her but I still have her. I love cats!

[michellerayne]

yeah, that's my problem, I know it's mostly my cat who makes me sneeze like crazy, but there's no way I could get rid of her, besides she's mean to everyone else besides me and my DH I have no clue why she's like that, but she would never be good with another home besides ours.

[pooh]

Hi Michelle, I just wanted to add that I've also got severe allergies, especially right now and with my IVF, once I did my egg retrieval, I had to quit taking my rx allergy meds, all of them. I don't know why and at the time, I didn't question it, but I do know that they're bad when you're pg. I was allowed to take Sudafed which I lived on for the first couple of months, then my allergies got better. See if that helps.

[amygren]

Hi Michelle -- I'm having the same problem as you. I take Allegra right now, and my RE said I could continue taking it until we became pg and then to stop. In the meantime, my allergist is giving me allergy shots to see if she can get me to maintenance by the time we're pg. You can be on maintenance shots while you're pg, but not the increasing dosage. Something you might want to consider.

Also, my allergist wanted me to try nasal sprays since they were more localized and would not enter the bloodstream -- one was actually approved safe for use during pregnancy but I don't remember which one (sorry!).

Plus, a co-worker is pregnant right now and suffering terribly from allergies. She was told to take Claritin and Sudafed. Note she is in her second trimester, so that could make a big difference. Some doctors might not want you to take anything in the first trimester.

Hope this helps! If I were you I would talk to your RE and your allergist to see what common recommendation they both have for you. Here's a web link you might be interested in: http://www.acaai.org/public/advice/pregn.htm

Good Luck!

[michellerayne]

thanks for all your replies, I haven't looked into the shots I've thought about it, but I didn't know if those were able to be used while you were pregnant. I'm scheduled for my first IUI on Friday the 13th, lol, appropriate huh? So I guess when I do that I'll stop taking my allergy meds, I'm not looking forward to it, but you gotta do what you gotta do, but I'll definatley have to ask about other allergy medicine to see what can and can't be used. Thanks

[amygren]

FYI - I saw my allergist yesterday and asked her again which nose spray has been tested safe for use during pregnancy, and she said Rhinocort. Just thought you'd like to you!