Is it safe to use vicks vaporub while pregnant

Vicks Products May Be Used as Directed During Pregnancy

Catching a cold or suffering through seasonal allergies is uncomfortable at the best of times, but when you're pregnant, the discomfort is magnified by your need to be careful of the medications you take. Many standard prescription and over-the-counter cold and allergy medicines cross the placenta, making them unsafe for your baby. Fortunately, the active ingredients in Vicks VapoRub are both effective and safe when used as suggested.

Table of Contents Show

Vicks Products May Be Used as Directed During Pregnancy
Active Ingredients
Is Phenylephrine Safe While Pregnant?
Camphor Concerns
Is Vicks VapoRub Safe to Use During Pregnancy?
Medicine Guidelines During Pregnancy
Illegal Drugs/Alcohol
Prescription medicine guidelines
Can I use Vicks Vapor Rub while pregnant?
Is menthol rub safe during pregnancy?
How do you get rid of a stuffy nose while pregnant?
What home remedies can a pregnant woman take for a cold?

Active Ingredients

Is Phenylephrine Safe While Pregnant?

The active ingredients in Vicks VapoRub are also what give the ointment its signature scent: camphor, eucalyptus oil and menthol. Its distinctive smell is similar to mint, and it has a unique skin-feel. The vapors from these ingredients are effective in clearing up a stuffy nose, drying up a runny one, soothing muscle aches, and easing both chest congestion and a cough. The inactive ingredients are cedarleaf oil, nutmeg oil, petrolatum, turpentine oil and thymol, all of which are present in small enough amounts that they pose no danger to you or your growing baby.

Camphor Concerns

Because Vicks VapoRub contains camphor, it's believed by certain non-medical groups to pose a danger to pregnant women and unborn babies. This is largely due to a misunderstanding of the science involved. Camphor can cause miscarriage when ingested on its own, but swallowing Vicks VapoRub in any form is not one of its normal or desired uses. Also, the amount of camphor mixed in with the other ingredients in the dollop of Vicks you would use on your chest, throat or beneath your nostrils is too small to cause any problems.

Safe Uses

Is Vicks VapoRub Safe to Use During Pregnancy?

Vicks VapoRub can be applied lightly to the chest and back to help ease lung congestion and calm a cough. Place a warm, dry cloth over the area to keep the active ingredients from evaporating too quickly. Wear loose clothing such as an oversized T-shirt or a comfortable pajama top or nightgown to allow the vapors to escape so that you can breathe them in. Clear stuffy sinuses either by applying a bit of Vicks to a clean handkerchief or dishcloth and gently breathing it in through your nose. You can also use Vicks in a vaporizer specifically designed for it to help moisten and clear up blocked sinuses.

Warnings

Do not use Vicks on children under the age of 2, and never heat it outside of a vaporizer because it can splatter and burn you.

Medicine Guidelines During Pregnancy

Although some medicines are considered safe during pregnancy, the effects of other medicines on your unborn baby are unknown. Certain medicines can be most harmful to a developing baby when taken during the first three months of pregnancy, often before a woman even knows she is pregnant.

Illegal Drugs/Alcohol

Street drugs are not good for your health, but they are even worse for your unborn baby’s health, since drugs are passed to your baby while you are pregnant. Illegal drugs such as angel dust, cocaine, crack, heroin, LSD, marijuana, and speed increase the chance that your baby is born with many possible problems. When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol or uses drugs during her pregnancy, so does her baby. These substances can pass through the placenta and to the baby through the umbilical cord. Alcohol, tobacco, and drugs can lead to premature birth, birth defects, low birth weight, placental abruption, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, miscarriage, stillbirth, and developmental/behavior problems. According to the March of Dimes, there is no amount of alcohol or marijuana that is proven to be safe during pregnancy. You may know some women who drank regularly during pregnancy and had seemingly healthy babies. You may know some women who had very little alcohol during pregnancy and had babies with serious health conditions. Every pregnancy is different and drinking alcohol may hurt one baby more than another. Due to their small liver, babies cannot break down the alcohol as well as you can. Heroin is a street drug made from poppy plant seeds and is usually injected with a needle, but it can be smoked or snorted. Using heroin during pregnancy can be dangerous, but don’t stop taking it without getting treatment from your healthcare provider first. Quitting suddenly can cause severe problems. There are drugs that help you gradually reduce your dependence on heroin such as methadone or buprenorphine.

Let your healthcare provider (e.g. physician, pharmacist) know if you have ever used illegal drugs or if you have an addiction to any drugs so he or she can minimize the risk to your baby. We are here to offer treatment and support. You may also call 1.800.662.4357 (National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Referral Service) for more information.

Prescription medicine guidelines

If you were taking prescription medicines before you became pregnant, please ask your healthcare provider about the safety of continuing these medicines as soon as you find out that you are pregnant.

Your healthcare provider will weigh the benefit to you and the risk to your baby when making his or her recommendation about a particular medicine. With some medicines, the risk of not taking them might be more serious than the potential risk associated with taking them.

For example, if you have a urinary tract infection, your healthcare provider might prescribe an antibiotic. If the urinary tract infection is not treated, it could cause long-term problems for both the mother and her baby. If you are prescribed any new medicine, please inform your healthcare provider that you are pregnant. Be sure to discuss the risks and benefits of the newly prescribed medicine with your healthcare provider.

Type of Remedy: Allergy