What medicine can you take for sinus infection while pregnant

If you have a sinus infection and you are pregnant, things can get miserable. You will experience congestion in your nasal airways, headache, cough, yellow or green discharges, sore throat, and even fever. And despite all the hardships, you cannot take medications, which makes you want to see your sinus infection doctor Valdese right away.

Of course, he will prescribe some medications that will make you feel better after a few days. But while you still haven’t booked an appointment with him, here are some remedies you should get to know. Maybe you have any of them at home. Don’t worry! They’re safe for expecting mothers!

Antihistamines

If you are looking for instant relief for allergic symptoms of sinus infection like nasal stuffiness, then antihistamines might just work. Then again, most doctors will not recommend antihistamines during pregnancy since they might have an effect on the fetus. Yet, there is one antihistamine that is considered safe during pregnancy – Benadryl.

Antibiotics

In most cases, doctors will recommend drinking antibiotics to treat sinus infection. But if you are pregnant, don’t take risks. Let your doctor know first. He knows which specific antibiotic brand is safe for a developing fetus. Among the antibiotics that are usually recommended by doctors for pregnant women are ampicillin, penicillin, amoxicillin, and clindamycin. Other antibiotics may only cause complications to the mother’s liver or the baby’s teeth.

Analgesics

If you are experiencing fever along with your sinus infection, then analgesics like Tylenol may help. Advil or Ibuprofen, as well as Aleve, are unsafe, especially during the final trimester.

Fruits and Vegetables

During pregnancy, it is completely normal to lose appetite when there is a sinus infection. Even so, you should not let your sickness beat you. Continue eating healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. If you really don’t have an appetite, it will help to eat smaller meals that are packed with nutrients your body needs. For a soothing and relieving option, you can cook soup with the available veggies you have at home.

Other Home Remedies

Yes, you read it right. Some symptoms of sinus infection can be treated by home remedies, which do not pose any threat to pregnant women and their unborn babies. For instance, to relieve runny nose, you can use the steam from a hot water. Also, the use of Neti pots and saline solutions may unclog your nostrils. If there is sore throat, drinking more fluids and using a humidifier are highly recommended.

Get Enough Rest

All these remedies won’t work if you don’t get enough rest. By getting plenty of sleep and resting your body, you are helping your immune system in fighting the signs and symptoms brought about by sinus infection.

Always remember that if you are suffering from sinus infection during your pregnancy, do not be tempted to take any medications for instant relief. The best thing you have to do is to contact a sinus infection doctor in Valdese, such as Ear, Sinus, & Allergy Center, PA.

Most people experience two to three colds during the winter and spring, and pregnant women are no exception. Colds are caused by viruses for which there is no real cure – you can treat the symptoms that make you feel crummy, but medicine doesn’t actually make the cold go away sooner.

Many over-the-counter (OTC) medications you can buy without a prescription come as multi-symptom formulas. These drugs are meant to treat every cold symptom: body aches, congestion, coughing, fever, headache, and sneezing. But not everyone develops every symptom of a cold, and pregnant women should avoid taking unnecessary drugs during pregnancy. 

Instead of reaching for a multi-symptom drug, use the guidelines below to find an effective drug that’s safe for the symptoms you’re facing. And, as always, let your Ob/Gyn or nurse know about any OTC drug you take.

What to take for common cold symptoms

Cough

Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant used in OTC medications such as Robitussin to reduce coughing. Cough suppressants can come in immediate-release and extended-release preparations. The maximum dose for pregnant women is 120 mg in 24 hours. The multi-symptom preparations that contain dextromethorphan often include “DM” in their name.

Guaifenesin is another medication frequently found in cough medications, such as Mucinex. It is an expectorant, so it helps thin mucus from your chest or throat so you can cough it up easier. It comes in immediate-release or extended-release formulations. The maximum dose you should take is 2,400 mg in 24 hours.

Cold medicines containing codeine were used in the past for cough suppression. I don’t recommend these for pregnant women because studies show they really don’t work well, and the fewer opioid-containing medications in our medicine cabinets, the better. For children, there is some evidence that honey can improve nighttime coughing. I certainly think this is an option for pregnant women as well. If you want to try honey, I suggest a spoonful of the real stuff – it’s not as clear that cold medicine with honey listed as a flavoring or ingredient is as effective.

Stuffy nose and sinus pressure

Decongestant medications reduce stuffiness and sinus pressure by constricting the blood vessels in your nose, which reduces swelling. Pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine are available over the counter as Sudafed and are safe for many women to use during pregnancy. However, women who have high blood pressure should not take pseudoephedrine without first talking to a doctor. The drug can raise blood pressure and can cause jitters and racing heartbeats. 
Because pseudoephedrine can be used to manufacture methamphetamine, it’s now kept behind the pharmacy counter. You’ll have to provide identification to purchase it, and stores track how much you purchase. The maximum dose of a typical decongestant is 240 mg in 24 hours.

Sneezing, runny nose, and watery eyes

These symptoms are the result of histamine release, which is an immune response to an invading virus. Chlorpheniramine, such as Triaminic Allergy, and diphenhydramine, such as Benadryl, are safe to take during pregnancy. However, both can cause drowsiness, so these are best taken at bedtime. The maximum dosage for chlorpheniramine is 32 mg in 24 hours.

When compared to placebos, antihistamines have the most successful results within the first couple days of treatment. Patients didn’t report any relief of symptoms between days three and 10. Newer antihistamines, such as loratadine (Claritin), are approved for allergies, not colds, so there isn’t information about how well they work for cold symptoms.

Sore throat

Pregnant women can take acetaminophen (Tylenol) for a sore throat with a limit of 3,000 mg in 24 hours. An antihistamine may help if the sore throat is due to postnasal drip because it can dry up those secretions.
Sprays or lozenges that contain benzocaine, a local anesthetic, can help numb the throat. Menthol and phenol, such as Chloraseptic, are antiseptics that also help soothe throat discomfort. Sucking on hard candy can keep saliva flowing, which might reduce throat irritation. 

A word about antibiotics

So many patients call asking for antibiotics for a cold, usually when they’ve had symptoms for several days. There are a few times when antibiotics are appropriate, for instance, strep throat or sinus infections caused by bacteria. But antibiotics simply don’t work against viruses that cause the common cold. Overprescribing antibiotics for viral illnesses leads to antibiotic resistance, which means the bacteria grow stronger over time and become tougher to beat with antibiotics.
If a doctor prescribes an antibiotic for cold symptoms, it’s usually a short, three-day round of drugs. The patient often feels better after finishing the medication but probably would have recovered in that timeframe anyway without the drug.

To sum up …

If you come down with a cold while pregnant and you want to take something for symptom relief, look for medications that are formulated for your specific symptoms. Avoid multi-symptom formulas, especially those containing acetaminophen. It can be easy to take more acetaminophen in a day than is safe because it’s in so many medications. Finally, be patient with cold symptoms – it can take a week or more for a cold to go away.

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What kind of sinus medicine is safe during pregnancy?

If a runny nose is more of a problem than a congested one, antihistamines such as diphenhydramine, loratadine or cetirizine are all safe to take during pregnancy.

What happens if you get a sinus infection while pregnant?

On its own, a sinus infection while pregnant is not likely to harm your unborn baby. However, in rare cases, the symptoms of a sinus infection can lead to complications during pregnancy. Pregnancy can also worsen the severity of sinus infection symptoms.

What antibiotics can you take for a sinus infection while pregnant?

Among the antibiotics that are usually recommended by doctors for pregnant women are ampicillin, penicillin, amoxicillin, and clindamycin. Other antibiotics may only cause complications to the mother's liver or the baby's teeth.