Do pregnant women with allergies get small drops?

Pregnant women with allergic rhinitis are often advised to use only saline solution. However, in case of extreme discomfort, they can still take anti-allergy medications according to the doctor's instructions.

Budesonid nasal spray - Symbicort® (Photo: astmainfo)

Acute allergic rhinitis appears with symptoms of runny nose, sneezing, and stuffy nose. These signs are usually worse in the early morning or when exposed to stimulating factors such as aroma, cold air, smoke, dust. If left untreated, allergic rhinitis can significantly affect the patient's life.

The use of 0.9% saline for regular nasal washing can reduce symptoms of allergic rhinitis in some cases, but it cannot completely eliminate symptoms. There are many types of allergic rhinitis medications that can be used by pregnant women without harming the baby.

At therapeutic doses, some antihistamines such as chlorpheniramine, diphehydramine, loratadine and cetirizine have been confirmed for safety in pregnancy. They can significantly reduce symptoms of nasal itching, runny nose and sneezing.

Glucocorticoid nasal sprays such as budesonid, beclomethason, fluticason are effective in controlling allergic rhinitis and do not cause any harm to the fetus. The drug only maximizes its effect after 3-5 days.

If the nasal congestion persists, the woman may have a nasal discharge with 1% ephedrine solution to help relieve this symptom. Avoid using nasal congestion medications containing pseudoephedrine, which can cause birth defects.

Even with drugs that are considered safe, if you want to use them, you still need to be prescribed by your doctor and give specific instructions about the dose and duration for each treatment.

Doctor Pham Truong