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Safe medications during pregnancy

Always check with your healthcare provider before you take any kind of medicine (over-the-counter or prescription) during pregnancy. If you started the medication before you were pregnant, your provider can tell you whether it's safe to continue and help you find a good alternative if it isn't.

smiling pharmacist giving a woman a bottle
Photo credit: Thinkstock

 

Pregnancy-safe medications

When it comes to taking medication during pregnancy, it's best to keep these things in mind: 

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  • Take the smallest effective dose, and never take more than the recommended dose. Read the label and check with your healthcare provider to confirm dosage information.
  • Ask your provider how long it's safe for you to take the product. (Some medications aren't safe to take long term during pregnancy.)
  • Never discontinue a medication that you've been prescribed without talking with your healthcare provider first.

The chart below lists the OTC medications that are considered low risk for pregnant women when taken occasionally to treat a mild illness. We've listed some brand names as examples, but there are many more on the market.

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Are natural or alternative remedies safe to use during pregnancy?

Just because a product is labeled "natural" doesn't necessarily mean it's safe to take during pregnancy. Like any drug, some natural remedies are considered low risk in pregnancy and some aren't.

The biggest challenge with determining the safety and effectiveness of natural or alternative remedies is that many haven't yet been studied in pregnant or breastfeeding women, so the risks are simply unknown. Also, many natural and homeopathic remedies aren't well regulated, so it's difficult to know exactly what's in them.

Some nonmedicinal treatments, like prenatal massage, can be perfectly safe and helpful during pregnancy. Others, such as acupuncture, are probably safe, but no one knows for sure. Other treatments, like herbal teas, can be as potent and possibly dangerous as any prescription drug and have similar side effects.

For your safety – and your baby's – always check with your healthcare provider before trying any alternative medicine or treatment.

Where can I learn more about safe medicines during pregnancy?

If you have a question about the safety of any medication during pregnancy, talk with your healthcare provider.

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An excellent online resource for evidence-based information on medication safety is the MotherToBaby websiteOpens a new window, a service of the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists. This is a professional scientific organization of experts who study teratogens, which are chemicals (in cosmetics or cleansers, for example) or substances in the environment (like radiation, for example) that can cause birth defects. The website provides fact sheets on drugs and exposures that might affect your baby as well as a list of teratogen information services that you can contact for more information.

Learn more:

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Sources

BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organizations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals. We believe you should always know the source of the information you're seeing. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies.

Briggs G, et al. 2008. Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation, 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

MotherToBaby. 2020. Acetaminophen. https://mothertobaby.org/fact-sheets/acetaminophen-pregnancy/Opens a new window [Accessed October 2021]

MotherToBaby. 2019. Chlorpheniramine. https://mothertobaby.org/fact-sheets/chlorpheniramine-pregnancy/Opens a new window [Accessed October 2021]

MotherToBaby. 2020. Dextromethorphan. https://mothertobaby.org/fact-sheets/dextromethorphan/Opens a new window [Accessed October 2021]

MotherToBaby. 2021. Diphenhydramine. https://mothertobaby.org/fact-sheets/diphenhydramine-pregnancy/Opens a new window [Accessed October 2021]

MotherToBaby. 2021. Guaifenesin. https://mothertobaby.org/fact-sheets/guaifenesin/Opens a new window [Accessed October 2021]

MotherToBaby. 2020. Loratadine (Claritin). https://mothertobaby.org/fact-sheets/loratadine-pregnancy/Opens a new window [Accessed October 2021]

OASH. 2019. Pregnancy and medicines U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Office on Women's Health. https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/pregnancy-and-medicinesOpens a new window [Accessed October 2021]

Karen Miles
Karen Miles is a writer and an expert on pregnancy and parenting who has contributed to BabyCenter for more than 20 years. She's passionate about bringing up-to-date, useful information to parents so they can make good decisions for their families. Her favorite gig of all is being "Mama Karen" to four grown children and "Nana" to nine grandkids.
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