What sinus medicine is safe during pregnancy

When you are pregnant, your immune system doesn’t operate at maximum capacity, which is actually a good thing because it keeps your growing baby protected, and stops your body from thinking the fetus is an intruder. However, this comes with the downside that your body can’t ward off the viruses that cause the common cold quite as effectively. This can leave you vulnerable to the symptoms that come along, including a congested nose, cough, and sore throat. 

As we move into cold and flu season, you may find yourself coming down with a cold, and while you can rest assured that your baby isn’t experiencing any of them, you want to get rid of the symptoms quickly and safely. While colds are mostly an uncomfortable annoyance best managed by a little extra rest, fluids, and patience, you may find yourself seeking out cold medications to alleviate your symptoms. We recommend making a call to your OBGYN so they can steer you in the right direction in terms of cold medications that are considered safe during pregnancy. Here are our own recommendations on what to do if you get sick while pregnant.

Common cold symptoms during pregnancy

Generally, a cold will start with a sore or scratchy throat lasting about a day or two, followed by the gradual onset of other symptoms which may include:

• Sneezing
• Mild fatigue
• A runny, then later stuffy nose
• A dry cough, particularly as the cold is ending which may continue for a week or more after the other symptoms have mostly subsided
• A low-grade fever typically under 100 degrees Fahrenheit

Cold symptoms usually last between 10 to 14 days. However, if your symptoms persist longer than that time frame or seem to progressively worsen, you should talk to your primary care physician so they can ensure it hasn’t turned into something more serious like an infection or the flu. 

Is it a cold or the flu?

The best way to tell the difference between a cold and the flu is to take account of the typical symptoms.

• A cold is milder than the flu. Its symptoms come on gradually and typically you only run a low-grade to no fever. It generally starts off with a sore throat that goes away after a day or two, a cold ends with the main symptoms of a runny nose and cough.
• Influenza, commonly called the flu, is more severe and the onset is more sudden than a cold. Symptoms include a high fever (typically 101-104 degrees F or higher), headache, chills, a sore throat that typically worsens by the second or third day, intense muscle soreness, and a general feeling of weakness and fatigue. These symptoms, along with sneezing and a cough, can last a couple of weeks or longer.

What to do if you get a cold while pregnant

Before turning to medicine, there are some effective cold remedies that don’t come from a pharmacy shelf. Here are ways to alleviate symptoms and feel better fast:

• Keep eating: It’s common to not have much of an appetite when you have a cold but it is important to eat a healthy diet while you are sick and pregnant.
• Rest: While this won’t necessarily shorten the duration of your cold, your body needs rest. Sleeping can prove to be a bit difficult when sick with a cold. Breathe easier by elevating your head with a few pillows. Nasal strips can also help as they gently pull your nasal passages open. They are easy to find, sold over the counter and are drug-free.
• Stay active: If you can, do some light to moderate, pregnancy-safe exercises. It will help your body to fight off the cold faster.
• Drink lots of fluids: Symptoms of colds like sneezing, runny nose, and fever causes your body to lose fluids that are essential to you and your baby. Warm beverages like tea with honey (which helps to suppress a dry cough) or hot soup with broth are soothing for your symptoms and cold water and juices work fine as well.
• Eat foods with vitamin C: Foods like citrus fruits, tomatoes, bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, melon, kiwi, and red cabbage are packed with vitamin C which will help to boost your immune system.
• Get more zinc: Pregnant women should try to get 11-15 milligrams of zinc each day, including the zinc in prenatal vitamins. Foods like turkey, beef, eggs, yogurt, wheat germ, oatmeal, and pork will also help to boost your immune system.
• Use a humidifier: Dry conditions in your home can aggravate your symptoms so using a cold or warm air humidifier at night can really help. 
• Use saline nose drops, rinses, and sprays.  All of these can help to moisten nasal passages, and they’re unmedicated, so they are safe for use while pregnant. We do recommend avoiding neti pots, however, as they can spread germs.
• Gargle with warm salt water: Gargling with warm salt water can help to ease a scratchy throat and help control a cough.

Medications that are safe for pregnant women to take for a cold

Before reaching for the medications in your medicine cabinet, reach for the phone and call your OBGYN to discuss the recommended remedies you can take for a cold while pregnant. Here are cold medications that are generally safe during pregnancy.

Acetaminophen

Taking acetaminophen like Tylenol can help in the short-term to reduce head and body aches and break a fever.

Cough medicine

Expectorants like Mucinex, cough suppressants like Robitussin, vapor rubs like Vicks VapoRub, and cough drops are all considered safe during pregnancy. But again, make sure to consult your OBGYN about safe dosages.

Nasal sprays

Plain saline drops and sprays are safe and can help to moisturize and clear a stuffy nose. Most steroid-containing nasal sprays are also safe but you should check with your doctor about brands and dosing.

Antihistamines

Benadryl and Claritin are generally safe during pregnancy but, as usual, check with your doctor as some will advise against them during the first trimester.

Medications to avoid during pregnancy

Always check with your doctor or OBGYN before taking any medications – prescription, over-the-counter, or homeopathic – particularly the following. 

• Pain relievers and fever reducers like aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen can cause pregnancy complications, particularly if taken during the third trimester.
• Decongestants like Sudafed and DayQuil are generally cautioned against after the first trimester and only in a limited amount.
• Avoid non-steroidal nasal sprays containing oxymetazoline.
• Don’t take supplemental vitamins or herbal remedies without medical approval.

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.

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MotherToBaby. 2014. When The Sniffles Strike During Pregnancy: Cold Meds & Your Questions Answered. https://mothertobaby.org/baby-blog/when-the-sniffles-strike-during-pregnancy-cold-meds-your-questions-answered-2/ [Accessed November 2021]

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The Hippocratic Oath takes on a much greater meaning for a pregnant woman: “I will apply dietetic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice.”Most people mistakenly assume it says, “First, do no harm,” but whichever way a patient wishes to take it, the pregnant patient is thinking not of herself, but of her baby. Sinus medicine may relieve the woman’s symptoms, but at what cost to the baby?

No Such Thing as a Safe Medication List

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) cautions that pregnant women seeking sinus relief should first consult their doctors, because many medicines in online “safe medication lists” could have unknown side effects on fetuses.The CDC states, “A conversation with a healthcare provider can help ensure that you are taking only what is necessary.” The trained professionals at the American Sinus Institute can work with a pregnant patient to find the minimal medication needed to provide sinus relief.

Sinus Medicine Alternatives

Consumer Reports suggests that pregnant women consider non-drug solutions to issues like sinus headache and sinus pressure. Getting rest, increasing fluids and having chicken soup can relieve sinus pressure and headaches. Other recommendations:

 
• Avoid combination products, such as multi-symptom cold or allergy medicines that may combine safe acetaminophen with potentially unsafe phenylephrine
 
• Read labels—Alcohol and caffeine (both not recommended for pregnant women) can appear in over-the-counter medications
 
• Talk to a doctor—Expectant mothers should consult an ENT specialist, Ob/Gyn, or family doctor about sinus medicine pregnant patients can safely take

Another excellent alternative to medication for sinusitis, say the experts at The Bump, is a vaporizer. Especially in combination with doctor-prescribed Augmentin, which is used in chronic sinusitis treatment even with pregnant women, such complementary treatments can bring relief.

Keep Them From Harm

Pregnant women must think first of their babies before themselves, so preventing sinus headaches and sinusitis in the first place helps avoid struggles with medications.Especially important in prevention is monitoring indoor air quality for proper humidity levels and minimal allergens. Keeping indoor air between 35 percent and 50 percent humidified can prevent sinusitis, while regular monthly air conditioning air filter changes can reduce pollen and other allergens.Sinus issues increase during pregnancy because blood vessels in the nose swell with the hormonal changes. Saline nose drops are always safe, as they have no medicine to interfere with the baby, and can provide relief from the stuffy nose and breathing difficulties the swollen nasal passage causes.

Antihistamines

If a pregnant woman has allergy-related sinusitis, the CDC notes that many antihistamines are not linked to birth defects. The pregnant woman is advised to consult her ENT specialist or Ob/Gyn, but specific medications that appear to be safe include:

 
• diphenhydramine (Benadryl®)
 
• loratadine (Claritin®)
 
• cetirizine (Zyrtec ®)

Balloon Sinuplasty

The specialists at the American Sinus Institute can help pregnant patients to find a safe, effective course of treatment for acute or chronic sinusitis. Treatment may include balloon sinuplasty to relieve sinus pain symptoms. Contact the experts at American Sinus Institute today to schedule an appointment today.