Safe Medications During Pregnancy

All medications listed are “over the counter” (OTC) and should only be taken to treat a common ailment for the shortest duration possible.

Nausea

Vitamin B-6 (50 mg every 6 hours as needed)
Ginger (including tea, ginger ale, or 250 mg tablets or capsules every 6 hours)
Acupressure wrist bands

Heartburn

Tums (maximum 6 regular-strength tablets per day)
Zantac or ranitidine (75 mg or 150 mg twice daily)
Mylanta

Constipation

Increase water and fiber intake (such as Metamucil or FiberCon)
Colace or docusate sodium (100 mg twice daily)

Headache

Tylenol ES or acetaminophen (as directed on the package)
Aspirin-free Excedrin Migraine

Cough / Cold

Benadryl
Robitussin DM
Cepacol lozenges
Tylenol ES or acetaminophen
Claritin or Zyrtec
Humidifier or warm salt-water gargle
Ocean nasal spray

Hemorrhoids

Preparation-H with cortisone (ointment or suppositories)
Anusol-HC
Colace or docusate sodium (100 mg twice daily)
Tuck’s pads or witch hazel wipes

Skin Rash

Cortisone cream
Benadryl Lotion (also known as Caladryl)

Sleeplessness

Benadryl
Tylenol PM
Unisom

Yeast Infection

Monistat
Vagistat
Femstat
Any preparation

Medications to Avoid

Advil, Motrin, ibuprofen, Aleve, and naproxen should be avoided unless directed by your doctor for a specific reason during certain trimesters.

Additional Information

For more information about the safety of drugs taken during pregnancy, visit www.empr.com

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