What is safe to take for sinus while pregnant?

What is safe to take for sinus while pregnant?
Sinusitis (sinus infection) occurs when your sinuses become inflamed and swollen, which keeps mucus from draining properly. If you have a sinus infection while you’re pregnant, this can make being sick feel even worse. You’ll be concerned with finding a way to effectively treat your symptoms without harming your baby.

In this blog, the sinus specialists at DFW Sinus Select will explain the best treatment options for sinusitis during pregnancy.

What is sinusitis?

Sinusitis is an inflammation of the sinus lining that prevents mucus from draining easily through the nose. This inflammation causes the sinuses to become blocked and makes mucus build up, which can lead to some very uncomfortable symptoms that can last for weeks and affect your entire body at a time when you need to feel your best.

What are the symptoms of sinusitis during pregnancy?

Sinusitis is quite common and can be even more so during pregnancy. Around 20% of pregnant women suffer from sinusitis.

The tricky thing about dealing with sinusitis during pregnancy is figuring out whether your symptoms are pregnancy-related or are sinus issues. In addition to all the other parts of your body that it affects, your pregnancy can also make you more prone to nasal inflammation.

If you’re pregnant and suffering from the following symptoms, you may be suffering from sinusitis:

  • Yellow or greenish discharge from your nose
  • Difficulty breathing through your nose
  • Pain and pressure around your face, especially around the cheeks and eyes
  • A bad cough
  • Reduced sense of smell or taste
  • Earaches
  • Headaches
  • Sore throat
  • Fatigue

What are the best treatment options for sinusitis during pregnancy?

If you have a sinus infection during your pregnancy, you may feel miserable. You may be tempted to take some medication in an attempt to get some quick relief.

Many mothers-to-be who are suffering from sinusitis are often faced with a difficult decision of what they can do to fight their symptoms without endangering their baby.

You may find that some home remedies are just as effective in alleviating your symptoms and helping you recover while avoiding harm to your baby.

These can include the following:

  • Using a humidifier at night
  • Drinking plenty of fluids such as water and broth. This helps you stay hydrated and helps thin the mucus.
  • Using saline nasal irrigation or saline nose drops
  • Using several pillows to elevate your head when you lie down

Some medications are safe to use during pregnancy, while other commonly used medicines may not be safe to take while you’re pregnant.

In some cases, such as sinusitis caused by a bacterial infection, it may be safer for the baby if you take an antibiotic. The risk of possible harm to the baby is usually smaller from antibiotics than from the bacterial infection, but talk to your doctor for more information specific to your case.

Medications that are used to treat acute sinus infections include cefprozil (Cetzil) and a combination of amoxicillin and clavulanate. They are generally regarded as safe to use during pregnancy. So is acetaminophen (Tylenol), which can help with pain relief and/or headaches.

The short-term use of decongestants, antihistamines, expectorants, and cough suppressants for upper-respiratory infections is usually thought to be safe during pregnancy in limited amounts.

Talk with your doctor for specific information on which medication is best for you and your baby. It doesn’t mean that you need to suffer through your sinusitis without any help, but you’ll need to be more careful about the medications you take and how long you take them for.

Looking for sinusitis treatment in the Dallas/Fort Worth area?

If you’re suffering from sinusitis during pregnancy, take the first step toward finding relief by contacting one of our numerous convenient Dallas/Fort Worth area offices.

At DFW Sinus Select, our sinus doctors provide the highest quality, state-of-the-art specialty medical care in a personalized and compassionate manner.

Contact us to schedule your consultation today.

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
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  • 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.

Dealing with a sinus infection can feel particularly challenging during pregnancy.

Sinus infections are a common complication of the cold virus and allergies. They can cause painful nasal congestion (rhinitis) and other symptoms.

Experts have suggested that hormonal changes may play a role in pregnancy-induced rhinitis, which typically occurs in the second and third trimesters and clears up within 2 weeks of childbirth.

Regardless of what causes a sinus infection during pregnancy, it is important to know how to relieve symptoms safely. Learn more in this article.

A sinus infection on its own is not likely to harm the developing fetus. However, in rare cases, its symptoms can lead to complications.

Being pregnant may also affect the severity of sinus infection symptoms.

For example, one study looked into the effect that a pregnant woman’s body mass index (BMI) and stage of pregnancy could have on nasal congestion. The researchers found that both increased BMI and gestational age have a significant effect on the extent of nasal congestion during pregnancy.

They suggest that women with gestational diabetes or multiple pregnancies (such as twins or triplets) might have a higher risk of developing pregnancy-induced rhinitis. In the case of carrying multiples, this could be due to an increase in pregnancy hormones.

The researchers also propose that persistent nasal congestion could pose risks for the proper development and growth of the fetus because of a gradual decrease of oxygen.

Complications such as this are rare, however, and with proper treatment, the risks to the fetus are very low.

An earlier study found that nasal congestion due to allergies had no effect on the birth outcomes. In fact, there was a lower incidence of congenital abnormalities in the babies of women who had experienced these symptoms.

While it can be tempting to take common over-the-counter (OTC) medications for quick relief, certain drugs could be harmful, depending on the stage of the pregnancy.

For example, aspirin can cause problems with blood clotting and may affect the heart or lungs of the fetus in the final stages of pregnancy.

Sometimes, a doctor might prescribe a low dosage of aspirin for certain pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia. This dosage does not appear to be harmful, so the doctor will use it if they consider the benefits to outweigh the risks.

A doctor may prescribe corticosteroids to relieve nasal congestion, but only after the first trimester.

It is best to avoid the following drugs during pregnancy, although some doctors may prescribe them at low dosages, particularly for people with allergies:

  • oral decongestants
  • antihistamines
  • ibuprofen
  • expectorants

Other effective OTC medications and home remedies are safe to use in pregnancy. A doctor can offer advice on suitable treatment options.

Some home remedies may help provide symptom relief. People can try:

  • using saline nasal irrigation or saline nose drops, which experts recommend as a suitable treatment
  • using a couple of extra pillows to elevate the head when lying down, which can reduce congestion
  • getting plenty of sleep to help the immune system fight the infection
  • drinking lots of fluids, including water and clear broth, to stay hydrated
  • leaning over a bowl of hot water with a towel over the head or standing in a warm shower, using the steam to help clear the nasal passages
  • using a humidifier in the bedroom at night

The most common symptom of a sinus infection, or sinusitis, is pain or tenderness around the nose and cheeks.

An infection causes inflammation in the sinuses, which are air filled cavities behind the cheekbones and forehead.

The inflammation prevents mucus in the sinuses from draining properly, causing pain and pressure.

Other symptoms of a sinus infection include:

  • headaches
  • a blocked nose
  • a sore throat
  • low energy
  • a fever
  • coughing
  • a toothache

In most cases, people can treat a sinus infection with home remedies. However, if a pregnant woman experiences the following symptoms, it is best to see a doctor:

  • a fever above 101°F
  • coughing up green or yellow mucus
  • being unable to eat or sleep
  • recurring sinus infections

A doctor might prescribe medication to clear up the infection, taking the woman’s overall health and pregnancy trimester into account.

Getting ill while pregnant can be particularly challenging, as a person may not be able to take their regular OTC medications.

Home remedies are the best way to manage mild symptoms of sinusitis during pregnancy.

In some cases, a doctor can prescribe medication that poses no or few risks to the developing fetus.