Medication Safety

Boca OB/GYN provides this reference guide to medication safety during pregnancy. If symptoms persist, or you have a fever over 100.4°F, please call our office.

Cold Symptoms

You may take Sudafed™ or Sinus Tylenol™, Robitussin™ (Plain or DM) for cough, and Sucrets™ or Chloraseptic™ Lozenges for sore throat associated with allergies or a cold.

Indigestion

Treat with Mylanta™ (either chewable or liquid), Maalox™, Mylicon™, Gaviscon™ or Tums™ — all are safe. If you have persistent problems with indigestion, consider eating small, frequent meals; avoiding carbonated beverages and spicy foods; don’t drink through a straw; and don’t lie down after eating. If these changes don’t help or if you have nausea, vomiting or severe abdominal pain, please contact us.

Headaches / General Discomfort

Use Tylenol™ (Regular or Extra Strength). Ibuprofen may be used in the first and second trimesters only. DO NOT USE ASPIRIN. Call our office if pain persists or if headaches are accompanied by blurred vision, pain in the upper right abdomen, sudden weight gain, or swelling of the face and/or hands.

Minor Bladder Irritations

Eliminate all carbonated beverages, coffee, and tea from your diet. Increase your water intake to 8-10 glasses per day and drink 3-4 glasses of cranberry juice per day. If not better within 24 hours, please call our office.

If urinary symptoms include hesitancy when you start, a strong sense of urgency, increased frequency and/or burning on urination, fever, chills, low abdominal pain or cramping, back or flank pain, blood in the urine or foul-smelling urine, please call our office immediately.

Swelling

Do not add salt to your food and limit or omit high-sodium foods such chips, salted nuts, pretzels, soy sauce, bouillon and canned soups, bacon, ham and other processed meats. Many canned and processed foods contain a lot of sodium. Check nutrition labels and limit your sodium intake to 2 grams per day. Elevate your feet whenever possible. Please call our office if swelling continues, if you notice significant swelling in your face or hands, or if swelling is accompanied by headache or epigastric pain.

Backache

Avoid wearing shoes with heels or standing for long periods of time. Sit in chairs that provide good back support. A warm bath, heating pad or cold compress can help ease back pain. You may take Tylenol™ as needed for pain. Call our office if backache continues.

In the late second and third trimesters, back pain can be a sign of preterm labor or urinary tract infection. If you have back pain that is intermittent and rhythmic, does not respond to basic treatments, or is accompanied by severe pain and/or fever, call our office immediately.

Nausea

Try eating dry crackers before getting out of bed in the morning. Eat every two or three hours throughout the day. Avoid smells that trigger nausea, highly seasoned or fatty foods, alcohol, caffeine and cigarette smoke. Peppermints or ginger tea can sometimes help reduce nausea. Do not take prenatal vitamins on an empty stomach or if nauseated. If not controlled with diet, try Emetrol™ (if not diabetic) or Nestrex™. If vomiting continues, call our office.

Leg Cramps

Avoid standing or sitting with your legs crossed for long periods and stay well-hydrated. Eat a balanced and calcium-rich diet. Regularly exercise your calf and thigh muscles by stretching them three times a day and before you go to bed. Lie down on your left side to improve circulation to your legs. Try taking a warm bath before going to bed to help relax your muscles. Increase calcium intake with Calcet™ or Forfree™ (over the counter).

If you get a cramp, immediately stretch your calf muscles by straightening your leg — press down on your heel first and gently flex your toes back toward your shins. It might hurt at first, but it will ease the spasm and the pain will gradually go away. Walking around for a few minutes after the cramp subsides may be helpful, too.

Call our office immediately if your muscle pain is continuous or accompanied by redness, warmth, tenderness or swelling. These can be signs of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT).

Constipation

Avoid constipation by staying well-hydrated (drink plenty of fluids), eating fresh fruits and vegetables, and exercising. Milk of Magnesia, Senekot™, Surfak™, Docusate™, Dialose™, Metamucil™ and Fibercon™ are all safe to take during pregnancy.

Diarrhea

If you have diarrhea you should stick to a bland or clear liquid diet until the condition subsides. It’s safe to take Kaopectate™ or Immodium™ to treat diarrhea after 12 weeks of pregnancy. If diarrhea lasts more than 48 hours or is accompanied by weakness and fatigue, nausea and vomiting, right upper abdominal or epigastric pain, headache, blurred vision, bleeding from the gums or from minor trauma, jaundice or yellowing of the skin, or pain in the shoulder or neck, call our office immediately.

Hemorrhoids

To prevent hemorrhoids (piles) eat a healthy diet that includes fresh fruits and vegetables, drink plenty of liquids, exercise regularly, use a stool softener (if needed) and avoid standing or sitting in the same position for prolonged periods.

If you develop hemorrhoids, you can soak your rectal area in tepid water for 10-20 minutes several times per day in the bathtub or using a sitz bath (a small basin that fits into the opening of your toilet — available at most drug stores). Preparation-H™, Anusol™, and Tucks™ can be used to treat hemorrhoids.