How Can I Safely Treat a Cold When Pregnant?

Dr. Christina Chambers, PhD, MPH, program director at the California Teratogen Information Service (CTIS), and Sonia Alvarado, CTIS supervising counselor, recently released five tips for pregnant women with colds.

1. Less medication is better. Only take medications to treat the symptoms you have. So, if you have a cough or sore throat, you don’t need to take a cold remedy that contains a nasal decongestant. Most OTC cold medicines contain three to six ingredients to treat a wide variety of symptoms that you may not have. Avoid exposing your developing baby to these ingredients unnecessarily.
2. Stay away from oral decongestants in the first trimester. Although some studies have indicated that oral decongestants may be fine to use in the first trimester, the experts at CTIS recommend that pregnant women stay away from them in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy since oral decongestants can potentially cause vascular issues in your unborn baby. Instead of taking an oral decongestant for your stuffy nose, use saline drops or a short-term nasal decongestant instead.
3. Avoid herbal remedies. When you’re pregnant, stay away from any cold medications that contain herbal ingredients since many herbs haven’t been studied for their safety in pregnancy. Always err on the side of caution.
4. Limit the use of throat lozenges. Many throat lozenges are mostly sugar, but others also contain vitamin C and zinc. Since your pregnancy daily allowance of zinc is 11 mg and vitamin C is 80 to 100 mg per day, you could easily pass these limits if you take too many lozenges. Always read product labels and educate yourself on how much zinc or vitamin C each lozenge contains. The excess sugar from too many lozenges is also unhealthy.
5. Use alcohol-free cough syrup. When buying cough syrup, always check the ingredients list for alcohol. Some cough syrups contain up to 10 percent alcohol, and because alcohol can have detrimental effects on your unborn baby, only choose alcohol-free remedies.

Other tips for a cold apply even if you are not pregnant. Remember to get plenty of rest and drink plenty of water and fluids. Use a humidifier to keep the air around you moist. And always consult your doctor before starting on any medication or if your symptoms persist.