Can you use nose spray while pregnant

There's not enough data to completely rule out risk for most drugs in pregnancy for safety reasons, few studies test drugs in human pregnancies , but I would rate nasal spray decongestants as low risk, with a couple of cautions. The active ingredients in these products — ephedrine, epinephrine, naphazoline, oxymetazoline, phenylephrine, pseudoephedrine, tetrahydrozoline, and xylometazoline — are low risk, with one caveat: I would avoid using pseudoephedrine in the first trimester because of a possible link with abdominal birth defects.

You'll also want to avoid long-term use of nasal spray decongestants. That's because after using them regularly for two or three days, you start to get rebound congestion that makes you worse off than you were before. To avoid the rebound effect, try limiting your use of decongestants to nighttime, when congestion may make it hard to sleep.

You can also try using a plain saline nose spray. Other options include rubbing a camphorated vapor rub ointment at the bottom of each nostril, or even eating a spicy meal. Other treatments that can help with nasal congestion include Vicks Vapor Rub, humidifiers especially during dry winters and saline nasal sprays. Physicians caution against using Nasal Pots during pregnancy, as the nasal flushing can strain an already weakened immune system.

The best solution is to avoid exposure to triggers in allergies, use over the counter nasal spray to ease nasal dryness, bleeding, or congestion, include physical activity in a daily routine to reduce nasal inflammation, as well as trying over-the-counter nasal strips at night to keep nasal passages clear while sleeping.

Allergies can be uncomfortable and often times unbearable, and although much of the advice regarding the use of decongestants while pregnant remains muddled, most doctors agree that you should contact your individual physician before beginning the use of any medication that treats allergies.

Only your physician will be able to assess individual risks and determine the safest decongestant or method of treatment to relieve allergy symptoms. Skip to main content. Except for the natural saline nasal spray that contain saltwater only , every pregnant woman should consult a doctor before using any nasal decongestion spray. Generally, the nasal decongestion spray works by constricting blood vessels in the nasal lining.

There is a very high chance that these medications might cause constriction in blood vessels in the placenta and womb after entering the bloodstream. Hence, choosing the right nasal spray is very important. While a few medicines are unsafe during pregnancy, there are several FDA approved nasal sprays to cure sinus congestion. These categories help expectant women in differentiating between unsafe and safe nasal sprays. Following are the FDA-assigned categories.

Before administering any kind of nasal spray medications, you should learn about the various categories of medicines. This will help you to understand which sprays contain saline, steroids, blocks blood flow to the sinuses or are absorbed into the body.

Here are some examples of safe nasal sprays during pregnancy approved by the FDA Pregnancy Categories:. This year is different, though. With the changing seasons, do you know which nasal sprays are safe to combat your allergies during pregnancy? While some medications are not safe during pregnancy, there are nasal sprays that have been FDA approved for sinus congestion. Before taking any nasal spray medications, you should educate yourself on the various categories, know which sprays contain steroids, saline, constrict blood flow to your sinuses or are absorbed into your body, and have a discussion with your doctor.

There are various nasal sprays available for allergies. Therefore, choosing the right allergy medication to use during pregnancy can be a little stressful as a first-time mom. Please be sure to consult with your doctor before taking steps to use any of the following. Rhinocort Aqua contains Budesonide, which is a type of steroid that helps produce hormones naturally, to control inflammatory responses. This will help to suppress a stuffy or runny nose, itchy eyes and sneezing.