If you’re hacking up a lung you might think that taking Mucinex will help the situation and get you back to normal. But is it safe to take it, and other OTC medications, or are they best avoided until after you’re done breastfeeding?
There is a debate among pregnant women about what is OK when you’re pregnant and what is not. Over the counter medications are included in this argument, with some mothers to be saying that they’re fine, and others saying that they should be avoided. You should really be avoiding anything that is not natural during your pregnancy, and both pharmaceutical and over the counter drugs are anything but natural.
The chemicals that are used in these drugs are meant to work by getting into your bloodstream. They are absorbed by the body, and are not easily flushed out of your system. Many of the OTC drugs have a list of side effects that rivals their prescription cousins. Many of them are also not tested on pregnancy women during the research and development phase, so there’s just no good way of knowing how your body, and your baby, will react or be effected.
Can I Take Mucinex While Pregnant? Answer: Not Recommended
You might think that with all of the coughing you’re doing, your baby is getting bounced around in there, and taking Mucinex would be good to finally get that mucus out of your system so you can return to normal.
Mucinex DM is the one that actually suppresses your cough in addition to loosening up the mucus.
Even though it is FDA approved, it is still not recommended to take while you’re pregnant. The medical community is very pro pharmaceutical, so you might even have your doctor tell you that you can take it. But that still doesn’t mean you should.
Can or Should?
Just because you can take Mucinex while you’re pregnant, doesn’t mean you should. There are tons of moms out there saying that Mucinex is safe to take, and even some websites condoning a giant chart of over the counter medications. If you’ve been raised on these drugs your whole life, you may think that they’re pretty harmless, but they’re really not.
But these drugs are powerful, even though you don’t need a prescription. They still disrupt the body’s natural defenses, and they are merely a cover up and a Band Aid for most conditions you have. They are meant to treat the symptoms and do nothing for the actual strain or virus that you’ve caught. They suppress your own natural immune system, and they will get passed to your developing fetus. There’s just no way to tell what kind of effect these drugs could have on your child, either now, or further on in their development, so why risk it just because you have an annoying cough.
Natural Alternative to Mucinex
Running a hot shower and breathing in the steam is one way to help naturally soothe your lungs and loosen up the mucus in them. You can also be sure to stay hydrated by drinking proper amounts of plain drinking water. Becoming dehydrated while you’re pregnant is very easy, and can make your cold linger on longer than it would, and can make your symptoms worse than they would be. Getting the proper amount of rest is also important, as running around like nothing is wrong thinking you’ll just fight it off is not the right way to go about this.
Consulting with Your Doctor
In many instances your doctor does no best, but they are not really the best source of advice when it comes to taking medication. Many conventional doctors support the idea of taking drugs while pregnant in order to relieve symptoms. That’s why it’s good to balance your regular doctor with a doctor that is more focused on holistic treatment and all natural alternatives. It’s good to get a balanced professional opinion, and not just take one doctor’s word as the final authority on what’s OK and what isn’t.
The final verdict will be yours to make, as no one will put a gun to your head to take a pill, so you have the ultimate choice on what you feel is safe for your baby, and yourself.
