Antibiotics During Pregnancy?

[AnaKhouri]

There's a lot of ladies with kids on here, so I hope no one minds if I ask another pregnancy question:

Woke up this morning with a nasty sore throat. Went to the doctor (a GP) to get a strep test. He says no strep, but it might be a mild sinus infection. He gave me a prescription for Augmentin, a Penicillin-based antibiotic. He said it was safe for fetuses. Pharmacist also said it is safe for fetuses. MIL (a nurse) said the same thing.

Husband is still worried. He says, "And in the 1960's doctors told pregnant women to take Thalidomide when they couldn't sleep!"

I looked it up online and Augmentin falls under Category B- drugs that PROBABLY have no effect on fetuses, at least no links have been found to indicate bad side effects. I don't like taking it (I haven't taken a thing but vitamins since I found out I was pregnant) but on the other hand, if the sinus infection gets worse then they might have to give me something stronger.

So have any of the ladies here taken Augmentin while pregnant? I guess what I really want is some reassurance (hey...it's my first time doing this, so I'm pretty paranoid ).

[crazylegs]

Right.

Lesse, your Dr. who will have what, 8 years study to practice.

Your Pharmacist who does nothing but work with drugs, study drugs and knows drugs better than any Dr

have both said that it'll be safe.

I hate to ask it, but what medical training has you husband got? Meds trials are now incredibly hard, if it's safe for pregnant women and both your pharm and Dr have said so, then it is.

anyhow thalidomide was given for morning sickness not insomnia.

[Amina516]

It MIGHT be a sinus infection so he gave you a script? That to me, smacks of lazy (or I guess, extreme carefulness? lol). Why? B/c unnecessary antibiotics are why we have "superbugs" and things like MRSA and VRE.

They also gave me an antibiotic script when I was preg with my daughter "just in case" i had something when I felt a little off. I didnt take it b/c I didnt want the baby exposed to any unnecessary medications. BUT, at the same time, if you DO have a siuns infection it will prevent the infection from spreading and possibly affecting your baby.

IMO, if it were me, Id wait. But thats just me. Maybe clarify with him, his thoughts, and check if you really DO have something before you start this round of meds...

[AccountingDrone]

Actually - the number of thalidomide babies was fairly minimal in the US:

The impact in the United States was minimized when the pharmacologist Frances Oldham Kelsey refused Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for an application from Richardson Merrell to market thalidomide, saying more study was needed. Richardson Merrell gave the tablets to doctors on the understanding that the drug was still under investigation. Seventeen children in the U.S. were born with the defects.[9]

It was *never* in general authorized use, it was under trial. Release was never authorized by the FDA at that time.

Not to diminish the problem with birth defects, however it is a huge tempest in a tea cup. If it had been released to use by the FDA, then we would have legitimate cause to whinge about it.

And for the record, I am a paid guinea pig for Omega Research for live human testing ... it is decent money on the side.

[AnaKhouri]

Husband's a biochemist, so no actual medical training. One of his co-workers is actually on Thalidomide for insomnia (they still give it to people!) so it must have multiple applications. Husband tends to be a Worrier with a capital W though, he will worry no matter what I choose to do.

Amina, I think I will take your advice and see how I feel tomorrow. If it keeps up (it's rather painful to swallow right now) then I will take them. I'm just wilting a little under the swollen throat on top of everything else (swollen feet, insomnia, random nose bleeds, exhaustion...weepiness...2 months to go...), but I am very wary of taking it. If I am miserable in the coming days then I think I will take it.

Thanks for your advice guys!

And AD, Richard Rodriguez paid for the making of "El Mariachi" out of his earnings from being a medical guinea pig...so there is definite potential there.

[NorthernZel]

I'd say that it'd be safe enough.

Shortly after I had my littlun I had an inflammation in the lactular glands and the doc ordered penicillin right away since it wouldn't affect the baby though I was breastfeeding.

[4love]

What Zel said. Some medicines pass through placenta/breastmilk, others don't, some do but don't matter.

Class B? Meh. Baby'll be fine. Only reason not to take it at this point is as Amina said- a general mistrust of over-prescribed medicines. Which makes waiting a day or two not a bad idea at all, actually. Just don't wait much longer than that- I don't know how robust your immune system is generally.

For the record, I'm on an immunosuppressant called Azathioprine. I will continue to take it even while becoming/being pregnant, because if I stop it's likely I will get very, very sick- fully sick enough to lose the baby. It's considered a little 'worse' than Class B- there are some stories, maybe some tiny case studies that claim it can cause birth defects in lab animals, but the overwhelming majority of women who take it do just fine, and their babies, too.

[monolayth]

You should be fine.

I took antibiotics last week for my upper respatory infection. and the baby is fine.

any ill health effects that might come into play are way overweighed by your throat hurting. you need to eat and drink.

[crazylegs]

One of his co-workers is actually on Thalidomide for insomnia (they still give it to people!) so it must have multiple applications.

It works wonders on leprosy as well apparently.

If you are taking it (and are female) it's on the strict instruction that you are on 3 seperate physical barrier contraceptives (or so I've heard)!

[TTAZ]

I took penecillin based antibiotics while pregnant and, believe me, the kid's fine. If you want to wait, okay, but if it is a sinus infection you will blow out multi-colored snot. If you blow out any green boogers, take the darn things!

The worst thing about augmentin is #1 they're horse pills, why the doc gave you those instead of something easier to swallow, I don't know. #2- they have added potassium and that can constipate you, which will make you even more uncomfortable than you already are. With those 2 things in mind, if you start blowing out party snot, as well as the sore throat, I'd ask to be switched to plain ol' amoxicillin in the nice slime-coated capsules.

Good luck, hon, remember you need to stay healthy for that baby, not sick.

[Aethian]

Try gargling with a sea salt/warm water mixture. I've found that needed real sea salt is what helps the best. Also for s sore throat I like taking heavy peach syrup, boil it a bit to thicken it a bit more, cool it down and swallow it slowly to take away some of the scratchiness.

[AnaKhouri]

If anyone is interested, I waited until Friday to see what happened. My sore throat went away, to be replaced by scratchiness. My symptoms have degenerated since them into a full-blown summer cold. So I'm not taking the antibiotics, as they're useless anyway. My head is so congested I can barely breathe. I hope it goes away soon.

You now how people say, once you give birth and see your kid, you forget the pain of labor and all the crappy parts of pregnancy. Bullshit. I'm keeping a list.

[TTAZ]

Whoever told you that is LYING. You won't need a list. You'll remember.


You'll ALWAYS remember.

[monolayth]

I keep theatoning to kick him in the shin on his 16th birthday to make up for all the kicks to places that hurt.

[NorthernZel]

You now how people say, once you give birth and see your kid, you forget the pain of labor and all the crappy parts of pregnancy. Bullshit. I'm keeping a list.

I kinda agree, but disagree at the same time.

You DO remember the labor pains, but it is impossible to describe how they felt because.... well, you remember that you HAD pains, but you don't remember exactly how MUCH pain you had. That's what happened to me, anyhoo