Medicines in pregnancy

After a positive pregnancy test, go through your medicines with the person who prescribed them. Don’t stop them yourself. Both NHS and CDC guidance warn that stopping a medicine can sometimes cause harm. Contact your GP or prescribing specialist soon and tell them you’re pregnant.

Include medicines you buy yourself

Check before you take a medicine from a pharmacy, supermarket or shop, as well as one on prescription. This includes painkillers. Tell the pharmacist or clinician you’re pregnant, even if the product is one you know well or have used for years.

Tell your dentist and anyone else treating you too. They need to know you’re pregnant before they prescribe or give you treatment. It can help to bring the packets, or photos showing the names and ingredients, so you can talk about the exact products.

Write your questions next to the list. You might ask what the medicine is treating, what happens if the condition isn’t treated, and whether the plan needs reviewing during pregnancy. Ask who to contact if you can’t take the medicine or have more questions before your next appointment.

Why there is no universal safe list

Many medicines reach the baby through the placenta. That alone doesn’t decide whether a treatment is right for you. Some conditions need treatment to carry on during pregnancy. CDC says avoiding or stopping a medicine can sometimes do more harm than taking it. Your clinician can help you weigh up the benefits and risks.

CDC warns against treating online lists of “safe medicines” as the whole answer. For many medicines, there isn’t enough evidence about safety in pregnancy. This is partly because pregnant people are often left out of studies of new medicines. An article can help you get your questions ready, but ask your pharmacist or doctor to check the product.

Paracetamol and acetaminophen: advice differs

Paracetamol is also called acetaminophen, which is the name used in the US. This advice changed recently, and different official bodies say different things. In the UK, MHRA guidance still recommends paracetamol for pain relief in pregnancy when used as directed. It says there’s no evidence that it causes autism in children.

The FDA announced it was starting a process to change the label. This is to reflect evidence of a possible link between using acetaminophen in pregnancy and conditions including autism and ADHD. Its announcement also says it hasn’t been shown that one causes the other, and that some studies point the other way. A proposed warning is not proof that acetaminophen causes these conditions.

The current CDC medicines page advises pregnant people to think about avoiding acetaminophen to be on the safe side. It also accepts that a direct cause has not been shown. ACOG takes a different view. It supports using it when needed, in moderation, after talking with an ob-gyn. So these US organisations don’t give the same advice.

WHO says there’s no conclusive scientific evidence of a link between using it in pregnancy and autism. It advises people to follow their doctor’s or health worker’s advice about medicines they need. Take the question to your pharmacist or doctor. Don’t change a prescribed treatment because of a headline.

If you need help with pain or a fever, ask your clinician which treatment is right for you. The MHRA notes that pain and fever left untreated can carry risks, and the FDA also accepts that high fevers carry risks. Talk to your clinician about both the illness and how to treat it.

Mention natural remedies too

“Natural” doesn’t mean a product is suitable in pregnancy. The NHS warns that some herbal or complementary products may contain harmful substances. It advises telling your midwife, doctor or pharmacist about any herbal, homeopathic and aromatherapy products. Include these in your review, even if you don’t think of them as medicines.

If you have already taken something

If you’re worried about a medicine you took before you knew you were pregnant, contact your pharmacist, midwife or doctor. CDC says some medicines may cause harm, while others are unlikely to. Give the exact name and say when you took it, so they can look at your situation.

If you take regular medicine and have just found out you’re pregnant, contact your GP or prescribing specialist today in the UK, or your prescribing doctor in the US and elsewhere, to arrange a review. Don’t stop a prescribed medicine without talking to your doctor.