Cough Suppressant and Pregnancy

Cough suppressants are cough medicines that suppress the urge to cough. Another type of cough medicine is expectorant. The basic difference between expectorants and cough suppressants is that expectorants thin the mucus to promote its expulsion, or make it easier to cough up mucus, while cough suppressants reduce or suppress the urge to cough. Expectorants are used for wet or productive cough, while cough suppressants are employed for the treatment of hacking or dry cough. You can find a number of over the counter and prescription medication for cough, but not all of them are safe to be used during pregnancy.

Using Cough Medication During Pregnancy
It is usually advised to minimize the use of drugs during pregnancy, as some medications can have an adverse effect on the developing embryo. Cough suppressants are no exception to this, and hence all types of cough suppressants are not recommended to treat cough in pregnant women. The most common and popular cough suppressant is the one that contains dextromethorphan. Dextromethorphan is basically a narcotic, but it is not addictive and can be largely found as over the counter cough medicines.

Dextromethorphan is considered as a safe during pregnancy. However, one animal study has found dextromethorphan to cause birth defects in chick embryos. But, this study is not considered very reliable and hence, dextromethorphan is largely regarded as safe for pregnant women. Pregnancy is the period where one needs to maintain a lot of caution, and though dextromethorphan is considered as safe to be used by pregnant women, this drug should not be used for a long time, and only after consulting your doctor.

Apart from dextromethorphan, some physicians can recommend the use of cough suppressants like, Sudafed for treating cough during pregnancy. The active ingredients of this cough medication are, pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine, which are decongestants. These two ingredients can affect the supply of blood to the placenta, if used frequently. Generally, pregnant women are advised to avoid these two decongestants, or cough suppressants that contain them for the first 13 weeks of pregnancy to avoid any possible risk to the developing fetus. The risk of birth defects associated with the use of pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine during pregnancy is quite low, but it could be higher for women who smoke.

Natural Remedies During Pregnancy
For mild cough, it is always better to use the natural cough suppressants. But again, not all natural remedies are safe to be used continuously for a long time for pregnant women. Honey is remedy for cough problems that can be safely used by pregnant women. You can add honey to a glass of warm water and drink it to get relief from cough.

A glass of orange juice mixed with honey is another home remedy that can provide relief from cough. Lemon juice mixed with honey too can cure a cough. Just squeeze half a lemon to a glass of lukewarm water. Then add one or two teaspoon of honey to it and drink the mixture. This will surely help you get relief from the dry, hacking cough. Apart from these, you can also inhale steam, gargle with saline water or drink herbal tea and hot soup. Drinking plenty of fluid or water throughout the day is very important for dry cough treatment.

To sum up, pregnant women should avoid practicing self medication. To ensure safety of the fetus or the unborn child, pregnant women should use medications only under the supervision of their health care provider. Cough medications contain several ingredients and so, it is better for pregnant women to confirm that each ingredient of a particular medicine is safe by consulting a physician or health care provider. Pregnant women can also talk to their physician regarding the use of sucking lozenges that contain natural ingredients like, honey and glycerol for the treatment of mild to moderate cough.