Nasal Congestion and Tendonitis

Hi A.,
MY OB said Sudafed and Zyrtec were OK and I've taken both regularly the whole pregnancy. I also do a saline nasal rinse from NeilMed every day- definitely safe for pregnancy and works! They sell everything online and in CVS. Hope you feel better!
L.

For your sinus congestion, you can get a netti pot at most drug stores. For 2 cups of warm (not hot) water, add 1 to 2 tsp salt, stir until dissolved. If congestion is due to mucus, add 1 tsp baking soda to your saline solution. If congestion is due to swollen tissue, add 1 tsp vinegar to your saline solution. Then follow instructions that come with the netti pot and rinse your nose out (in one nostril and flows out the other, then repeat in the other direction). You can do this as often as you need to and it can provide a lot of relief. Other than a heating pad for your shoulder or a soak in a warm bath, I'm not sure what would help your tendonitis.

I had both during pregnancy. I was told to take sudafed because it was one of the only things that was safe (this came from several doctors). Congestion can actually be brought on by pregnancy. I currently use a saline sinus rinse (a netipot or strong spray - not the little bottles or drops - they are worthless). If it is a cold or allergies that will help.

For the tendonitis in my shoulder I went to a chiropractor. They stretched my shoulder and arm muscles and applies some sort of sonogram each time I went. It helped a lot. I love Nova Chiropractic and Rehab on Church Street in Sterling. They are very professional and combine exercise with treatments so you can be proactive in your own recovery.

Cortisone is considered a "pregnancy category C" class drug which means not enough research results with human fetus. But on the lighter side, cortisone injections are given to mothers that are experiencing preterm labor to help the fetus lungs to mature faster. You can yahoo the terms cortisone and pregnancy and read lots of info there if you want more. You might run across specific individuals stories as well. I always prefer those.

As far as the sudafed, it used to be ok to take. Drs are cautious as they dont want to be sued. But you will also have 1 doctor say yes while another says no. My OB absolutely forbid any red wine in any amount ever. I am sure the 2 glasses I had late in 3rd tri didnt hurt me a bit.
Ask a pharmacist about taking the sudafed. Sometimes they are more educated on drugs than the doctor.
Zyrtec D is in FDA pregnancy category C. It is not known whether cetirizine and pseudoephedrine is harmful to an unborn baby. That is why your doctor says no, because they dont know its effect. Keep in mind that stuffiness is common in pregnancy so you might need to take something for the rest of the pregnancy and you might not want to do that. Taking something occasionally for a little bit of relief would be better if you can tolerate it.
Oh yes, and I would suggest the Netti Pot as well. Its saline solution you pour into one nostril and let it flow out the other. IT works great.

Get a Neti pot from a health food store. Put warm water with a little table salt in it. Pour into your nose, and let it drain out the other side. It is a drug free way of cleaning out the congestion. Works very well. Go to http://www.neti-pot.com/ to see what it looks like.

Nasal congestion: go holistic until after you deliver. You can boil tea tree oil or rosemary leaves. Put a towel over your head and over the steaming bowl and that should give you some relief. Vick's under the nose when you go to sleep; and saline nasal rinse to give you some relief. I've never tried a neti pot, but heard that helps tremendously. Also, elevate your head at night with pillows or raise the mattress at your head by putting pillows under the mattress. Ask hubby to do this, as you shouldn't lift heavy things. But, if you're propped at an angle at night, that might relieve some of the sinus pressure. Also, remember to drink lots of water to flush your system and to keep the mucous thin. Tendonitis: try either ice or rubbing alcohol instead of getting cortisone shot. That might help a bit. You don't want to take medications while pregnant. Whatever you ingest, your baby ingests. Most doctors medicate moms-to-be only in serious situations and depending on the stage of the pregnancy. I can't remember what organs are developing when, but that's why they don't want you taking certain medications so early into the pregnancy when organs and brain are being formed. You're going to be uncomfortable. That's just part of pregnancy. But, if you try to exercise (just walking, stretching), that should help alleviate some of the discomfort. Talk to your doctor about things you can do that don't require medicating if you have recurring conditions. Also, "google" natural remedies and see if you can find some other options for various conditions.

Hi A.!

Just like you, I had terrible nasal congestion with both of my pregnancies. My ob said it was pregnancy rhinitis and wouldn't resolve itself until the baby was born. Apparently, your nasal passages swell with the extra fluid your body is producing, just like your hands and feet may swell later in pregnancy. I used a saline spray and breate right strips at night to help me breathe (breathing always seemed to be worse for me when I laid down) and was told Sudafed was okay to take as well. The Sudafed helped somewhat but not to the extent it had in the past when I wasn't pregnant. I'm not sure about the cortisone shots, but your ob should be able to help you with that.

Congratulations on your pregnancy!
K.

I am 24 weeks and for the past 8 weeks I have been taking Claritin on and off at my OB's suggestion. It is supposed to be fine for me and the baby as long as it's not Claritin-D, just the regular Claritin. Of course a lot of women deal with the congestion their whole pregnancy, so if it's not allergies you may be stuck.

My OB also okayed Sudafed with my last pregnancy and my son is a perfect little genius, so don't worry about anything you've already done. :)

I don't know about cortisone, but my ob said it was just fine to take plain sudafed (just pseudoephedrine) as long as it didn't have anything else in it and wasn't the long acting stuff.

The congestion might be a pregnancy symptom. I had some congestion all throughout one of my pregnancies. At night I had to mouth breathe! It might just be one of those things you have to live through... my personal thoughts are that no matter what a doc tells you is safe, it is better that only food goes into your body during pregnancy and lactation!

For tendonitis: Do not take cortisone shots. These weaken the tissues and can cause permanent damage. I had very painful tendonitis in my elbows. Even pain pills were not helping. Then I tried taking Vitamin C and carrot juice to heal the cells. It worked. In one week I was pain free in the left elbow. In one month I was pain free in the right elbow. I recommend this natural treatment. AF

I had terrible nasal congestion for the first 6 months or so of my pregnancy and was also given mixed answers about sudafed. The general idea I got was that it's okay to take in moderation, if you really need it, but if you can get by without it, you should try. Basically it can raise your blood pressure, so they want you to be careful with it. Have you tried to take the zyrtec without the sudafed? I found that the best help for my sinus problems was to have a good humidifier in my room every night. Other than that, I pretty much just had to blow my nose about a thousand times every night. The good news is that it will probably pass in time! Hang in there...

A.,
I'm 13 weeks and experienced very similar symptoms and questions around 6 weeks (intense allergies, congestion, post-nasal drip.) After a lot of worrying, feeling like I was getting a sinus and ear infection from congestion, etc., all my docs agreed that taking regular sudafed each day combined with mucinex every 12 hours plus zyrtec once a day was safe. They said don't take the sudafed if I don't need it, but take it if I do and continue to do so as needed. They said if I wasn't feeling well then that was not a good thing. I was very concerned but trust my docs (and these were the ReproEndrocrinologist, perinatalogist and 2 ob's.) Many other people I've talked to since then took sudafed as needed (just not the extended release one) with the ok from their docs and their children were fine. I just had my 12 week testing and they said everything looks great. I've been consistently taking sudafed 3-6 times in a 24 hour period for weeks.

Good luck!

Hi A., I have not heard of the pot, but if you ask any real doctor or pharmicist, sudefed is the only thing a doctor will prescribe for allergies while pregnant unless it is an infection.

Good Luck

S.