Hello Aunty Eya. Please I need advise from experienced mothers on the blog. I am 5 months pregnant now with cough that won’t let me sleep well at night. Yesterday we went to see the Doctor and I was prescribed some cough medicine drugs to help cure the annoying cough.
My husband had been on my neck since not to take the cough syrup because of the baby. If these were not okay drugs, will a certified Doctor prescribe them for me? I keep reminding him that the cough medications are Doctor’s prescription but he won’t budge.
Normally, I won’t take any drugs during pregnancy unless paracetamol but I think that this particular cough syrup is made of menthol and that shouldn’t be bad for the baby.
Are there any pregnant women that have treated cough with cough medicine while pregnant? Are there any side effects if I take cough syrup during pregnancy? I only managed to take one spoon yesterday and couldn’t continue with the treatment because of my husband. Please I need help.
Can we take cough syrup during pregnancy?
My Reply…
Hello. I don’t have any memories of me taking cough medicine while pregnant. There were times I had cough while pregnant though and all I can remember now is that I just let the cough run it’s course and because I know that for my body, most times it’s cold that makes me cough. My body reacts to cold by making me cough and when I keep warm, the cough goes away.
I don’t know if pregnant women do take cough syrup. Will try and post what I found here and then you maybe ask another Doctor so that your husband can relax about the cough medicine and pregnancy wahala.
Below is how women’s health magazine explains it…
Honestly, there’s not much info out there about the safety of cough medicine during pregnancy, which can make the topic even more confusing. “There are no studies looking at the safety of menthol, the typical active ingredient in cough drops during pregnancy,” explains Dara Godfrey, RD, a dietitian at Reproductive Medicine Associates in New York.
But even without tons of research, the Cleveland Clinic says menthol cough drops are fine to take, as directed, during pregnancy. Mary Jane Minkin, MD, an ob-gyn and clinical professor at Yale School of Medicine also says that she has never told women they cannot take cough drops during pregnancy.
The same goes for dextromethorphan (the active ingredient in cough suppressant medicines) too, which the American Pregnancy Association deems safe for use during pregnancy.
But before you go stock up on cough medicine and start popping them at even the slightest tickle, it’s always a good idea to touch base with your doctor before trying any new medicine while pregnant. And if you still aren’t comfortable taking cough drops or cough syrup while pregnant, sip on some hot water with lemon, ginger, and honey, says Godfrey, which can also help minimize your cough (because, let’s be real, any coughing during pregnancy is painful).