Is It Safe To Take Medications That Contain Alcohol During Pregnancy?
A pregnant woman needs to be extra careful of many things, alcohol being one of them. She may have to take medications for various purposes and the question that could most prominently figure out in her mind is whether she should take medications that contain alcohol during pregnancy.
It is highly undesirable for a woman to have medications containing alcohol during pregnancy. Ethanol is a potent animal and human teratogen used widely in many pharmaceutical formulations as an anti-microbial preservative. Epidemiological studies have provided strong evidence of dose-dependent toxicity and higher risk of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder by use of ethanol even in small doses.
In some cases the quantity of ethanol may be very small making it a worthwhile cure, but first do weigh the benefits against the demerits before taking them. Small quantities of ethanol may be rapidly metabolized, but medium to large amounts could saturate alcohol-metabolizing enzymes and lead to disproportionate high level of alcohol concentrations in the blood; this is very unsafe to your baby.
It is best to keep in mind that most cold remedies contain decongestants and alcohol besides other ingredients not advised during pregnancy and cause raise in blood pressure. However there is no strong conviction to believe that your baby will be exposed to risks of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders because most of them do not contain alcohol in very large amounts and are consumed only for short periods. So you or your baby would not be prone to the problems.
So do make sure during pregnancy that the medications you take do not contain high levels of alcohol. Alcohol in medications could also cause mental and physical birth defects, poor development of the nervous system, besides developing abnormalities in the baby in your womb.Pregnant women who take medications containg alcohol will develop facial abnormalities in their baby like smaller eye openings, flattened cheekbones, and an underdeveloped groove between the nose and the upper lip. And poor coordination or motor skills with lack of imagination or curiosity in the baby could be seen.
Do tell your doctor about all the medications you are taking and ask them to prescribe non-alcoholic medications that are equally effective for you.
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