Safe Anti-allergy Medicine for Pregnant Mom

Updated on March 27, 2008
J.P. asks from South Pasadena, CA
26 answers

i am 13 weeks pregnant and i have such a big, big craving for crabs! my problem is i am slightly allergic to them. normally, i would just take one tablet of ceterizine and it works fine, i can eat all the crabs i want. but since i'm pregnant, i want to exercise caution. any suggestion on what antihistamine i can take that is safe? or any natural remedy?

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J.C.

answers from San Diego on

Shellfish is high in sodium which is not a good idea. Could lead to preeclampsia. However if the craving won't go away then consider tryin a high sodium snack replacement since you are allergic to crab

1 mom found this helpful
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M.M.

answers from San Diego on

I don't know about ceterizine but I took Claritin all through my pregnancy and still while I'm breastfeeding and it's safe. I don't know how it works with food allergies but it's great for my dust allergy. My doctor said it is safe.

1 mom found this helpful
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E.S.

answers from San Diego on

From what i understand there isn't a safe anti-allergy medicine but ask the doctor. You know whats funny? I am allergic to seafood cept shrimp but when i was pregnant with my daughter I could eat tunafish and I could drink milk(I'm lactose intolerant) Now that I've had her I 'm back to the way I was

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Z.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi J.,

I heard that Benadryll is safe to take while you're prego, but ask the Dr. first. Can you substitute your cravings for crabs instead? Like imitation crab meat? Just a thought.

2 moms found this helpful
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K.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

I'm a lactation educator with A Mother's Haven in Encino. To my knowledge the only antihistimine that is safe during pregnancy is Benadryl, but you should double check with your OB/Gyn. If you are planning on breastfeeding the baby though, you'll want to avoid decongestants and antihistimines entirely as they can cause your milk supply do go down.

2 moms found this helpful
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K.M.

answers from San Diego on

J. - check with your OB, but mine said it was safe to take Benedryl anytime, and Sudafed after 12 weeks. Again, I say check with your OB, because different doctors feel comfortable reccommending different medications. Then, ENJOY... I hope you get to eat some of those crabs!! YUM!

1 mom found this helpful
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E.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

I've also heard to stay away from shellfish when you're pregnant. Isn't it funny what our bodies crave when we're pregnant? I can't stand the smell/taste of coffee, but when I was preggo I LOVED the smell and wanted it soooo bad. I took a little sip here and there just to curb the craving but knew I was supposed to avoid caffeine. I had morning sickness pretty much the whole pregnancy (although the last few months were better), and one of the only things I craved and could keep down initially were pop tarts. Talk about healthy! Haven't touched them or had the desire to since. In any case, my point in all this is I believe that just because you're craving it doesn't necessarily mean it's what's best for you or the baby.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.V.

answers from Los Angeles on

My advice - stay away from shellfish when you are pregnant (period).

1 mom found this helpful
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S.D.

answers from Los Angeles on

I really don't think you should ingest ANYTHING you have a known allergy to while you're pregnant. You also should not take any medication you do not HAVE to take and it should be approved by your doctor first. I also don't think you're supposed to eat much seafood, if any, while you're pregnant. Some seafood has mercury in it that can harm the fetus. You also cannot eat unpasteurized products, like feta cheese or some juices, and/or many lunch meats like hot dogs and deli meats.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.G.

answers from Reno on

J.-
Have you tried just eating a little with out the medicine? I ask because I am allergic to every form of dairy and while I was pregnant I could eat as much as I wanted and I never had any problems. The minute my son was born however I went right back to not being able to eat it. The pregnant human body is an amazing thing, and if your craving it then your body wants it. Hope it works the same for you as it did for me

1 mom found this helpful
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M.T.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi there,
When I was pregnant my doctor told me I could take Alavert.

Hope that helps.
M.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.R.

answers from Las Vegas on

If you don't want to take medications of any kind, my cousin had extremely profound benefits from acupressure (acupuncture without needles.) It's called EFT and you can download a free manual on how to do it to help with allergies at www.emofree.com. I've been an EFT practitioner for 3 years, and it's been miraculous. It's free to learn, free to do, and doesn't put anything harmful into your body. It may not work for you, but it's worth a shot.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.B.

answers from Las Vegas on

From my understanding with allergies the more exposure you have to the substance the worse the allergic reaction becomes, right now you might just get an itchy tounge, but you could get a full blown alergic reaction to them with increase exposure. I wouldn't recomend eating something you are slightly alergic to anymore due to the fact that you will continue to develop an allergy to the said item. Anaphalactic shock is life threatening. I took Claritin and Zyrtec while I was pregnant, but I would ask your doctor. I also don't know about eating sea food while you are pregnant. I thought that was a big no no also. The best thing is to talk to your Obstetrician.

1 mom found this helpful
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P.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

Have you asked your doctor? I know there wasn't much if anything I was allowed to take.
Eating crab or seafood is not that good for you while pregnant. Be careful. ;-) Also, be careful with any natural remedy's. Can still affect the baby. Always, check with your doctor first.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.L.

answers from Las Vegas on

I have bad allergies, and am pregnant too, and my dr. prescribed Zyrtec (before it went over the counter). It works great, but I don't know how it would do for food allergies, since mine are just seasonal allergies. YOu could try it and see. Just watch what seafood you eat while pregnant, though, some contain more mercury than others, and are not reccomended for high volumes of consumption (only certain amounts are safe during pregnancy-you can google how much is okay) during pregnancy. Check with your dr. before you take anything.

Good luck! Hope this helps!

1 mom found this helpful
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K.K.

answers from San Diego on

Regular ol' Benedryl. I took it most of the time throughout my pregnancy. I have bad allergies, and my Dr. said it is the only non habbit forming, or side effects with birth pill out there. It will help with allergies and sleep issues.... but I don't know aboutthe crab. I was told not to eat Shell Fish at all while pregnant. :) I dunno. CHeck w/ your Dr. :)

1 mom found this helpful
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B.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

YOU CAN NOT EAT SHELLFISH WHILE PREGNANT! shellfish have a high amount of mercury and will cause birth defects.

As far as allergy meds, talk to your doctor, but benadryl is fine in the right doses. I got sick while pregnant and the ER gave me an IV of benadryl, said it was ok.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.L.

answers from Las Vegas on

I would check with your doctor. Medications keep changing their ingredient list. Also...my doctor had told me to avoid shellfish while I was pregnant..I understand the powers of a good craving, but you may want to check.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

my ob/gyn said it was safe to take Benadryl when you are pregnant

1 mom found this helpful
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J.D.

answers from Las Vegas on

Benadry is the safest antihistimine out there. It is only a category A.

1 mom found this helpful
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O.H.

answers from Las Vegas on

Hello J.,

There is a company called Professional Complimentary Health Formulas 1-800-952-2219. They make homeopathic formulas for people who have food sensitivities. They have a Shellfish/Fish Mix that would be very helpful for you.

God bless you,
O.

1 mom found this helpful
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D.L.

answers from San Diego on

You can try histaminum 30c. It's a homeopathic that you can get at Henry's, jimbos, or Whole Foods. It's safe for pregnanat women.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.M.

answers from San Diego on

I would talk to your dr. - but if you are allergic that could be dangerous to your baby. at 36 you're getting into a higher risk age. I had my first and only baby 4 months ago at 43 years old - so i am sensitive to high risk and gave up everything so I would never wonder if I was to blame if something went wrong. I am blessed, my little girl is perfectly healthy.

good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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K.P.

answers from Las Vegas on

J. -
I don't know much about the anti-allergy medicine, but don't waste your money on crabs for at least another week. The place I usually have them shipped in from confirmed that they are still coming in from overseas until 4/1. We've ordered before in the winter and they were not worth the money. So happy researching on the allergy meds an wait a week on the crabs. We use crabplace.com and have been pretty happy.
K.
(formerly of Baltimore and a very selective crab eater:)

1 mom found this helpful
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A.C.

answers from San Diego on

HiJenn,
Ceterizine is completely safe during pregnancy. It is a different type of antihistamine than most. The good news is that it is over the counter now. If you ever have any questions, UCSD has a teratagen hotline. It is a 1-800 number, but I don't know it off hand. You can call the main number ###-###-#### and ask them for the number. They handle all of the calls for San Diego County.

1 mom found this helpful
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L.H.

answers from San Diego on

During both my pregnancys I took rhinochort daily. It is a non-steroid antihistamine (nasal spray). I also had a severe allergic reaction while pregnant with my second child. Both my doctors (OBGYN & Allergist) recommended I take benadryl, which they said was safe to take while pregnant.

1 mom found this helpful
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