Nasal Spray

[Heaven]

I have a cold and my nose has been so stuffy I couldn't breathe when going to bed. So I went to the chemist on the weekend and asked them what I could take coz I'm pregnant and she checked with the pharmacist and gave me a nasal spray that she said was fine for pregnancy. So I have been using it a couple of times a day for the past couple of day.

I just looked up the ingredient then to be sure it was ok, it's Oxymetazoline Hydrochloride, and it says its a Class C drug so they don't really know if it's safe or not no reliable studies have been done.

Now I'm scared I don't need anything else to worry about, I thought they'd only give me something they knew was safe

[~Raven~]

I'm sure that the small use you have had of it won't cause damage. Maybe it's best to stop using it and definatley say something to the chemist!

I have Fess nasal spray. It's just a saline one so it doesn't have any preventative ingredients but it does a great job of helping clear things up and there is no limit on how often you can use it.

[blueiris]

I have Fess nasal spray. It's just a saline one so it doesn't have any preventative ingredients but it does a great job of helping clear things up and there is no limit on how often you can use it.

That's the one the pharmacist at work reccomends for pregnant women.

[STARRYSKY]

I have the same thing at the moment, I went to the hospital for my antenatal thing and they told me to get otrivin which contains the same active ingredient, it is ok to use in pregnancy.
I have also been using narium (samr as fess)during the day and only one spray of otivin in each nostril at night so I can sleep.
cat c drugs are still ok to use as long as for short periods, just means that the drug in question may have caused abnormalities in animal studies.
hope you are feeling better soon.
xxx

[Heaven]

Thanks guys. I'm too scared to use it anymore Will just have to put up with it. I don't need anything else to worry about!! Will try out the other stuff you mentioned.

[KimB]

I have been on a nasal spray for 12+ years now on the advice of my ENT specialist and GP. During this time I have been pg now 4 times and have still used it. There have been no side effects and my children are all healthy.

Use it to your heart's (or noses) content lol

[Heaven]

ugh, DH got me some Fess last night but it doesn't seem to be helping at all. My nose is so blocked, I can't breathe. I hope it goes away soon!!!!!!!!!

[LilyPonds]

I too have been addicted to nasal spray for years. I didn't use it during my first trimester but also didn't get any sleep due to a blocked nose - this caused me to go mental. So, I am now using it again. If you google the active ingredient, there has been a proper study done recently on pregnant women - it found that the active ingredient does not "cross the placenta" unless severely overused.

They approached a bunch of pregnant women and asked them about it and a surprising number confessed to an addiction - they tested those using the recommended dose (I think it is 2 sprays per day) and found no evidence it had crossed the placenta. The then found women using massive amounts (15 sprays in 4 hours) and found that minute amounts were crossing the placenta - it is easier than you would think to overuse this stuff it is severly addictive and this second trimester drippiness doesn't help.

The effect of this massive overuse was some slight evidence of feotal cells "shrinking" for a period of thirty minutes. They tested teh babies extensively for any evidence of permanent cell damage and found none at all.

Every doctor and chemist I have ever spoken too says that the long term consequences for addicts is damage to the membrane in your nose which exasserbates the problem - there is no evidence of cancer or any other severe side effect.

On a less medical level, my friend jsut lost a friend to throat cancer - the woman had never smoked and had lived a fit and healthy life away from big city pollution - the cancer grew rapidly and couldn't be operated on. She had a nasal spray addiction.

[Netty]

Holy Sheet LilyPOnds!!!! Why would people be addicted to a nasal spray??
I really dont like nasal sprays but this preg have had really bad sinuses, allergies and blocked nose at night. Chemist recommended Otrivin which I have been using approx 3 times day most days. Usually by the time I need it, my sinuses are totally blocked and I feel like I am coming down with a cold. Within 5 minutes of using it, my sinuses start clearing up. My concern is not that I am addicted but that the symptoms will persist after baby and I might be tempted to keep using it as a relievant?