Needing an Answer for Medications While Pregnant..

Updated on July 17, 2009
A.D. asks from Blairsville, GA
16 answers

I just found out I was pregnant about a week ago...I am waiting to see if I approve for medicaid. In the past week...I have had a severe toothache..and finally went to the dentist yesterday..and they told me i need a root canal or my tooth pulled. I am very nervous..bc I been taking tylenol extra strenght, and tylenol pm at night...(only for the past three days) i am scared this will hurt the baby...and no one can help me with my teeth until they get approval from my doctor...Which I don't have yet..bc waiting on medicaid! I would go to the doctor now if I had the money..but I don't. Does anyone know what I can do for this? I am really nervous...and in a lot of pain.

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J.H.

answers from Atlanta on

It is safe to take tylenol as well as tylenol PM while pregnant. Do not take ibuprofen or aspirin. I would go to your local health department to see if they could help. Also, not sure what state you are in but I know in GA you can go to the "Good Samaritian" Clinic and they will take what you can pay or not charge you at all

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M.A.

answers from Charleston on

If nothing has changed since I was pregnant 3 years ago, Tylenol is okay, but ASPIRIN is the big NO. Aspirin thins your blood (and the baby's) and could do serious damage. If it was me, I would try to get away with as low a dosage as possible for the Tylenol, just in case. And check the label for the Tylenol PM to see if it cautions pregnant women to avoid it (not sure if the ingredients are that different from reg Tylenol). Also, check again with your dentist. Surely he/she can give you an idea of what can be done or not done without input from another doctor. Good luck on qualifying for Medicaid so everything can get moving!
M.

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L.H.

answers from Atlanta on

I know you have had a lot of responses but I just wanted to add a couple things. Just a correction, the max amount of Tylenol is 4 gms or 4,000 mg a day. which means if you are taking 2 extra strength tylenol (1000 mg) you should not take them more than 4 times a day or every 6 hours. ALso, Tylenol pm is just tylenol and benadryl. I know my dr. told me it was safe to take both during pregnancy and I did. The benadryl will help you sleep if the pain keeps you up. Hopefully that will help until you can see a dr. Good Luck!.

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D.P.

answers from Atlanta on

I can tell you, at work in the pharmacy, we always defer to the OB. Never want to give advice the OB would disagree on. That said, usually Tylenol is the one safe otc pain med you can take in pregnancy. PLEASE be very aware of how much Tylenol you're taking, though! You should never exceed 4 grams (8,000 mg) in a 24 hour period. Also, unless you need the benadryl, drop the Tylenol PM and just take tylenol.

Why don't you stop by a pharmacy with your questions -- they'll answer them for free. Just don't forget to be patient if they're busy -- it's a hard job and I don't think people realize how much is involved in getting it all done!

Don't forget that the county health department is available to you. I'm sorry you're going through financial stress. I hope it's over soon for you!!!

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D.H.

answers from Atlanta on

I wouldn't use tylenol either at this time. There are a couple of things that help toothaches. Clove Oil on the tooth is wonderful! It numbs the area you can do, go to a local health food store and get some clove oil. But have heard that you shouldn't use it during pregnancy. But there are many herbs out there that say that and it's actually okay to use them. I would ask at the local health food store. But it is nasty...I mean cloves, yk? We have some here at our house.

Another natural remedy would be garlic. You can use one clove of garlic on it. Add a pinch of rock salt to the clove of garlic can make it a very effective and pretty easy remedy that works almost immediately to reduce the pain in your tooth. I don't know why the salt, but hey, try it and hopefully it will work. You should also chew a couple of cloves of garlic every morning since this will help prevent any further painful episodes.

Even though I don't drink black tea, I've heard that the tannin in tea can help draw out the pain. You can use a used tea bag on the painful area. You can pour some hot water over a tea bag. Once the tea bag has been steeped in the water, you can remove it and lay it on your tooth. This helps reduce the pain.

Onion is also effective in treating a painful tooth. You can place a small piece of onion on your painful tooth. Chewing onion every day will ensure that you don't suffer from any kind of toothache and not to mention the vitamins from it! LOL

There is another thing you can do to possibly bypass that root canal and repair the tooth. Use a good calcium through veggies and a good supplement from the health food store and there is a herbal formula that you can get online (I have it here at our house) at www.herbsfirst.com called Herbal Tooth formula. It's a powder...not tasty at all..looks like dirt, but you can make a paste and put it on the affected tooth each day. It will help a lot. Good luck!

On another note...there is a person online that could help you...try this blog. http://askdrellie.blogspot.com/ She is a dentist. And this is her website: http://cleanwhiteteeth.com/

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A.B.

answers from Spartanburg on

You are fine to take tylenol while pregnant, it is one of the few medications you CAN take. PLEASE do not take ibuprofen or any other over-the-counter medication without checking with the pharmacist on duty (Wal Mart, CVS, etc all have pharmacists during the day) as they can better assist you with what is appropriate. You can also look on google and search under "medications approved for pregnancy" or "over the counter medications approved during pregnancy" or something along those lines. If in doubt, then don't take it. Good luck and congratulations!

A.

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D.M.

answers from Atlanta on

I am uninsured and also need some dental and major mdeical diagnostics. I have a similar issue in that I cnnot self-pay for diagnostics. They must be ordered by my doctor and results must go to the doctor which means several office visits and lots of money.

I have found several resources you may want to try:

Georgia Highlands Medical Center has two locations. One is in Canton and the other is in Cumming. You can go in and show your last tax return and your last pay stub and they will charge you on a sliding scale. Low or no-income patients can get an office visit with labs for 25.00. I think they can give you a referal to a dentist who discounts services as well. Their number is ###-###-####

Good Samaritan Clinics and Good Samaritan Dental both take low or no income patients on a sliding scale. I don;t have the numbers and I imagine there may be a waiting list. However, being pregnant, you may be placed on a fidderent list or referred to another such clinic.

Dr David Williams is an immigration doctor in Marietta GA. He charges 40.00 per visit regardless of how long he spends with you. The wait is long but he also will be able to refer you to a place for the dental work.

Another option is the dental college in Augusta. A friend of mine had extensive dental work done for her and her three children for a song. There is paperwork to fill out but she didn;t have to wait too long.

Northside Hospital offers Special pricing for non-insured, self-pay patients. One must call ###-###-#### and ask for the department related to the procedure. For example, x-rays and related diagnostics requiring radiology would go to the radiology department. Ask for the CPT code for the procedure needed. Then call back and ask for the financial counseling department ( extension 8878) Joneshia. With the CPT code she can get a price quote.

Georgia Families is a program that provides health care services to enrolled members of Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids. It is a partnership between the Department of Community Health and three health care plans, also known as private care management organizations (CMOs). The plans are: Amerigroup Community Care, Peach State Health Plan and WellCare.

The Little Clinic
Part of various Publix stores. They are open 7 days including nights and weekends and use nurse practicioners. Appointments are not required, Sports physicals are only 29.00. Call Publix and see if they are able to supply what you need to see a dentist.

If you need presecriptiom drugs:
As a member of the National Association of Counties, Cobb County is eligible to participate in a prescription drug discount card program administered by CVS / Caremark Inc.. And available to all residents who do not have prescription drug insurance.
The Cobb County Board of commissioners recently approved program participation. There is no cost to the county, county taxpayers or consumers and the program offers uninsured consumers immediate, at the point-of-sale, discounts on prescription drug purchases.
There are no age, health or income restrictions and the program is excepted by a network of 59,000 retail and independently owned participating pharmacies. More than 800 counties nationwide participate in the program.
Cards and brochures will be available for Cobb residents at county facilities serving the community such as human resources, senior service facilities, government service center and the county extension office. For more information, contact Tracy Minjauw, human resources manager, at ###-###-####.

I hope this helps. Please let us all know how you fare and whether you find something that works for you. My prayer is that you find the resources and the compassion in one place. God bless!

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M.N.

answers from Charleston on

I know how you feel. I had 2 teeth i needed a rootcanal on and the dentist could not get me in for 3 very long painful weeks. I understand your pain completly. Call the dentist tell them to give you something stonger but wont hurt the baby. I took tylenol every 4hr max. I know I took more then the recomended dose. But when I have mouth pain I dont care. I would rather be in labor then in tooth pain. I ended up getting a ear infection and my doctor prescribed me 800mg of Ibupofen every 6hr. It was prescribed so you will need to call your dentist. I am not pregnant so i cant tell you if this is safe for pregant mommys to be. Good luck and I am so sorry you have to deal with this.

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E.K.

answers from Atlanta on

Hi A.,

When I was pregnant last year Tylenol is one of the best pain medicines that you can take. However don't exceed the dosage per a 24 hour period.

Best of Luck!

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A.W.

answers from Sumter on

A.,
as others have stated, tylenol is the only thing your doctor will recommend when your pregnant. You can check with your pharmacist to be sure but the only thing in tylenol pm is generic benadryl. Check with your pharmacist just to be sure. Good luck with your pregnancy.

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J.B.

answers from Atlanta on

Tylenol products are fine during pregnancy. My doctors recommended them. I would ask about the Tylenol PM though. Also, if money is tight since you need Medicaid, store brand versions of Tylenol work just as well I've found!

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E.W.

answers from Atlanta on

A., I'm not sure what community you are in, but I strongly suggest that you go visit a local church ministry. In Peachtree City, Dogwood Church has one. Teeth problems can be bad for the whole family, and introduce infections you don't want for you or your baby. There are also free and income based clinics. There's Women's Community Care at Southern Regional Hospital. These are midwives, but they can approve care for your teeth, I believe. Additionally, there is a pregnancy resource center in Fayetteville. You may well be able to ask for help there. It will improve your case to go in person or, better yet, make an appointment. Even if the resource center can't help your toothache, they should be able to help you provide for your baby. All the best to you and your baby. Remember, God cares about YOU and your baby.

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C.G.

answers from Atlanta on

One thing I could suggest is going to the pharmacy. They will know all the ratings for all the medicines as it would relate to pregnancy. They are rated with letters. They could probably provide you with your best option. Another would be to ask the dentist how they could work with you and ask them for what would be safe to take. I understand waiting until you get the insurance and imagine that you will need something for the pain. If there is a chance you will not get the insurance you need to start looking for a plan B asap. Maybe another insurance, a payment plan with the dentist, something like that.

Google - safe pain medication while pregnant and it will bring up lists of sites that will provide information.

One that came up does list tylenol as safe, here is the link
http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/taking-medicine-during-pr...

Good-luck with everything.

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L.H.

answers from Albany on

If you go to walmart. they have what is called fill it ins. just place it where it hurts and the pain stops.

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A.H.

answers from Atlanta on

I just had a baby 5 months ago and they told me Tylenol was fine. I'm not sure about the Tylenol PM because that would be stronger, but straight Tylenol is okay with pregnancy. Don't take advil or Ibuprofen, though, the doctor told me it messes with the valves in the baby's heart.

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S.W.

answers from Atlanta on

Hi A., Tylenol was one of the only things my doctor said I COULD take for pain during my pregnancy. Wouldn't take the PM until discussing it with a pharmacist or dr.

S.

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