Tylenol and Sudafed

I don't know if she has tried extra strength tylenol. It is safe to use that. I have no idea about combining medication.

When i was prego i have severe headaches and my dr prescribed a safe migranine med for pregnant woman and it helped so much. Also tell her to drink lots and lots and lots of water. Part of the head aches are from lack of water, i know it sounds weird but its true. Hope this helps!

Yes, I had horrible sinus head aches when I was pregnant with my first and took Sudafed and Tylenol and my baby girl was just perfect.

Hello there. I am not a doctor by any means, but I am a mother of 2 children. I also experienced headaches in my pregnancy. She may want to try something as simple as increasing her water intake. Dehydration is common in pregnancy, and headaches can be a sign of this. With all the hormonal fluctuations, especially in the first trimester, it is difficult for our bodies to adjust. It is also very hot and humid outside, both conditions that require us to drink more fluids on a good day without being pregnant. She may also want to remember this, especially as her pregnancy progress: the amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby is breathed in and 'feeds' the baby, and takes 'wastes' of digestion and other functions out of the baby's body. It cycles through the baby's body about every 2 hours. The more water she drinks, the 'cleaner' this fluid is, the healthier her baby will be.
Another factor she may want to look into is low blood sugar. In the first trimester especially, since our uterus is not really controlling our hormones as usual- thus creating ups and downs in levels, ups and down is blood sugar, which can cause nausea and headaches. . . .she may want to try eating a small snack with a protein food every 2-3 hours. This does not have to be something big, just small like a yogurt, an ounce of cheese, 1/2 sandwich, peanuts or almonds. . etc.

Hope this helps. . .and I hope she feels better soon! Pregnancy is a wonderful time in which she gets to turn inward and focus on this person she is creating. . .a great time to 'tune into her body and her body's needs'.

Personally I'd say no. Sudafed is an decongestant, so unless she has sinus problems, its not going to help much except make her drowsy. she ought to just stick to tylenol and maybe get some gentle massages.

Sudafed is on my list from my OB's office as things to take for Sinus/ sinus headache... I took one yesterday.

I don't know about sudafed...I took benadryl at night for my allergies. If it is allergies...there is a natural nasal she should try..Xlear. It is at Market Street and Health Collection.

C.,
I'm sorry your sister is having headaches. Personally, when I went to my Dr. appointment at 12 wks, I had a little congestion. I asked the nurse about it and she said to take Tylenol cold and sinus. But then my husband asked my Dr and she conflicted with that. She said it would be safer not to take Tylenol cold and sinus, or sudafed, or any of those things, and just to take a Benadryl if it was bad enough. She said those other drugs had some ingredients that she would prefer I not be exposed to, especially that early in the pregnancy. Thankfully, I got through it w/out having to take anything. It just ran it's course, which wasn't too bad, and went away. I hope your sister's headaches get better. Another piece of advice. I'm not sure who your Dr is, but I have noticed that atleast 3 times my nurse has given me info that conflicted w/my Dr's actual opinion. I would tell your sister to call the Dr instead of the nurse. If she requests to speak directly to the Dr, the Dr. should be able to atleast call her back when they have time.

I also took sudafed when preg. My doc gave me a list of approved meds, and it was on there. I have a better answer now to sinus headaches. I use the netti pot. I know it has been on Oprah. It is a little pot yu fill with warm water and salt and basically pour it in your nose sideways. It clears out your nasal passages and leaves a warm soothing feeling. I highly recommend it. I bought mine at whole foods. It is a little weird at first, but it works!

That is sweet ur helping your sister! Yes it is safe! I was really sick during my pregancies and the doctors just about gave my everything you could think of, and i remebered what i could and couldn't take,and both of those are stuff that you can take that will not harm the baby:)) hope she gets to feeling better:))

Hi C.,

The 1st 12 weeks of gestation is most crucial for babies developement. I had terrible colds & headaches in the 1st trimester of both my pregnancies. I hate to say this, but I suffered through it. I didn't even take Tylenol, but the severity of her pain might be different. My OB was ok with Tylenol, but she never recommended mixing meds. I would recommend changing diet a bit. Does she have an Iron deficiency? It can cause headaches. This is textbook talking "30 mg a day is needed to meet increased needs of pregnancy. An easy way to check your iron level is to examine the inside of your lower eyelid. If she is getting enough iron, it should be dark pink.", Your Pregnancy Week by Week, by Glade B. Curtis,M.D.,OB/GYN. Great book to have while pregnant, it was my best resource. If she isn't getting enough iron in her Prenatal vitamin, she may need to take a supplement. If she does, take the supplement with orange or grapefruit juice to increase absortion. Avoid milk, coffee, and tea, they prevent the body from absorbing the iron it needs. I have found that changing some of your dietary consumptions is the best medicine for feeling better. Hydration is super important to prevent headaches too. She should fill a jug with 64 oz, and make it her goal to drink that amount everyday. It is a great habit to start if she is going to breatfeed. As if she isn't peeing enough...LOL!!! Sorry for the long lengthy answer, but I had a very difficult time getting pregnant, and when I finally did I read, and read, and read more about what to do, and what not to do. Good luck! I hope she feels better soon.

M. Brooks

Hi C.,
I took Tylenol and Sudafed when I was pregnant with both of my girls (guided by my OB of course). The thing I remember was to not take the Sudafed Decongestant. Just the plain Sudafed. I would have been miserable without it. It didn't take everything away, but it helped.
I'm sure she'll be fine...both my girls were and are perfectly healthy! Good Luck to you sister!

Tylenol and Sudafed are some of only a few over the counter drugs you can take while you are in your early stages of pregnancy. They have both been on the accepted list for quiet some time. I had my daughter 19 years ago and they were acceptable then. She just had a baby three weeks ago and her OB doctor suggested them both to her, too. Make sure it is just Sudafed and not Sudafed with something else other than Tylenol. Tylenol enhances the effects of the Sudafed.

Bless her heart I hope she gets to feeling better. If her headaches are frome the pregnancy which are really bad around 12-15 weeks the tylenol and sudafed might not work. I had horrible headaches with both my children during that time of pregnancy. I finally called the doctor because nothing would help them go away. She prescribed me something for them. I only took it when the headaches were so bad I couldn't take it anymore. Instead of taking over the counter medicine I would take something the doctor prescribes which they know are safe.

I took Sudafed when I was pregnant. Make sure it is plain Sudafed though. Don't take the ones that have decongestants etc. in them. Usually you have to get the straight Sudafed from the pharmacist as they now keep it behind the counter. I only took it when I was sick, not for headaches though. It did make my little baby a bit hyper which bothered me, but I was just sure to take it only when I really needed it. Everyone told me that was perfectly safe. Good luck!

My OB has always told me that Tylenol is perfectly safe during pregnancy. Sudafed is also safe, but it's important that she doesn't overdo it or take it too long, especially later in the pregnancy. Sudafed is a decongestant...and it's not specific to sinus mucous, it will actually decrease all of your bodily fluids, including amniotic fluid or breastmilk (I had to take sudafed while breastfeeding my daughter and my breastmilk supply dropped temporarily by about 3 oz per day). So, from what my OB has told me, neither of those medications is harmful in any way to the baby but if the sudafed is used more than a few days it can decrease amniotic fluid levels, although I don't think that's a huge issue until the third trimester.

I was told that it was perfectly safe to take tylenol, sudafed and/or benadryl -- and I did - and I have 3 healthy boys...

Hi!

I know taking medicine can be very troublesome when you are pregnant. I also had bad headaches and sinus problems, to the point where I couldn't get out of bed, and my doc told me to take sudafed and tyelenol as well; however she said to switch them off, not take them at the same time and to just take the plain sudafed. It did help. I had no adverse reactions, nor did my baby. He is a happy, healthy two year old now.

Tylenol is safe taken in small doses, but if you take took much it is very bad for your liver. When taking tylenol be careful about taking cold medicines. Many of them also have tylenol in them. My oldest child had liver problems when she was a baby. The doctor told me not to give her tylenol. (Infant tylenol is much stronger than children's tylenol. It also has a warning about giving too much.) My youngest child, overdosed on Nyquil when he was about 13. A friend dared him to drink it and he drank 2 bottles. With the amount of tylenol in the Nyquil, we spend all night in the emergency room. He was border-line critical at shutting down his liver.

I know from personal experience that drinking plenty of water is a key to not having headaches. Dehydration causes headaches.

I hope your sister's pregnancy goes well. She's lucky to have a sister like you.

She is fine to take both! Another thing that helped me, and was suggested by my ob, was to take tylenol and have some caffine, either in a coke or maybe chocolate. It did help too, so it might be worth a try. Best of luck to her in this pregnancy! ~A.~

If her OB nurse said to take it, I'd think that it's ok. Basically, you can take anything you'd give a child. Benadryl, sudafed, tylenol. No advil (also called ibuprofen and motrin).

She was smart to ask her doctor. Beyond that, I would just encourage her to make sure she's taking the correct dose and taking it as directed (i.e. every 4 hours, etc.).

If she really wants to go all natural, she might learn some relaxation/breathing techniques. Maybe some pregnancy yoga?

I wouldn't take the Sudafed if it has the decongestant in it. Only take the lowest Tylenol. Never aspirin or Motrin,Advil or Aleve. Need to find the source of the headaches. Is it high blood pressure? too much sugar? a food allergen? etc
Drink a lot of water. Ease off caffeine and sugar and white refined foods. Drink the "green drinks" and veggie drinks. Walk moderately and rest.Get a massage. Alternate Putting cold and hot compresses on head (switch every 20 minutes). If it is just sinus -- do the Saline Nasal sprays. Apple Cider Vinegar is also helpful (2 tbs in glass of water).

An increase in headaches during the first trimester is believed to be caused by the surge of hormones along with an increase in the blood volume circulating throughout your body. These headaches may be further aggravated by stress, poor posture or changes in your vision. Other causes of headaches during pregnancy may involve one or more of the following:

Lack of sleep
Low blood sugar
Dehydration
Caffeine withdrawal
Stress (too many changes)
The best way to deal with headaches is to avoid them altogether. Avoiding tension headaches is easiest when you follow these tips:

Practice good posture (especially during the third trimester)
Get plenty of rest and relaxation
Exercise
Eat well-balanced meals
If you are not able to prevent headaches, there are still things that you can do to help them go away. During pregnancy, you want to try and relieve your headache by natural means if possible. Pain relief medications such as aspirin and ibuprofen are not recommended in most pregnancies; however, acetaminophen may be reccommended by your health care provider.

You may want to try to relieve your headache with one or more of the following natural remedies:

If you have a sinus headache, apply a warm compress around your eyes and nose.
If you have a tension headache, apply a cold compress or ice pack at the base of your neck .
Maintain your blood sugar by eating smaller, more frequent meals. This may also help prevent future headaches.
Get a massage. Massaging your shoulders and neck is an effective way to relieve pain.
Rest in a dark room and practice deep breathing.
Take a warm shower or bath.
You may also reduce the likelihood of migraine headaches by avoiding common triggers of migraine headaches. Potential triggers include:

Chocolate
Alcohol
Yogurt
Aged cheese
Peanuts
Breads with fresh yeast
Preserved meats
Sour cream

Unfortunately, headaches are a normal part of pregnancy; however you should be able to experience some relief. Contact your health care provider:
If you do not experience any relief from the remedies above.
Your headaches get worse or more persistent.
You experience headaches that are different than normal.
Your headaches are accompanied by: blurry vision, sudden weight gain, pain in the upper right abdomen, and swelling in the hands and face .
You should have gotten this advice from your OB office in the beginning.

I am pregnant, and my ob-gyn told me for bad headaches (most likely due to allergies) to take tylenol, sudafed and to drink a regular coke. Every site I've been to that tells you the "safe" medications to take during pregnancy says both tylenol and sudafed are deemed safe. Of course, it's all a matter of personal preference and doing what you think is best for your pregnancy and your baby. Here are the sites I've referenced if this helps.

www.safefetus.com
http://women.webmd.com/Women-Medical-Reference/pregnancy-...

I'm not sure how safe that is, but if the doctor says it's okay then I would probably trust him. I'm 30 weeks pregnant right now, and I started getting migrane strength headaches after about 2 or so months. All meds made me extremely sick, and the only think I found that would help was soda with caffine. I stayed away from all soda with my first, but my doctor said that one a day would have no affect on the baby. If I have my 1 a day by lunch, I avoid the headaches and I can function! Wish her luck for me, those headaches are even worse than the morning sickness at times!

It absolutely is. I have worked in the OBGYN field as my mom who is an RN and that is what it commonly told to patients. In fact, those are a couple of just the few things she can take.
M.

Hi C.,

Tell your sister to ask her doctor if they give an info sheet with recommended OTC meds for particular medical issues. Mine gave me one at my "confirmation" visit and it covered everything from headaches to heartburn and inbetween. Also, I agree with one other lady recommended about caffeine. I had terrible headaches through my last pregnancy (twins) and honestly the one thing above all else that helped me was a daily sweet tea from the drive through at Chick-fil-A. Believe me when I tell you those people knew me VERY WELL by the time I had finally given birth to my boys LOL. Hope your sister feels better, she's discovering the joys of an out of whack body while pregnant.

Back in my day, sudafed (Pseudoephedrine) was fine. I'm not sure what the other poster about not taking sudafed decongestant as that's exactly what it is. There are sudafed's that also have antihistamines (sudafed sinus/allergy), which I think she was suggesting to avoid. The sudafed will only help if the headaches are due to congestion. Many of the headaches during pregnancy are due to hormonal changes. Also, is your friend taking pre-natal vitamins? Those are a must, as the nutritional needs do increase and not getting enough B vitamins can result in headaches. Also, things like fish oils are natural inflammatories and can work wonders and they're also healthy for mom and baby. Just make sure to discuss/inform your doctor as they are so effective, they can thin your blood (not usually a problem for most pregnant women). Also, your friend should make sure that's she eating at regular intervals - low blood sugar can also cause headaches.

Yep - both are find while you are pregnant. I hope she feels better!

C.

I'm sure this is safe if the doctor said so. Mine gace me vicoden (I probably spelled that wrong) for my headaches.