Pain relief in pregnancy

I often get asked whether pregnant women can take paracetamol. My answer to this is YES! Paracetamol is very safe in pregnancy. It is a Category A drug - this means it has been taken by millions and millions of women and there has not been any unwanted or suspect reactions to it. The brand doesn't matter - ie Herron, Panadol, No Frills - they are all safe as long as they are paracetamol.

Note- aspirin, nurofen, voltaren and naprosyn are NOT safe in pregnacy. Steer well clear.

If you find your pain is a little bit stronger and panadol is not quite cutting it, try a codeine based product. eg. panadeine. Codeine is also very safe in pregnancy. It is also Category A. It is also good where you get a troublesome cough and need something to help. Funny enough, if you get a case of the runs, codeine will help settle this too!

Of course, no medications at all is the safest bet in pregnancy. However, this is not always possible. Furthermore, sometimes the stress of illness and pain can be more detrimental than the risks associated with taking any sort of product into the body.

Our next topic will be stomach upsets in pregnancy. Stay tuned!