Medication during pregnancy

Introduction

During pregnancy and lactation, medicines should be taken with caution and only after consulting a doctor. Many medicines can pass from the mother’s bloodstream via the umbilical cord into the child’s blood and may cause damage. For this reason, certain medications must not be taken or only taken in a limited way during pregnancy.

There is not yet sufficient data on many active substances and their use during pregnancy. This also applies to herbal medicines and certain types of tea. In these cases it is important to carefully weigh up the benefits and risks of taking them.

Although homeopathic remedies are considered safe during pregnancy in most cases, pregnant women should be advised by a qualified homeopath. Women who suffer from chronic diseases are usually not able to completely abstain from medication during pregnancy because this could harm both the expectant mother and the child. In this case pregnant women should always consult their treating physician and, if they wish to have children, seek advice before pregnancy.

Discontinuation of medication

Never take or discontinue medication during pregnancy without consulting a doctor. This is especially true if medication must continue to be taken, e.g. due to a chronic illness during pregnancy. If women already suffer from an illness before pregnancy that needs to be treated with medication, they should not simply stop taking the medication they have been taking up to now, but should contact their doctor as soon as possible.

Such diseases include high blood pressure, diabetes, epilepsy (more on epilepsy and pregnancy), autoimmune diseases, thyroid diseases and chronic intestinal diseases. If the pregnancy is planned, the woman should consult her doctor about medication and the course of the pregnancy even before the pregnancy. Since an existing illness can be dangerous for mother and child if the medication is discontinued, the treatment options should be considered with the treating doctor and, for example, a change of medication or a lower dosage of the medication should be determined.