Loratadine & Pregnancy
Loratadine is an active ingredient in a number of brand name antihistamines. It is designed to provide temporary relief from the symptoms of seasonal allergies and hay fever. In some cases it is also useful for treating certain common symptoms of hives such as itching and redness. Loratadine is classified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a Pregnancy Category B drug, meaning there is no known risk to pregnant women or their babies.
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Function
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Loratadine works by blocking the body's production of histamine, a substance that is responsible for certain allergy symptoms such as sneezing, itchy eyes and runny nose. Medications containing loratadine are typically delivered by tablet, syrup or rapidly dissolving tablet. You typically take it once per day, with or without food, or as prescribed by a physician.
Effects
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Loratadine is classified by the FDA as a Pregnancy Category B medication. There are two reasons a medication may be classified in Category B: Either the medication has undergone animal studies that do not indicate evidence of harm to the animal fetus but the medication has not been adequately studied in pregnant women, or well-controlled studies in pregnant women do not indicate a risk to unborn human children even though animal studies may have shown an adverse effect on the fetus.
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Considerations
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According to the National Institutes of Health, women who are pregnant, are planning to become pregnant or are breastfeeding should talk to their health care provider prior to taking medications containing loratadine. The National Institutes of Health also recommends that women who become pregnant while taking medications containing loratadine contact their physicians.
Warning
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According to OBFocus.com, pregnant women who desire relief from seasonal allergy symptoms should use such medications containing chlorpheniramine and tripelennamine, although loratadine may be acceptable for patients who do not get adequate relief from chlorpheniramine or tripelennamine. It is not known whether loratadine passes through the placenta. It is known that loratadine passes into breast milk, so nursing mothers may wish to consider discontinuing breastfeeding while taking medications containing loratadine.
Identification
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Loratadine is found in a number of popular prescription and over-the-counter medications including brand names Alavert Non-Drowsy Allergy Relief 24 Hour, Claritin 24 Hour, Claritin-D 24 Hour and Claritin Hives Relief, as well as numerous generic versions. Some of these medications contain combinations of loratadine and pseudoephedrine sulfate. Psuedoephedrine is classified as a Category C medication, which indicates that there have been no well-controlled studies of the medication in pregnant women and that animal studies have either not been conducted or have shown an adverse effect on the fetus.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit pregnant #3 image by Adam Borkowski from Fotolia.com
