Antibiotics - help!!

lolo80 · Sep 30, 2011 7:26AM

Hi ladies, hope you're all doing well!!

I just wondered if anyone has had any experience of taking antibiotics whilst pregnant? I've had a really sore throat & cough for over a week now so went to my doctor this morning who said she thinks it may be a viral infection so has prescribed me antibiotics. She then also said that they prefer pregnant women not to take antibiotics though but that it also may not be great for the baby if I have a virus so antibiotics might be the only way to get rid of the virus. She was very vague though, wouldn't give me advice either way & just said it was my decision. I asked the risks of taking the antibiotics & she said they don't really know if there are any risks but that anything i'm putting in my body will go to the baby too. I feel so so confused now & felt as though she had no interest in really discussing it with me. I don't want to do anything that could harm my wee peanut but now i'm worried about the fact if may harm the wee one if I don't take them & this virus keeps going.

Sorry to go on but I just really don't know what to do & wondered if any of you have any advice?

L xx

emaloney123 · Sep 29, 2011 8:02AM

I saw the dr in antenatal yesterday and he perceived me cefradine antibiotics for a urine infection. He said these was safe during pregnancy.

Emma xx

lolo80 · Sep 29, 2011 9:21AM

Thanks Emma, its Amoxicillin i've been prescribed. Waiting on my midwife calling to get her advice as just got no idea what to do for the best for my wee peanut xx

V1CK7 · Sep 29, 2011 11:27AM

I had amoxicillin 4 times with my dd cos I had continuous water infections. and the last time I had it I had cefradine. so in total was on antibiotics 5 times during my pregnancy, had a perfect pregnancy n she was a very healthy baby n now a perfectly healthy toddler xx

LittlePInAPod · Sep 29, 2011 11:40AM

I was under the impression antibiotics did nothing for a virus, only an infection?? :?

I had tonsillitis a few weeks ago and was told by nurse that baby will get immunity from me.

But I sympathise...I have another sore throat and cold!

Hope you're feeling better soon and the MW is helpful

xx

JimJamJemima · Sep 29, 2011 1:38PM

Antibiotics won't help a virus but I guess it's as they aren't sure if it is.

I am on cephradine too, not sure much about amoxicillin really. In an ideal world they prefer pregnant people to take no medication but that doesn't mean it will harm your baby.

muppet29 · Sep 29, 2011 3:11PM

I had amoxicilan for infection for several weeks through my last pregnancy for uti - I was given them when I left hospital and in hospital I was on paracetamol, codeine and tamazepam (for getting to sleep!) the only one I was particularly worried about was the codeine and the tamazepam but I know they can't say for sure because they'll never be able to use pg women for testing drugs but I do think a lot of it is 'on the safe side' advice. It's a personal decision though. xx

MrsP · Sep 29, 2011 3:26PM

Thereason they are vague about antibiotics is because they can't test them on pregnant women so can't truly know the effects.

When I was pregnant I had a terrible chest infection and sore throat, the first doc refused to prescribe anything but after a week of not being able to keep anything down because of the coughing I was prescribed antibiotics. It began with f, can't remember it! They didn't work so after a week on them I was given a high dose of amoxicillin for a week, which cleared enough so that my body could fight the rest.

I also took amoxicillin again around 30 weeks for a uti.

It is a case of weighing up how you feel I guess, I felt there was nothing to day it was definitely bad and I couldn't continue feeling so dreadful and not being able to take anything in apart from iced water. Your immune system is lower in pregnancy and you might feel you need the help to fight it.

sorry for gate crashing, hoe it helps!

lolo80 · Sep 30, 2011 7:26AM

Thanks so much ladies. I spoke to my auntie last night (she lives in France & works long hours so is often hard to get hold of) but she's a GP and previously specialised in pediatrics (not sure if thats how you spell it!!) and she assured me that amoxicillin is safe to take in pregnancy and that theres a much higher risk to the baby if I have an infection. She said although antibiotics don't help a virus alone, a viral infection often comes with an underlying bacterial infection so that it is best to take them to get rid of that. So i'm taking them now & keeping everything crossed that i'll be right as rain soon & my wee peanut will be doing just fine... Roll on scan day

Thanks again for all your replies xx

Antibiotics - help!!

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