Adequate nutritional intake is important for optimizing the health of the mother and fetus. Therefore, pregnant women need to be careful in choosing the food and drink they consume, because it can have an impact on the growth and development of the fetus. Then, can pregnant women take paracetamol if they have a fever or headache?
The use of drugs during pregnancy needs a recommendation from a doctor, because there are medicines whose ingredients are prohibited for the fetus. In addition, taking medication without a doctor’s recommendation risks harmful side effects to the fetus. Then, can pregnant women take paracetamol? Here’s more information.
Can Pregnant Women Drink Paracetamol? Here’s the answer
Paracetamol is often used to relieve fever, headaches, and body aches. Paracetamol works optimally when combined with other painkillers, such as cold medicines. This drug takes at least an hour after consumption for optimal relief of aches and pains. The commonly used dose of paracetamol is one or two tablets of 500 milligrams. However, can pregnant women take paracetamol?
In fact, pregnant women are allowed to take paracetamol. However, pregnant women need to discuss with their doctor to find out a safe dose of paracetamol so as not to cause harmful side effects to the fetus. Generally, pregnant women are advised to take the lowest dose of paracetamol.
In addition, pregnant women are not recommended to take paracetamol together with other drugs that also contain paracetamol. Therefore, if pregnant women feel fever, aches, or headaches, consult a doctor first to find out a safe dose of paracetamol.
Proper Paracetamol Drinking Rules
Paracetamol is a drug that is classified as safe for consumption by anyone, including pregnant women. However, the use of paracetamol requires doctor’s advice specifically for people with certain conditions, namely:
- Excessive drinking.
- Have kidney and liver disorders.
- History of allergy to paracetamol or other drugs.
- Take blood thinners.
- Take medication for tuberculosis and epilepsy.
Generally, adults are recommended to take up to 500 milligrams of paracetamol in one day. However, give a gap of 4 hours for each dose of paracetamol.
Paracetamol is a drug that is classified as safe when combined with other pain relievers, as long as the other drugs do not contain paracetamol. This is because taking two different drugs containing paracetamol will cause an overdose which is certainly dangerous for the health of pregnant women and the fetus. Therefore, it is important to take paracetamol in the right dosage to avoid dangerous side effects.
The use of paracetamol in combination with other prescription drugs, such as antibiotics, is also considered safe. However, you should consult a doctor before taking paracetamol, especially if you are taking other medicines, such as epilepsy drugs, blood thinners, tuberculosis drugs, vitamins, or herbal medicines. This aims to avoid the risk of opposite drug content or serious side effects that may be caused if taken together with paracetamol.
In addition, before taking paracetamol, pregnant women need to pay attention to several things, for example consumption according to the recommended dosage and make sure to wash their hands with soap and running water to prevent germs from entering the body.
