Albuterol In Pregnancy

With the changing times, chronic disorders such as asthma have become common. Albuterol is a bronchodilator that helps one continue to live with the recurrent respiratory attacks.

What happens when you get pregnant while being on Albuterol? Is it safe for the baby inside you?

Once you get pregnant everything that you usually did becomes a source of doubts. Despite many studies show no increase in birth defects on use of albuterol, do ask your OB about it.

Why do you need to worry about albuterol during pregnancy? Your baby is inside the womb and not even near your respiratory tract. However, maximum meds flow in your blood and then carry out their action. Result being that albuterol gets into the blood that will reach every part of the body and placenta.

Pregnancy affects your pre-existing health conditions. For example, migraines might occur for the first time in pregnancy or stop after getting pregnant. Similarly, asthmatic pregnant women can have severe, stable or vanishing symptoms.

Why do I need to keep my asthma in control during pregnancy?

Every asthma patient knows that a sudden attack can happen at almost any time. Unpredicted as always you can’t risk getting the attack, reducing the amount of oxygen reaching your fetus. When pregnant you can’t afford the shortfall in oxygen circulating to your baby who depends on you totally.

Third-trimester pregnancy asthma needs to be under control. That’s because during labor oxygen supply fluctuations are fatal.

Another reason for the importance of controlling asthma in pregnancy is preeclampsia. The symptom is abnormally high blood pressure during pregnancy hampering oxygen transport. Preeclampsia is a risk factor for many other pregnancy complications risking both mother and the baby.

What is albuterol?

Just in case you’re yet not taking albuterol, and only taking your pregnancy tute! It’s also for those mums who are on albuterol alternative for pregnant women.

Albuterol is a bronchodilator that relaxes spasms in the respiratory tract. What does the drug do? After taking a dose, breathing difficulties subside. When inhaled or taken through nebulizer the drug opens choked lung pathways.

The blocking can be because of emphysema, asthma, bronchitis, or allergy. Some users even take it post-workout for exercise-induced wheezing.

Classification of drugs considers the ability to cross the placental barrier and affect the baby and pregnancy. Class C drugs don’t have enough research proofs of being safe for pregnant women. However, there is pregnancy compatibility under medical supervision.

Brand names for albuterol: Vintolin, Respimat, Proventil, Salbutamol, ProAir, AccuNeb, ReliOn, Apo Salvent, Combivant

Does Albuterol cross placenta?

Albuterol is a class C drug. Survey studies show that only a negligible amount crosses the placenta. The categorization of albuterol as class C drug is another reason why women worry about taking it.

Is albuterol safe during labor and postpartum?

Just like during pregnancy, you need to have oxygen before anything else. You can opt for having albuterol in your birth plan. Remember that albuterol hampers uterine contractions. Clearly, that is the reason the drug is tocolytic and prevents premature labor.

Breastfeeding mothers can use albuterol as it does not reach your baby significantly.

Medical experts suggest gauging the risk of not taking albuterol to decide whether to continue the use in pregnancy.

Can you take albuterol during pregnancy?

Birth defects need not necessarily occur in a particular stage of pregnancy. Albuterol doesn’t increase the background risk of 3-5% that exists irrespectively in every pregnant woman.

Growing baby pushes the cushion under your lungs called diaphragm. The space left for the lungs to expand while filling in the air reduces.

Women who are not asthma patients also have difficulty breathing while pregnant. If you’re an asthmatic pregnant woman, breathing becomes even more problematic for you.

Risks of not taking albuterol outweigh the hypothesized side effects on pregnancy. Most studies have shown that mothers on albuterol did not have any complications while giving birth. The babies born were healthy, had no birth defects and normal birth weight.

What are the risks of taking albuterol for asthma in pregnancy?

Earlier doctors administered oral albuterol for preventing premature delivery. The effects of oral albuterol mainly include lowering of maternal blood pressure. It’s temporary and doesn’t affect the baby either.

Overall here we are talking of the risk to pregnant women on inhaling albuterol.

There are no full proof reports citing any real findings of negative effects of albuterol on pregnant women. Limited studies have been done and most are based on trials.

Doctors always concluded that the risk of leaving asthma uncontrolled while pregnant was higher. In all cases keeping the symptoms under control gave positive results.

The only side effects of albuterol seen in pregnant mothers were shaky limbs. Reason for the shaking is the temporary increase in heart rate.

Along with the direct risks, albuterol has side effects that can accentuate the unpleasant symptoms in pregnancy. Common side effects of albuterol are nausea, diarrhea, insomnia, dizziness, and heartburn. Experiencing the last one is like trading one breathing difficulty for another.

Should you stop taking albuterol after getting pregnant?

Whether albuterol or antidepressant, you will not decide yourself. Ask your doctor about continuing or switching to some other prescription.

Keeping asthma under check is necessary for a healthy pregnancy. Though there have been reports of low birth weight, heavy postpartum bleeding and miscarriage but most were a chance association. Other drugs taken along albuterol could have been the real reason or drug interactions were responsible for the deleterious effects.

Can I take albuterol while breastfeeding?

The side effects of taking albuterol like preventing uterine contractions don’t affect you postpartum. For the baby the amount reaching in even less through breastmilk than placental blood supply.

Enough evidence is not available to support the recommendations for albuterol. Nonetheless, now you can think of other options as your baby isn’t inside.

If you feel that your asthma or any other cause of bronchospasm in pregnancy isn’t there any longer, ask your doctor before you stop.

There are different manufacturers, and brands selling albuterol. When you get pregnant ideally you should not experiment with your pre-existing conditions. Nonetheless, if the symptoms get adverse your doctor might suggest altering the dose or source.

Other than Albuterol, other Beta 2 agonists are also there. However, albuterol is safe for pregnant women mostly and so they may continue.