Medications During Pregnancy

Because of various infections, the need to place pregnant women on antibiotics may arise. While this listing is necessarily incomplete due to space considerations, it will give you a guide to selecting antibiotics for these women.

Penicillins	Safe during pregnancy.
Cephalosporins	Safe during pregnancy.
Erythromycin	Safe during pregnancy.
Azithromycin	Safe during pregnancy.
Tetracycline(incl. doxy)	UNSAFE AT ANY TIME DURING PREGNANCY.
Metronidazole	Safe after 14 weeks. Avoid single-dose therapy. Safety prior to 14 weeks not well-established.
Aminoglycosides	Basically safe during pregnancy, but renal and ototoxicity are potential problems if the dose is high or prolonged.
Clindamycin	Safe during pregnancy.
Chloramphenicol	Probably safe prior to 28 weeks
Sulfa drugs	Safe prior to 34 weeks. After that, babies may develop jaundice if exposed to sulfa.
Quinine	Only to be used in life-threatening, chloroquine-resistant P. Falciparum infections
Miconazole	Safe during pregnancy.
Clotrimazole	Safe during pregnancy.
Quinacrine	Probably safe during pregnancy.
Chloroquine	With prolonged or high doses may cause congenital defects.
Pyrimethamine	Safe after 1st trimester. Add folic acid supplement.
Trimethoprim	Safe after 1st trimester. Add folic acid supplement.
Primaquine	May cause hemolytic anemia in the presence of G6PD deficiency. You may use it if needed.

Local anesthetics (Xylocaine) may be used with safety, although the addition of epinephrine to them is problematic. Epinephrine may have unpredictable effects on the maternal cardiovascular system (and hence the blood flow to the baby), so epinephrine is generally to be avoided.

Codeine, Demerol, Morphine and other narcotics may be used as needed at any stage of pregnancy, but the addictive potential should be recognized. Other than the risk of fetal drug withdrawal syndrome, these major pain relievers are considered safe for use during pregnancy.

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Operational Obstetrics & Gynecology

Normal Pregnancy