Pregnant women often worry about the medications and treatments they can take while expecting a child. Cough drops are a common item that many people take to reduce their symptoms of a cold or sore throat, but can you take Ricola cough drops while pregnant? While it is generally safe to take Ricola during pregnancy, there are certain precautions you should take. This blog post will discuss the safety and potential risks of using Ricola cough drops while pregnant. We will explore what ingredients are in the product, who should avoid taking it, and how to speak with your doctor to make sure it is safe for you. By the end of this blog post, you will have all the information you need to make an informed decision regarding whether Ricola cough drops are safe for you to take while pregnant.
Tips to relieve cough or sore throat
A cold or other virus that would cause you to cough or have a sore throat can be avoided with the help of healthy habits. For more tips, read about cold and flu home remedies.
In some circumstances, it may be preferable to forgo the home remedies and determine whether you require medical attention. If you have a cough that lasts longer than a week or if you also have:
Call your doctor if you have a sore throat if it is extremely painful, lasts longer than two days, or if you also have:
Ask your doctor if it’s safe for you to use any medication, including cough drops, before you do so during pregnancy. Before approving a medication, your doctor might want to know more about your symptoms. Try these suggestions to help keep you and your pregnancy as safe and content as possible:
Last medically reviewed on October 12, 2016
Are Cough Drops Safe During Pregnancy?
Cough drops may look and taste like candy, but many contain medicated active ingredients. You may wonder which cough drop ingredients are safe to take during pregnancy. The general medical consensus is that cough drops are perfectly fine to use to soothe a sore throat during pregnancy and are unlikely to cause harm to you or your baby (1).
The risk to your baby is minimal because cough drops are used temporarily to relieve symptoms of a condition that is typically time-limited, like a cold or sinus infection.
However, as was already mentioned, pick a lozenge that only addresses your current symptoms if you’re worried about overmedicating or want to avoid taking too many medications. That means avoiding cough drops that are designed to treat a variety of cold symptoms.
Active Ingredients Present in Cough Drops
Although the composition of cough drops varies greatly between brands, the most likely active ingredient is one of the following:
As an anesthetic, benzocaine aids in numbing a region. It is frequently utilized in teething gels, topical numbing agents, and over-the-counter tooth pain relievers.
It can work well in cough syrup to soothe a sore throat.
The Verdict Because benzocaine does not enter the bloodstream, taking it while pregnant is safe because your unborn child will not be exposed
Eucalyptus is a natural ingredient that acts as an antiseptic, meaning it can kill bacteria (3). It also acts as an expectorant, helping to thin and loosen mucus.
Eucalyptus is frequently combined with menthol in multipurpose cough drops to help relieve cold symptoms and soothe sore throats because it can also help relieve congestion.
The Verdict Although you may have heard that using eucalyptus as an essential oil while pregnant is not advised, it is probably fine in cough syrup. The quantity is considerably less than if you continuously diffuse the oil or apply it topically.
This ingredient is frequently used in cough drops that promise to shorten the duration of a common cold. Many people swear by this treatment to help them lessen the severity of a cold or to feel better faster, despite the fact that there is conflicting medical evidence regarding whether a mega-dose of zinc can boost immunity and ward off a virus.
If you’re thinking about taking a zinc lozenge, keep in mind that your prenatal vitamin probably already contains zinc.
The VerdictWomen shouldn’t take more than 40 mg of zinc daily.
Although zinc is a crucial nutrient for boosting your immune system, you should be careful not to consume too much of it.
Pectin, a naturally occurring substance present in many fruits, reduces swelling or irritation. It is most commonly found in fruit-flavored, non-menthol cough drops.
The VerdictUsing pectin while pregnant is generally regarded as safe.
Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant, so it helps you if you have a persistent cough or a constant tickle in your throat. However, the research is conflicted about whether it is appropriate for pregnant women to take as it has been linked to birth defects in chickens (5).
Recent studies seem to show no negative effects on human pregnancy, but if you are worried about potential harm, look for a lozenge that doesn’t contain the medication.
The Verdict To be safe, avoid dextromethorphan if your sore throat is not accompanied by a cough.
You experience a cooling sensation in your throat and nasal passages when you inhale a menthol-containing cough drop. It also helps numb the throat and relieve congestion.
Menthol is commonly used during pregnancy, but medical providers tend to disagree on whether it’s completely safe or not as it has not been widely studied (6).
The Bottom LineIf you are concerned, avoid menthol. Additionally, there is no need to overmedicate if you don’t have a stuffy nose; therefore, avoid taking it.
When combined with menthol in a throat lozenge, peppermint oil has a similar effect. Similar to eucalyptus oil, it’s not advised to apply it directly to the skin while pregnant, but the tiny amounts found in cough drops make it unlikely to harm your unborn child.
The Verdict It won’t harm you or your baby in small amounts. But avoid peppermint oil if you have any worries, especially if you don’t have nasal congestion.
FAQ
Are menthol cough drops OK while pregnant?
Which throat lozenges are safe during pregnancy?
Is it OK to use cough drops during pregnancy?