Safety of antihistamines during pregnancy and lactation
Miranda So, Pina Bozzo, Miho Inoue and Adrienne Einarson
Can Fam Physician Vol. 56, No. 5, May 2010, pp.427 – 429
QUESTION Many of my pregnant and breastfeeding patients suffer from allergies and frequently ask me about the safety of antihistamines during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Should I advise them to use the older sedating medications? I have heard that they might be safer than the newer nonsedating class of drugs. Or have the newer ones been studied as well?
ANSWER First-generation antihistamines are considered safe to use during pregnancy. There are relatively fewer data on the nonsedating second-generation antihistamines; however, published studies are reassuring. All antihistamines are considered safe to use during breastfeeding, as minimal amounts are excreted in the breast milk and would not cause any adverse effects on a breastfeeding infant.
