Taking many common medications while waiting for a baby raises a lot of questions. Most drugs, as well as dietary supplements and even herbs, have contraindications for pregnant women, which can confuse the expectant mother, even if these drugs were recommended by a doctor. In particular, a drug such as aminophylline during pregnancy It is prescribed quite often, but not everyone knows what the drug is and how safe it is.
Eufillin is a derivative of theophylline. Initially, this medicine is intended to treat respiratory diseases. It lowers the tone of the muscles of the bronchi and the tone of the blood vessels, relieves spasm of the bronchi, improves the blood flow of internal organs, in particular, the kidneys, and also has a weak diuretic effect. It is the latter property that makes aminophylline an often prescribed medicine for the treatment of edema. But, despite its undeniable benefit in some conditions, one should remember a number of side effects and possible intolerance to this drug.
What can be dangerous aminophylline, whose side effects should be explained to you by your doctor? First of all, it should be remembered that this medicine can greatly increase the heart rate and lead to a decrease in pressure, cause nausea and dizziness, in rare cases, convulsions. Accordingly, aminophylline during pregnancy is contraindicated if the patient suffers from cardiac arrhythmias, hypotension, as well as caffeine intolerance.
However, this proven and effective drug has invaluable benefits in the fight against severe edema, including internal ones, which seriously threaten the health of the baby and mother. In the course of treatment, the accumulated sodium and chlorine compounds come out together with the fluid held in the body. As a rule, aminophylline during pregnancy is taken for only a few days, and after evaluating the patient's condition and a certain interval, a second course can be carried out.
So, you have been prescribed aminophylline during pregnancy. Instructions for its use contain contraindications for use, including the period of pregnancy and lactation. In this situation, due to the severity of edema and possible side effects, the introduction of aminophylline in a hospital is preferable. If your doctor has prescribed this medicine for self-administration in pill form, make sure that:
- Earlier, he had already recommended other methods for relieving edema, such as a low-salt diet, control over the fluid used (without strictly restricting it), and diuretic herbal decoctions; you carefully followed his recommendation, but his condition did not improve significantly;
- you do not have serious contraindications for taking aminophylline (see above);
- You told your doctor about your allergies to medicines and other medicines you’ve taken.
- You know about all the possible side effects and watch your well-being.
- You checked with your doctor the time, duration of the medication and its exact dosage.
Eufillin during pregnancy is indicated only with the ineffectiveness of all other, more gentle, methods of getting rid of edema (do not forget that any dietary supplements and herbs are also used only after consulting a specialist). Feel free to ask questions to the doctor and ask him about the alternative. And, of course, if there is an objective need for medical treatment, do not let the process go by its own accord. Doctors have many years of experience with aminophylline and know how to make it as safe as possible. Trust your doctor, read the instructions and check the information about any medications you take, and let the expectation of the baby be a joy to you.