Can you take Lemsip when pregnant?

What’s covered?

Although Lemsip may appear to be a natural alternative for headaches when pregnant, it, like other over-the-counter medications, may contain active ingredients with severe side effects when taken during pregnancy.

Take note that it's essential to know what's in the prescription as there are numerous versions with different active ingredients.

While the NHS recommends that if you are pregnant or trying to conceive, you should consult a doctor before using Lemsip Max All-in-One. All the variations consist of the nasal decongestant phenylephrine hydrochloride.

It can also restrict blood vessels, which now has historically proven harmful for women with pre-eclampsia.

What is Lemsip?

Lemsip is a brand of cold and flu medications in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. It is developed by the British business Reckitt.

Product Details

Lemsip is a non-drowsy hot lemon beverage that alleviates cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, headache, fever, aches and pains, and sore throats. Each packet contains paracetamol and phenylephrine hydrochloride as an active ingredient.

Possible Side Effects Of Lemsip during pregnancy

All therapies could always cause minor or severe side effects. However, this does not guarantee that they will happen to all of us. Some individuals may experience different side effects in other circumstances.

High blood pressure, skin rashes, increased heart rate, difficulty passing urine, difficulty sleeping, tremor, restlessness, and anxiety are some of the side effects of Lemsip. Lemsip could also interfere with other medicines, causing unpleasant side effects or decreasing the efficacy of these kinds of medications.

You must evaluate multiple medications utilised at the same period regarding appropriateness. Other over-the-counter pain and flu solutions that also contain acetaminophen must be avoided. As earlier mentioned, it may lead to an acetaminophen overdose. People who are on or have used monoamine oxidase inhibitor antidepressants should not take Lemsip since it can create a hypertensive crisis, a life-threatening medical condition.

A similar situation arises whenever Lemsip is used in beta-blockers, amphetamine-based stimulants, decongestants, appetite suppressants, or tricyclic antidepressants. It might cause warfarin or other similar medications to be less efficient.

Additional Precautions

Lemsip max cold, although generally considered safe, may not be appropriate for youngsters under 12 years of age and should be avoided during pregnancy. Lemsip should also not be used excessively if you have hypertension or cardiovascular problems. It should also be avoided if you take MAOI medications or within two weeks of discontinuing them. Before use, if you are unsure, consult your pharmacist. Use with caution and after consultation with your doctor or pharmacist if you have severe renal or liver disease. Do not use any other paracetamol-containing medications along with Lemsip.

Bottom line

Even though medicines are used cautiously during pregnancy, check with your doctor to see if you need to modify your medication dosage. You may also have to seek medical advice if you're taking medicine to treat a chronic illness.

If you take medicine to help with morning sickness, you may want to take it at night instead of during the day to minimise the probability of feeling nauseous or vomiting. Talk to your doctor about taking an anti-sickness medicine first if you have to take Lemsip on an empty stomach (first thing in the morning).

To find our full list of medications available online through Welzo, check our online pharmacy here.