This year, the flu season comes really early, especially for me. I took my flu shot about one month ago, but miserably, I still cannot escape the evil hands of sickness. Fortunate enough, I am not having a fever, which means I am neither having a normal flu nor terrible H1N1 flu. However, a bad cold could be bad enough to kill me. Consistent running nose, nose bleeding, huge waves of mucus, horribly barking cough and dizziness totally beat me down. For pregnant woman should be especially cautious about taking medicine, I went to my doctor’s office for help. The nurse gave me a blue mask right after I entered the clinic. Although it seemed that I was a dangerous patient, I really appreciated the mask. I knew how hard it would be for people to get through a bad cold and I hope to keep my virus in my mask. It really was a critical time for everyone.
Back to my story, my doctor prescribed me some medicine to help manage the symptoms, especially for calming my throat and erasing the congestion. I got the regular Robitussin for my cough, which only contained dextromethorphan. My doctor said that it’s totally safe for fetus since tests showed it did not cause increased risk of congenital malformations in newborns. I don’t know what kinds of tests have been done to prove it and I believe that my doctor has no idea, either. Actually, there is a list of medicine which is considered safe for pregnant women to take, but no guarantee.
When I was prescribed penicillin one month ago for my inflamed gum caused by a wisdom tooth, I encountered the same problem—if it worth risking the chance to make myself feel better? My answer then was no. My pharmacist told me that any test to prove certain medicine was safe during pregnancy had been done only on animals. Any medicine has its side effects, especially during pregnancy. That’s why pregnant women are considered top priority for H1N1 vaccine. But, we all know that even the H1N1 vaccine is not an elixir but grasping at straws.