Is Claritin safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about Claritin during pregnancy?

1. Taking loratadine is not expected to raise the chance of birth defects. An early study raised a question about one specific defect, but several follow-up studies did not confirm it. 1
2. In a study comparing 161 women who took loratadine in the first trimester with 161 who didn't, birth defect rates were nearly identical between the two groups. 2
3. Benadryl (diphenhydramine), an older antihistamine, can cause sleepiness in both adults and nursing babies, and daily use throughout pregnancy has been linked to temporary withdrawal-type symptoms in a small number of newborns. Loratadine does not carry this same sedation profile. 3
4. Pseudoephedrine, the decongestant added to Claritin-D and other '-D' products, has been studied for a possible link to gastroschisis, a rare abdominal-wall birth defect, when used in the first trimester. 4
5. One study found the risk of gastroschisis was about four times higher among women who used a pseudoephedrine-acetaminophen combination product early in pregnancy, leading the researchers to recommend avoiding pseudoephedrine when other options are available. 5

Is Claritin safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. This is the trimester where choosing plain Claritin over Claritin-D matters most. Loratadine alone has some of the most reassuring first-trimester safety data of any allergy medicine, while the decongestant in the '-D' version has been linked to a small increased risk of a rare abdominal-wall birth defect in some studies.
• Second trimester. Allergy symptoms often get worse as pregnancy goes on, and plain loratadine is still one of the better-reviewed options for ongoing use. It's also non-drowsy, which helps since pregnancy fatigue is already common at this stage.
• Third trimester. Loratadine remains one of the more reassuring allergy options close to delivery. Let your delivery team know about any regular allergy medication use, just so they have the full picture.