Is Pataday safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about Pataday during pregnancy?

1. Studies have not been done in humans to see whether olopatadine increases the chance of birth defects, miscarriage, or pregnancy-related problems such as preterm delivery. 1
2. Eye drops and nasal sprays result in lower medication exposure for a pregnancy than medicines that are swallowed, which is the main argument for choosing a drop when a drop will do the job. 1
3. Plasma concentrations after ocular olopatadine were generally below the assay's quantitation limit of 0.5 ng/mL, with measurable levels ranging only from 0.5 to 1.3 ng/mL when detected at all. 2
4. The label states the drug should be used in pregnant women only if the potential benefit to the mother justifies the potential risk to the embryo or fetus. 2
5. Pataday is dosed as one drop in each affected eye once a day, should not be used for contact lens related irritation, and soft lenses should stay out for at least ten minutes after a drop goes in. 2

Is Pataday safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. The appeal of an eye drop in early pregnancy is arithmetic: drops and sprays deliver less medicine to a pregnancy than anything swallowed. Human studies on olopatadine specifically have not been done, so the label frames it as a benefit-versus-risk judgment. Pressing gently on the inner corner of your eye after a drop reduces how much drains into your system.
• Second trimester. Itchy, streaming eyes often flare in the middle months alongside nasal symptoms. If you are already taking an oral antihistamine, adding a drop means a second exposure for a symptom the tablet may already be covering, so it is worth asking whether one product can do both jobs.
• Third trimester. Nothing about the third trimester changes the drop itself. Contact lens wearers should note the label's instruction to wait at least ten minutes after instilling before putting lenses back in, and that these drops are not meant for irritation caused by the lenses themselves.