Is Albuterol Safe During Pregnancy: What Are the Side Effects?

Albuterol is a medicine that doctors prescribe when a person suffers from breathing trouble. It is popularly known as a rescue inhaler. It belongs to a group of medicines known as short-acting beta-agonists or SABAs.

These medicines relax the muscles in the lungs and let the person breathe easily. If a person suffers from COPD or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or has asthma, they are familiar with this, and this is one of their most common medicines.

Pregnancy comes with a lot of restrictions. There are a lot of things that you used to commonly eat or do that you cannot do once your pregnancy is confirmed.

People often ask whether decaf coffee is safe during pregnancy. Similarly, this is another common question for people with asthma and COPD. So, is albuterol safe during pregnancy? Let’s explore.

Albuterol and Its Uses

Albuterol is a rescue medication for people who face difficulty breathing. It is a part of the SABAs group and relaxes the lung muscles. So, people with COPD or asthma should always keep this handy.

You might even experience heartburn and think that you are having difficulty breathing or an issue with your heart. So, ensure that you know what causes heartburn during pregnancy, and what is indeed asthma.

However, there are two types of rescue inhalers, levalbuterol or Xopened and albuterol. Albuterol or Ventolin is more popular and is available in different forms.

What Kind of Albuterol Inhalation Are Available?

Albuterol is available in different forms like oral tablets, inhalers, as well as liquids which you can breathe through a mask or nebulizer. Albuterol inhalers are the most popular ones, they deliver the medicine directly to your lungs.

There are different types of albuterol inhalers available. The different kinds are:

• Ventolin HFA
• ProAir HFA
• ProAir Respiclick
• Proventil HFA
• ProAir Digihaler

Moreover, there are some generic versions as well. You can use a generic one instead of ProAir HFA, Ventolin HFA, or Proventil HFA.

Is Albuterol Safe During Pregnancy?

This is the part you must have been waiting for. Is albuterol safe during pregnancy? Yes, it is. It is one of the first choices of inhalers that doctors would recommend during pregnancy.

After the medicine got FDA approval, there were not many clinical studies that focused on this part, of the use of albuterol during pregnancy.

However, when checking the post marketing studies and pregnancy registries there are no links that connect albuterol to physical birth defects when taken during pregnancy.

Moreover, if the asthma symptoms are not taken care of or not controlled during pregnancy, it can cause problems. If the symptoms get worse suddenly, you will need medication immediately or oxygen will be deficient in the body.

Lack of oxygen can harm the baby. It can cause growth and developmental problems for the unborn child. Albuterol or medicines like these should always be kept handy to prevent these problems that need immediate attention.

How Much Albuterol Is Safe During Pregnancy?

According to the dosage prescribed in the package, you should inhale 2 puffs in 4 to 6 hours if you experience shortness of breath. This is how long albuterol lasts in the body. However, there is no recommended dosage specifically given to pregnant women.

However, if you think this is not working for you, and you need the medicine more frequently, you should consult your doctor before making any decision yourself. They will be able to help you.

They might change the treatment regimen to keep the symptoms under control. This is mostly because taking more than the recommended dosage of albuterol can have side effects.

Precautions Pregnant Women Should Take: Are There Any Alternatives?

As I mentioned above, this is one of the first choices for pregnant women with asthma. Levalbuterol is another one that works similarly to albuterol. However, it is not used during pregnancy as much as albuterol.

There are other inhalers that are also available. These can help with COPD and asthma over time. These are popularly known as maintenance inhalers. These help you maintain your ability to breathe in the long run.

For example, budesonide or Pulmicort is a medicine that is given when you experience asthma symptoms frequently. This is an inhaled corticosteroid medicine that reduces inflammation and helps you breathe.

During pregnancy, it is better to inhale steroids at normal doses. Moreover, there are options for combination inhalers as well.

However, these are not the first ones that doctors would recommend during pregnancy. They are used as support when other medicines are not working.

Advair (fluticasone/salmeterol) and Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol) are combination inhalers that are used for COPD and asthma. They are used regularly to prevent and control the symptoms.

What to Do If You Need Albuterol During Pregnancy?

If you are pregnant and already have a history of asthma, it is normal for you to think about whether pregnancy will affect your asthma in any way. However, it depends on the person.

As per the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, 1 in every 3 pregnant women have asthma and find their symptoms are improving during pregnancy. And about 1 in every 3 pregnant women find their condition getting worse. And the others find no change.

According to statistics, there is no particular trend that you can expect. There is no consistent effect of pregnancy on asthma symptoms. You will have to monitor and use albuterol depending on what kind of symptoms you experience during pregnancy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Now that you know the answer to whether is albuterol safe during pregnancy, you will come across some related questions as well. Some of the most commonly asked questions are listed below.

Wrapping Up!

Many women take albuterol during pregnancy for their asthma and it helps relieve the symptoms. So, is albuterol safe during pregnancy? Yes, it is. Taking the medicine in moderation or the prescribed dosage is safe.

There is no specific reason to stop taking the medicine just because you are pregnant. The benefits of the medicine outperform the risk of taking the medicine. However, it is better to consult a healthcare provider to make sure you are taking the right dosage.