i get asked all the time as a pharmacist about vitamin supplements and other items. come and talk to the pharmacist first. in most cases the pharmacist is going to ask you if you are seeing a doctor or ob/gyn. most likely they are going to put you on a prescription vitamin. there are specific formulations made just for pregnant women. they cover a good amount of the vitamins and also include things like iron calcium and folic acid. these are very important and not only for the mom. but for the baby as well and help in development of their spine and their brain so really important that pregnant moms understand that they need to get special vitamins made just for them. now you want to be careful and make sure that while you are taking these prenatal vitamins that you are not taking additional vitamins on top of it. you could actually take too much of certain vitamins and that may cause some problems down the road. so let your pharmacist know everything that you are taking including over-the-counter herbal and vitamins. the herbal category is an area that i would definitely avoid while you are pregnant. we just don't have any studies or data to know whether or not it's going to harm mom or baby. so better to be safe than sorry. as far as medications over-the-counters come and ask the pharmacist. if you have certain things like an upset stomach there are some products that are available and can be used in pregnant women but you really need to talk to us first. as far as prescription medications there are many different products that a pregnant mom can take and by the pharmacist and physician or healthcare provider working together. we can make sure that you are on the right ones. once again if you have any questions come and talk to us with the medication experts.
what vitamins are safe to use during pregnancy and which should be avoided?