Are muscle relaxers safe during pregnancy?
Pregnancy is an amazing adventure, but the journey can also be fraught with challenges. One of those challenges is coping with pain and discomfort during pregnancy. While there are many different treatments for pain, some women may wonder if it’s safe to take muscle relaxers while pregnant.
As always, when it comes to your health or the health of your baby it’s important to talk to your doctor before taking any medication. However, this article will provide you with all the information you need about muscle relaxers and pregnancy so that you can have an informed discussion with our medical professional.
What Are Muscle Relaxers?
Muscle relaxants (or muscle relaxers) are medications used to relieve muscle spasms or passive stiffness in muscles. Doctors prescribe these medicines for various conditions such as neck pains or back pains.
The three common types of muscle relaxing medications include:
- Benzodiazepines
- Central Acting Muscle Relaxants (CAMs)
- Neuromuscular-blocking Agents
While each category works differently than others; however typically they work by targeting either nerve transmissions that connect muscles to brain/nerves controlling movements or by increasing relaxation chemicals within spinal cord’s dorsal horn producing desired relief from cramping discomfort no matter how uncomfortable things get beneath one’s skin!
Can Pregnant Women Take Muscle Relaxers?
It depends on which type of muscle relaxer we’re talking about! Some drugs pose a risk during pregnancy because they cross into the baby’s bloodstream through breast milk.
Some types of benzodiazepines like diazepam should not be taken during pregnancy because they could cause birth defects like cleft palate once administered during specific periods within gestation where fetal development is most intensive especially throughout first-trimester. Additionally making use CAMs should always done under pharmacological supervision so please do rely fully onto approved prescriptions as trying out new therapeutic strategies unsupervised may entail unsuspected risks.
However, your doctor may prescribe muscle relaxants while you’re pregnant provided they have had a thorough look into every possible cons of this particular decision.It is important to note every medicine including ones that seemed relatively safe once upon time have been re-evaluated upon actual experience over course of years since each medication having potential both known and unknown side effects which might as well affect the health status of not only future mom herself but also uncompromisingly forming fetus for duration pregnancy lasts especially throughout first-trimester.
Which Muscle Relaxers Are Safe During Pregnancy?
As always, it’s essential to talk with your healthcare provider about any medications they recommend taking during pregnancy. This conversation will help you determine which medicines are safe for you and baby. Moreover no matter how confidential personal history patient safety assurance comes before all else thus effective pharmacotherapy must be individualized checkups/consultations performed regularly along with appropriate follow-ups ensuring better safety commitment whilst tracking expected progressions needing improvement.
In general terms Baclofen , Methocarbamol, Orphenadrine Citrate, Dantrolene & Metaxalone some commonly prescribed muscle relaxers show lesser risks than other relaxation options to moms-to-be without cutting down the efficacy maintaining sought-after relief from discomfort caused by stretched-out tissues cramping due to hormonal or positional changes brought on through progression towards labor in gestation period .
What are The Risks Associated With Taking Muscle Relaxers When Pregnant?
Muscle relaxants can cause side effects in anybody irrespectiveof age/gender/clinical diagnosis etc when taken incorrectly or unsupervised leading up-to complicated problems experienced within both short-term and/or long term timelines; thus conditions such as depression, drowsiness/dizziness should never be ignored informing prescriber immediately for timely management strategies reducing foreseeable harms at all times worrying little though these telling-but-avoidable symptoms pose minimal risks.
It is also recommended that before taking any medicine / supplements , pregnant women must speak with their physicians to make sure they are not putting themselves and their unborn child at unnecessary risk.
Conclusion
In the end, it’s important for you to weigh the risks and benefits of muscle relaxants during pregnancy along with consultation from your healthcare provider while duly observing red flags which might surface unexpected effects concerning present health building desirable levels comfort in turn maintaining good quality lifestyle both preemptively throughout entire phase gestation period starting through final birth stages not forgetting best possible postpartum care following delivery.