Can You Take Acne Medicine While TTC or Pregnant?
My dr prescribed me topical Cleocin T (clindamycin) for acne. I will double check with the pharmacist, but just wondering if anyone has ever taken this or any other Acne Meds while trying to conceive or actually pregnant. THANKS
Some women suffer from acne breakouts during pregnancy due to the physical and physiological changes associated with being pregnant. Most of the time, doctors advise mothers-to-be not to take medications just to be on the safe side. But are there available safe acne medications during pregnancy?
A woman’s hormone levels fluctuate when she is pregnant. These fluctuations cause the skin to overproduce oil, leading to clogged pores and causing infection which then leads to acne. Safe acne medications during pregnancy are hard to come by, mainly because doctors and pregnant women themselves prefer to ride out the skin condition rather than risk damage to the unborn fetus.
Whether a pregnant woman has decided to seek medication for her acne or just wait until the pregnancy is over, it is still a must to consult with doctors on how to deal with the skin condition and also eliminate any risk that might be posed by anti-acne drugs on the unborn child.
There are some available drugs for treating acne that are considered relatively safe for pregnant women. One is benzoyl peroxide. This topical medication is a regularly prescribed treatment for acne that induces skin peeling and has antibacterial effects. About five percent of each topical dose of this treatment is absorbed systemically. The associated risks for pregnant women with regards to this particular drug are undetermined but some experts are saying that the risk of fetal malformations is likely to be low.
Another relatively safe acne treatment for pregnant women is erythromycin. It is an antibiotic that can be taken orally to treat infection. This drug crosses the placenta minimally and is metabolized quickly in the body. In terms of alternative treatments, pregnant women can use natural or botanical acne treatments like extracts of camomille, green tea and aloe vera among others. Although the general assumption is that natural or herbal medicines cannot cause harm, consulting a physician is still the wisest thing to do before using these options.
Although some drugs are considered relatively safe, women are still discouraged from using these drugs without consulting with their physicians first. Whatever claims that existing studies have made, the literature for safe acne medications during pregnancy is still not enough to completely determine whether any of these drugs are really safe for pregnant women.
I am 36wk5d and throughout my pregnancy I used Proactiv. I asked my doc about it and she said that its fine.