During pregnancy, a woman becomes suspicious and impressionable. This is explained by the fact that hormonal changes occur in her body. Expectant mothers often suffer from stressful conditions, neuroses that cause heart pain, insomnia, and stomach or intestinal spasms. Corvalol successfully copes with all these problems.
A complex drug with a pronounced sedative, vasodilator, antispasmodic effect called Corvalol is extremely popular. The drug quickly exhibits a therapeutic effect and is inexpensive. Expectant mothers are interested in the question of whether Corvalol can be used during pregnancy. This will be discussed further.
Corvalol - descriptive characteristics
Corvalol is a complex drug with a pronounced sedative effect. The medicine is produced in the form of tablets and tinctures.
The combined drug allows you to get rid of neuroses, insomnia, intestinal spasms
Main components:
- α-bromoisovaleric acid ethyl ester;
- phenobarbital;
- menthol oil.
Additional substances include sodium hydroxide, ethanol (96%), filtered water, etc. These ingredients enhance the effect of the active ingredients.
Indications for use of the drug:
Read more:Can I drink Corvalol with alcohol?
- Neuroses, increased irritability.
- Insomnia.
- Cardiopsychoneurosis.
- Initial stages of arterial hypertension.
- Unexpressed spasms of the heart vessels.
- Increased heart rate.
- Intestinal spasms due to neurovegetative disorders.
In addition, the medicine is used for herpes (early stage). However, doctors do not approve of this method of treatment, especially for expectant mothers. This is explained by the fact that the drug eliminates the external manifestations of the disease, while the infection itself is in the body, which is very dangerous for the fetus.
Drops and tablets are taken orally. The pills are washed down with water, and the tincture is first diluted or dripped onto a piece of sugar. The decision to choose a dosage form and determine the dosage is made by the doctor for each patient individually.
Many expectant mothers are interested in the question: “Is Corvalol ok during pregnancy or not?” According to the instructions, the drug is contraindicated during pregnancy and breastfeeding. In addition, the medication should not be used in case of hypersensitivity to its substances, hepatic porphyria, liver disease, kidney disease, or functional heart failure.
Corvalol drops contain ethanol, which negatively affects the development of the fetus, especially in the early stages of pregnancy. And phenobarbital, as a result of long-term use, provokes medical dependence. The patient is forced to constantly increase the dosage of the medicine, as the usual one becomes ineffective. In addition, this component inhibits the activity of the nervous system, and as a result, the mental development of the child is disrupted. It is for these and many other reasons that the drug is not recommended for expectant mothers.
Unpleasant effects
It is important to emphasize that the substance presented above - phenobarbital - has another extremely unpleasant effect. This is the development of dependence on a drug in accordance with the principle of drug addiction.
The fact is that long-term use of drugs that contain the substance in question, as a rule, leads to even greater irritability than it was before treatment. When taking it, a person’s sleep may be disrupted. In addition, gradually the usual dose of the drug ceases to have the usual effect (the so-called addiction or tolerance), which is why it is necessary to constantly increase its dosage.
All the facts presented are signs of drug addiction, which is extremely difficult to get rid of, and at times impossible.
Pros and cons of the medication
Corvalol, like any other medication, is not safe for pregnant women. The drug has both advantages and disadvantages.
Corvalol is dangerous for expectant mothers
Pros of Corvalol:
- The drug helps fight sleep disorders, anxiety, restlessness; all these symptoms are typical for pregnant women.
- Corvalol quickly relieves signs of tachycardia that occur due to stress.
- The medicine lowers blood pressure, and therefore it is used in the early stages of hypertension instead of antihypertensive drugs.
- Corvalol quickly relaxes smooth muscles, eliminates stomach or intestinal spasms that occur against the background of nervous disorders.
- The drug is available without a prescription, is inexpensive, and works quickly.
Cons of Corvalol:
- Phenobrabital and ethyl alcohol disrupt the development of the fetus and cause drug dependence in the mother.
- The drug has an impressive list of adverse reactions: nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, allergies, confusion, speech disorders, etc.
- An overdose of small doses of the drug increases the likelihood of bromism (chronic bromine poisoning).
- Drops before birth can cause fetal hypoxia.
- After taking the tincture by a pregnant woman, the tone of the uterus may increase, which threatens placental abruption and fetal death.
- If the dose of the drug is significantly exceeded, death is possible.
Based on the above information, the disadvantages of Corvalol are more significant than its advantages. For this reason, doctors recommend that pregnant women use safer sedatives.
Description
Corvalol began to be produced in the USSR more than 50 years ago, but it still remains popular. Over 70 million packages of it are purchased in Russia every year. The main active ingredient in its composition is phenobarbital. It is a chemical compound derived from barbituric acid. When it enters the body, it activates gamma-aminobutyric acid contained in brain tissue. As a result, all processes in the central nervous system are inhibited. Phenobarbital is included in various sedatives and antiepileptic drugs. The amount of substance in Corvalol is much less than needed for the treatment of epilepsy.
In addition to phenobarbital, the popular medicine contains peppermint ester and ethyl bromizovalerianate (a derivative of valerian oil). Thanks to a special combination of active ingredients, Corvalol calms the nervous system, relieves muscle spasms, eliminates sleep problems and lowers blood pressure. Main indications for use of the drug:
- neurotic conditions;
- dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system;
- tachycardia;
- slight hypertension;
- irritability;
- anxiety;
- intestinal and biliary colic;
- insomnia;
- discomfort in the chest area.
Attention! You can buy the medicine in tablet form or in the form of drops (in dark glass bottles). The latter contains alcohol. In Russia, Corvalol is produced by a number of domestic manufacturers.
Among the contraindications for use, hypersensitivity to the components, advanced liver or kidney failure, and lactation should be noted. Sometimes taking Corvalol provokes the development of adverse reactions. These are, as a rule, drowsiness, spatial disorientation, loss of ability to concentrate, and allergies. With prolonged use, drug dependence and chronic bromine poisoning are possible (accompanied by depression, apathy, persistent runny nose, inflammation of the conjunctiva, impaired coordination of movements, hemorrhagic diathesis).
Corvalol in the first trimester
It is most dangerous to take Corvalol during early pregnancy. The components of the drug pass through the placental barrier and disrupt the development of the fetus during the formation of its main organs and systems.
In the 1st trimester, Corvalol disrupts fetal development
Consequences of taking the drug before the 13th week of pregnancy:
- Impaired functionality of the nervous system.
- Hormonal imbalance.
- The likelihood of epileptic seizures.
- Congenital pathologies.
- Congenital changes in the structures of the heart, due to which blood circulation is impaired.
As you can see, the negative effect of Corvalol on the fetus is quite serious, and therefore doctors strongly recommend choosing safe drugs to eliminate neuroses. Expectant mothers should remember that there are safer relaxation methods; they will be described in more detail below.
What are the possible concerns?
Corvalol during pregnancy, especially in the early stages, poses a great danger due to the high risk of developing fetal abnormalities.
Barbiturates are teratogenic substances that increase the likelihood of nervous system disorders, heart defects, cleft lips and palate, and mental disorders in the unborn baby. In the second and third trimester, the risk to the fetus decreases, but long-term use of Corvalol is fraught with addiction. It should be remembered that easily penetrating the placental barrier, the medicine can also pass into mother’s milk during breastfeeding. Due to this fact, use during breastfeeding is prohibited.
Application of Corvalol
The method of administration of the drug is oral, it is consumed before meals.
If there is an urgent need, then Corvalol can be taken during pregnancy, but only in rare cases. If the expectant mother uses a sedative to calm her nerves 2 or 3 times, then it will not harm the fetus. However, this rule applies if women take it after the 13th week of pregnancy.
The tablets are washed down with water, and the drops are pre-diluted
In emergency cases, you can drink Corvalol in case of tachycardia or convulsions, in which case the dosage is from 40 to 50 drops. Although during pregnancy, the lower the dose, the better. Rarely when you need to undergo a therapeutic course, drink the tincture before meals, no more than 30 drops 3 times a day.
Many pregnant patients believe that Corvalol tablets are safer than tincture, but this opinion is erroneous. This dosage form contains the same harmful components as the drops (with the exception of additional substances). Therefore, the tablets have the same contraindications as the liquid form of Corvalol. In case of urgent need, take 2 or 3 tablets, the maximum daily dose is 6 pieces.
Precautionary measures
Before using the medicine, a pregnant woman should carefully study the instructions, especially paying attention to contraindications:
- Intolerance to the components of Corvalol.
- Functional disorders of the liver and kidneys.
- Hypolactasia (while taking pills).
- Pregnancy and lactation.
After taking Corvalol to a pregnant woman, the likelihood of negative effects increases
If the patient took the drug for a long time or independently increased the dose, then the likelihood of a negative effect of Corvalol on the fetus increases:
- dysfunction of the central nervous system;
- sleep disorders, frequent stress in the child;
- congenital heart defects;
- congenital pathologies, for example, cleft lip.
In addition, the drug is unsafe for the expectant mother, because when used systematically, it has the opposite effect:
- sleep disorders will worsen;
- the activity of the central nervous system is further inhibited;
- drug dependence develops;
- the likelihood of developing more severe nervous disorders increases;
- the woman becomes more irritable and worried.
Thus, Corvalol does more harm than good, for this reason it is worth abandoning this drug during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
