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Exposure to alcohol-containing medications during pregnancy
Facundo Garcia-Bournissen1, Yaron Finkelstein, Massoud Rezvani
1Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Question:
A pregnant patient consulted her physician after discovering that a diphenhydramine preparation (Benadryl elixir) she used for allergy symptoms during the first trimester of her pregnancy contained 15% alcohol. Should she be concerned about fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in her baby?
Answer:
Most ethanol-containing medical preparations are safe during pregnancy. Adult doses of some elixirs with high ethanol concentrations might produce blood levels similar to those achieved by drinking 1 alcoholic beverage. Caution is advisable when prescribing ethanol-containing elixirs to pregnant women, as is informing them about the alcohol content.
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