Dr. Mahajan Prabhakar K.

Which medicines are safe to use during Pregnancy?

Normal pregnancy lasts for 38 to 42 weeks. However, there may be times during these weeks that you may have some physical issues such as vomiting, backache, and loose stools etc which require treatment with medicines.

Therefore, monitoring and managing these physical conditions becomes necessary to ensure a normal delivery.Management consists of both medicines and rehabilitation.Medicines are considered to be the first line of treatment; however, the health care provider needs to take care while prescribing medicines during pregnancy taking into consideration the harmful effects they can have on both – the mother and the foetus.  Medicines pass on via the placenta from the mother to the foetus. Hence, before prescribing any medicine the provider should check the possibilities of the medicine causing any congenital defect. You should avoid medicines from the time of conception till the first 10 weeks, as this is the time when the foetus is most prone to the get permanent congenital deformities. Medicines given in the later stages (after 10 weeks) may cause systemic damage. For example NSAIDs (Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) may lead to problems during labour or organ defects in the foetus.

Therefore, medicines should always be avoided during pregnancy. Still there are certain medicines, which can be taken but after consulting your physician. Let’s discuss the medicines that are safe during pregnancy.

The following is a list of medicines and their effects during pregnancy:

1. Analgesic Medicines

2. Opiates

3. Anaesthetics

4. Thrombolytics - The possible advantages of this class may balance the risk during pregnancy. Common medicines used are: Alteplase, Reteplase, Streptokinase, Urokinase.

5. Antidotes

6. Penicillins

7. Cardiac agents

8. Diabetes: Insulin is safe to use during diabetes.

9. Antacids

10. Corticosteroids: Advised for short term use

Always talk to your physician in case of any complication and before taking any medicine given above.

The Churg-Strauss disease is a rare medical condition, which causes abnormal and painful swelling of the blood vessels thereby, obstructing normal blood flow to the different body organs and tissues. The Churg-Strauss disease generally attacks the blood vessels of the intestine, nose, heart, lungs and the sinuses. In rare cases, this abnormal swelling can damage the kidney and the body joints. If not diagnosed timely, Churg-Strauss disease might lead to further complications such as heart disease, nerve damage, and kidney damage.

Causes:

1. As of now, the accurate causes of the syndrome have not been detected; although doctors suspect that hereditary factors and a long-term exposure to allergens might be responsible for the syndrome.
2. Also, the syndrome can be caused as a result of side effects of prescribed medications for asthma and allergies. However, many people who have been diagnosed with allergies do not show the symptoms of Churg-Strauss syndrome.
3. The chances of suffering from this condition increase if you suffer from episodes of chronic asthma, sinusitis (inflammation of the nasal passage cavities) or any other form of allergy in the nose. This syndrome has been generally observed in people within the age group of 30-50 years.

Symptoms: 
The symptoms of Churg-Strauss syndrome vary among people depending on the affected organ. However, the possible symptoms of the disease are but not limited to:

1. There might be a significant pain in the joints and abdomen along with fever, asthma, sinusitis, and a loss in body weight.
2. Development of scars on the body along with the presence of blood in faecal matters coupled with a tingling sensation in the limbs along with a feeling of numbness if the syndrome happens to attack the nerves.

Treatment: Churg-Strauss disease is an incurable medical condition, but a prescribed dosage of corticosteroids or chemotherapy medications can regulate the symptoms.

It is not just men who are worried about their performance in bed now-a-days, but women too worry about the same and our society too is changing and the men are more considerate about their partner's pleasure. Female orgasmic disorder (FOD) is now quite common in women of all ages and there are innumerable therapies that can treat this trouble efficiently. This trouble mainly leads to lowering of sexual desire, mainly due to lower production of testosterone. On the other hand, libido also gets decreased as a result of which lubrication gets hampered a lot.

Major therapies for treating FOD:

• Counselling therapy: This kind of therapy has currently gained popularity as a sex therapy. This therapy is useful among all and can offer optimized benefits in treating FOD. The root troubles of FOD can be easily and accurately detected by this therapy. Some commonest troubles are relationship issues, past abuse, depression, anxiety and other related ones. In this case, you have to visit any experienced counsellor who has specialization in conducting the concerned therapy.
• Hormonal replacement therapy: This is also quite a popular therapy that can help in increasing the sexual drive in females. This therapy is mainly conducted for increasing the efficiency of the sexual hormones in women so that they can take part in sexual interaction with their partners actively without any hindrances. Menopause symptoms can be completely eliminated using this therapy so that you can fully concentrate on your sexual desires. There are some specific medications that are used in this therapy so that hormonal efficiency can be boosted.
• Taking supplements: You can now take different kinds of organic or natural supplements that can increase your sexual drive and enhance your testosterone levels. Make sure that only herbal ingredients have been included in the supplements so that unwanted adverse effects can be easily curtailed and you can only get the real effects. Arginmax is a common supplement which is highly enriched with nutrients and thus your body will get all kinds of essential nutrients, especially amino acids that not only increase the sexual arousal but also the blood flow.
• Taking medications: Taking medications is also quite a good option, but only in case the medicines have been prescribed by certified doctors or sex therapists. Antidepressants can be used for getting rid of depression, which is one of the leading causes of reduced libido and sexual desire in women. Some of the most popular alternative medicines that can be used in this regard are Effexor, Serzone, BuSpar, Celexa and Wellbutrin. All these medicines have lower side-effects, and this is the reason doctors often recommend them. Viagra can also be treated as one of the most useful options as blood-flow can be increased by consuming the same.

The above mentioned therapies are now being treated as the leading options that can offer guaranteed results in increasing women's sexual desire.

Lung capacity (or total lung capacity) refers to the total volume of air contained in the lungs after one complete inhalation and is a direct summation of your respiratory capacity and residual capacity (the amount you inhale and the amount your lungs can keep). A diminished lung capacity can stem from a number of conditions such as asthma, emphysema, lung cancer, or from bad habits such as excessive smoking. This, however, can be combated by a number of means.

1. Breathing exercises:

• Deep breathing: Research has shown, that taking long deep breaths, which basically encompasses inhaling for as long as possible and holding your breath for about 15-20 seconds can work wonders in increasing lung capacity if it can be carried out several times a day.
• Splashing water on your face: Splashing water on your face while holding breath lowers the heart rate, and prepares the body in the same way as if you were about to go swimming. This will automatically increase your lung's capacity to hold air.
• Try meditation: Closing your eyes and meditating for long periods may also prove to be beneficial. The lesser the amount of energy that you expend, the more air the lungs can hold.

2. Physical exercises:

• Engage in rigorous cardiovascular activities: Increased cardiovascular exercising, including aerobics, running, cycling is very useful, as it pushes your body to exhaustion, thus forcing your lungs to work harder - in turn, increasing its capacity.
• Increase water-based exercises: Swimming or exercising in water is very beneficial for the body as it adds an element of resistance to your training regime and overworks your lungs to supply enough oxygen, making them work better.
• Try exercising at higher elevations: This often works as a foolproof way of increasing lung capacity. Higher altitudes have lower oxygen supply. Thus, overworking your lungs by engaging in intense workouts can be very beneficial for your lungs.

3. Long-term training exercises:

• Increase your resistance: Breathe in high quantities of air, and take time before releasing it completely and do it very slowly. This forces your lungs to hold air longer, thus stretching them out.
• Overwork your brain: Try to breathe in extra - more than what you normally do. This forces your brain to work overtime to make sure that the lungs have the capacity to take in that excess air. This will greatly increase lung capacity in the long run.

Tip: All about Hypertension?

Gentle exercises like yoga during menstruation increase the blood flow to your pelvic region to provide quick relief from cramps.

Intercourse is meant to be a pleasurable and intimate experience. But it might become an unpleasant act if you are suffering from performance anxiety. When you are mentally occupied by questions such as "Do I look too fat?" or "Did I do that right?", sex stops being a gratifying experience.

Incessant anxiety over your ability or appearance can result in sex becoming nerve-wracking and stressful for you. It might even have you avoiding sex altogether. This psychological condition is termed as sexual performance anxiety.

Sex isn't only a physical reaction, there are emotions tied to it as well. If you are too stressed out and your mind is preoccupied, your body reflects your inner turmoil and you cannot get aroused.

Causes: The causes of sexual performance anxiety include:

1. Fear that you wouldn't be able to satisfy your partner and perform well sexually
2. Body image issues (Such as stressing about your weight)
3. Problems in your relationship
4. Men worry that their penis don't 'measure' up
5. Men might be concerned about taking too much time to orgasm, or about premature ejaculation
6. Women worry about not enjoying the experience or being unable to have an orgasm

Symptoms: Your mental state has a deep impact on your physical state. The effect of stress hormones norepinephrine and epinephrine can hinder your sexual performance. Symptoms of sexual performance anxiety include:

1. In men, blood vessels constrict due to the effect of stress hormones. This leads to reduced blood flow to the penis, thus making it difficult for the man to get an erection.
2. Often though it is less diagnosed in women, sexual performance anxiety leads to trouble in lubrication during sex. Lack of lubrication dims the desire to have sex.

Sexual performance anxiety is a vicious, inescapable cycle. Increased anxiety hampers you from having sex, making you think you won't be able to perform well, which causes even more anxiety.

Treatment: Consult a doctor you will be comfortable with discussing your problems. Sexual performance can be either treated by medication (if you have an underlying medical condition such as erectile dysfunction) or through therapy.

Talking to a therapist or counsellor about your problems can help you in several ways. You can learn to become more comfortable with yourself and your body. You can also understand your problems better, which can eliminate your anxiety.