If you’re pregnant and feel you need to take painkillers, paracetamol is usually safe to take. But before taking any medicine when you’re pregnant, you should get advice from your midwife or GP.When you’re pregnant, paracetamol is the preferred choice to treat:
- mild or moderate pain
- high temperature (fever)
Paracetamol has been used routinely during all stages of pregnancy to reduce a high temperature and for pain relief. There’s no clear evidence it has any harmful effects on an unborn baby.
But as with any medicine taken during pregnancy, use paracetamol at the lowest effective dose for the shortest possible time.If the recommended dose of paracetamol doesn’t control your symptoms or you’re in pain,
get more advice from your midwife or GP.Tablets that have combined paracetamol and caffeine are not recommended. High levels of caffeine can result in babies having a low birth weight,
which can increase the risk of health problems in later life. Too much caffeine can also cause miscarriage.You don’t need to cut out caffeine completely, but don’t have more than 200 milligrams (mg) a day.
The patient information leaflet will tell you how much paracetamol and caffeine is in each tablet.The advice on taking ibuprofen when you’re pregnant is different. It depends on how many weeks pregnant you are.
