I am 6 weeks pregnant and constipated from taking vitamins. Is it safe to use Lax-a-day for my baby?

Hello to you!

First of all, congratulations on your pregnancy! I hope everything is going wonderfully :)

Taking multivitamins is indeed a common cause of constipation in pregnancy, due to some of the minerals they contain (iron and calcium, especially). Although Lax-A-Day is perfectly safe in all trimesters of pregnancy, we generally suggest avoiding taking one medication to counteract the adverse effects of another. In this case, Lax-A-Day would be used to counteract constipation caused by the multivitamin; this is called a "drug cascade."

The preferred solution, then, would be to consult with your pharmacist so that he or she can evaluate your nutritional needs with you! Indeed, if you have a varied and balanced diet, chances are good that your nutritional needs are already being met by your diet, without the need for multivitamins! At this point, only vitamin B9 (folic acid) and iron supplements would be required. Your pharmacist could then prescribe each of the two separately, and adjust the dose, dosage or formulation of iron (which often causes more constipation) so that you get adequate supplementation, without suffering any adverse effects!

I hope I've answered your question correctly! If there is anything else, please don't hesitate!

It's a pleasure,

Stéphane Villeneuve, pharmacist