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Family Medicine (Expert Forum)
Prescription drugs during pregnancy
Questions in the Family Medicine forum are answered by Dr. J.M. Keyes. Topics covered include general health issues, adolescence, babies, child health, eating disorders, fitness, immunizations and vaccines, infectious diseases, medical tests and procedures, and senior health.
Prescription drugs during pregnancy
by shanks, Jan 07, 2003 12:00AM
Loretta has a hyetis hernia, and is taking Nexium to treat same. This drug is giving her great relief.
She,now, wishes to start a family. She wishes to know if she can continue to take this medication while pregnant, as the effects of not taking it are very painful. The indications from our GP are that she can't, but we wonder how people that are on other prescription drugs such as for asthma etc. can continue to take their medication while pregnant. Is there a difference in prescription drugs during pregnancy, depending on what the condition is. Please advise.
Obviously it would be best if she could continue on this medication, but obviously we do not want to put our child at risk. What is the risk, if any? If it would be easier for our GP to issue only one months supply at a time, and have Loretta call to have her blood pressure checked every month, this would not present her with any problem.
Obviously if your opinion conflicts with that of her GP, we need further confirmation from you as to which opinion we should take. Is our GP being over-cautious? Is there a particular type of doctor that you might recommend that can offer us an opinion that will clarify things for us? Have you any names of such a doctor, or where we might locate one?
I trust that you will answer my question at your earliest convenience, by forwarding your reply to me on my email address.
Yours sincerely,
Loretta and Tim Shanahan
She,now, wishes to start a family. She wishes to know if she can continue to take this medication while pregnant, as the effects of not taking it are very painful. The indications from our GP are that she can't, but we wonder how people that are on other prescription drugs such as for asthma etc. can continue to take their medication while pregnant. Is there a difference in prescription drugs during pregnancy, depending on what the condition is. Please advise.
Obviously it would be best if she could continue on this medication, but obviously we do not want to put our child at risk. What is the risk, if any? If it would be easier for our GP to issue only one months supply at a time, and have Loretta call to have her blood pressure checked every month, this would not present her with any problem.
Obviously if your opinion conflicts with that of her GP, we need further confirmation from you as to which opinion we should take. Is our GP being over-cautious? Is there a particular type of doctor that you might recommend that can offer us an opinion that will clarify things for us? Have you any names of such a doctor, or where we might locate one?
I trust that you will answer my question at your earliest convenience, by forwarding your reply to me on my email address.
Yours sincerely,
Loretta and Tim Shanahan
Doctor's Answer
by Forum-M.D.-DT, Jan 07, 2003 12:00AM
Thank you for visiting the Family Practice Forum.
Nexium is categorized as "Category B" in regard to safety in pregnancy.
To summarize:
Category A = safety extablished using human studies
Category B = Presumed safety based on animal studies
Category C = Uncertain safety, no human studies and animal studies show an adverse effect.
Category D = Unsafe - only to be used in special circumstances
Category X = Highly unsafe
Typically, I feel as though medications of class A and B are "safe" in pregnancy and I tell my patients the same. Therefore, I would consider Nexium "safe". If you want a second opinion, you may consider speaking with the pharmacist or possibly an OB/GYN specialist.
Nexium is categorized as "Category B" in regard to safety in pregnancy.
To summarize:
Category A = safety extablished using human studies
Category B = Presumed safety based on animal studies
Category C = Uncertain safety, no human studies and animal studies show an adverse effect.
Category D = Unsafe - only to be used in special circumstances
Category X = Highly unsafe
Typically, I feel as though medications of class A and B are "safe" in pregnancy and I tell my patients the same. Therefore, I would consider Nexium "safe". If you want a second opinion, you may consider speaking with the pharmacist or possibly an OB/GYN specialist.
