metoprolol and pregnancy/miscarriages

[honeydelong]

i was pregnant with my first baby in 2005 and they found out that i had Mitral Valve Prolapse and put me on metoprolol.. its a blood pressure medication but it can also be used to treat mvp. my daughter has reacently turned two and my husband and i have been trying for a year to get pregnant with a second child. my first pregnancy was fine and normal other than my heart condition but it did not affect her at all. they didnt put me on the medication untill i was about 8 months pregnant already and the baby's heart had already developed. i have went through two miscarriages since the birth of my daughter and the doctors wont test me untill my third to see what is wrong. i have just been doing some research on my own about all the possible reasons and i found this on a site that tells about the drug metoprolol it says:  Metoprolol is in the FDA pregnancy category C. This means that it is not known whether metoprolol will be harmful to an unborn baby. Do not take this medication without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant or could become pregnant during treatment
   ok so my question is this.... has anyone ever been on this from the beginning of a pregnancy and had a healthy baby? has anyone had miscarriages and was on this drug? im desperate and cant lose another pregnancy..... this drug is a beta blocker... in some of the stuff i have read it talks about beta HCG (the pregnancy hormone) do you think that may have something to do with it? thanks for all your help

[KellyA74]

I have a drug guide (I'm an RN) and looked it up....same drug guide as hospitals use...here's something interesting that it mentioned that may be of use/concern to you.


Use Cautiously in:


Pregnancy, lactation, or children (safety not established; all agents cross the placenta and may cause fetal/neonatal bradycardia, hypotension, hypoglycemia, or respiratory depression).
Lab Test Considerations: May cause increased BUN, serum lipoprotein, potassium, triglyceride, and uric acid levels.
May cause increased ANA titers.
May cause increase in blood glucose levels.
May cause increased serum alkaline phosphatase, LDH, AST, and ALT levels.

It seems like overall it wouldn't be safe....What does your Ob say about taking it early in pregnancy?  I know that alot of meds that are not safe to take early on are safe later....
Interesting about increase in glucose levels, which is something they always check for in pregnancy, as well as all of the kidney (BUN, lipoprotein, etc) labs that it affects, which I'm thinking may change the bloodflow to the placenta (I'm guessing but kidneys play a big role in blood pressure and circulation)......
I didn't really answer your question, as I've never taken it, but that's just the info. that I have readily available to me...
I'm very sorry for you losses.....Best of luck in TTC again!

[honeydelong]

My OB told me that there were no studies that say it is harmful it is a class C drug (which im sure you know)  she did tell me that i couldnt breastfeed so i had to use formula with my daughter.  with my first pregnancy loss i didnt go to the doctor because when i called the emergency room they said there was nothing they could do if it really was a miscarriage.. i didnt even know i was pregnant at the time.  but the second time i knew i was pregnant for sure and was about 6-9 weeks along and after going through it i am positive that i had a miscarriage the first time.  i have stopped taking it now and have been off of it for about a month and i want to try to get pregnant again, however, i dont want to lose another baby.  thanks for your help

[honey1982]

i am on it for hyperthyroiidism and i dont have high blood pressure and the drug guide we have at our clinic says its a class d and it is not safe to take during pregnancy.

[honey1982]

my heart beats very fast as a result of my hyperthyrodism sorry for your loss.

[KellyA74]

be careful though not taking it...if you need it to keep YOU healthy, that's a #1 priority.....I was always told that only Category A & B are safe to take during pregnancy....But I'm sure that your Dr. knows best....I know, M/C's are so hard and you do everything under the sun to avoid them....but you need to take care of you too!  :o)  

[honeydelong]

thanks for your time and concerns... i had already discussed with my cardiologist about stopping the medication... he said that it would be fine as long as i did it a little at a time.  now im compleatly off of it and i seem to be doing good so far. i think this month i am going to start trying again...   thanks again for all of your answers..

[KellyA74]

Best of luck!  

[chopstickgirl]

i was on this during pregnancy and assured it was safe. it's actually a class D during 2nd and 3rd trimester. my daughter was stillborn at 41w due to heart failure, which can be a "side effect" of the met during pregnancy (fetal heart failure)

i was never told this was a class D drug. i was assured it was safe. i never, EVER EVER would have taken a class d drug, esp had it upped from 25mg daily to 150mg daily by the end of my pregnancy.

the doctors absolutely, 100%, DO NOT KNOW BEST ALL THE TIME. educate yourself, and advocate for yourself. i had one of the top cardiologists and top high risk OBs in the city, and they still kept me on this drug and UPPED it as a precaution (I had previous heart issues during my first pregnancy but my heart remained stable and fine during my second pregnancy, they upped it as a precaution)