so concerned

[lona833]

hi everyone, am pregnant 29 weeks and my blood pressure is 140/95, i went to my doc and he said its is not high but it shouldn't be higher, so he asked me to monitor it every day and in case is higher to take Methyldopa once a day.
And today i had 150/100 so i took a tablet.
i am so concerned if this madication can harm my baby, and if enyone of you used it and have a healthy baby.
waiting for your answers, thank you very much.

[AnnieBrooke]

Here is from another website.  In essence, it says that in large studies, they are not finding a statistical indication of problems with taking methyldopa, and that it is the drug of choice for high blood pressure in pregnancy, and that the potential damage to the baby from untreated high blood pressure is more significant.  Talk over your concerns with your doctor, though.

_____________

Animal studies have failed to reveal evidence of teratogenicity or fetotoxicity. There are no controlled data in human pregnancy. Methyldopa is only recommended for use during pregnancy when benefit outweighs risk.

Methyldopa crosses the placenta, and may cause mild hypotension in neonates of treated mothers. Because it has been safely and successfully used to treat hypertension during pregnancy, some experts consider it to be the drug of choice for the treatment of nonemergent hypertension during pregnancy. Of 3,248 children with any malformation related to a diuretic or a drug taken for a cardiovascular disorder from a population of 50,282 mother-child pairs in the Collaborative Perinatal Project, only one case associated with methyldopa was monitored, and no abnormalities were observed.  In one study a decrease in mean head circumference of 202 neonates of mothers who were begun on methyldopa during gestation weeks 16 and 20 has been reported.  Long-term follow-up of 98% of these children has not revealed abnormalities, and the development delay commonly seen in children of hypertensive mothers was less in children whose mothers received methyldopa than in children of untreated mothers.

A review of 1,157 hypertensive pregnancies has revealed no evidence of teratogenicity or fetotoxicity associated with methyldopa. The Michigan Medicaid surveillance study showed no association between the use of methyldopa and congenital defects (written communication, Franz Rosa, MD, Food and Drug Administration, 1994). This report is a summary of information from two studies, one in which 120 of 104,000 pregnant women from 1980 to 1983, and one in which 242 of 229,101 pregnant women from 1985 to 1992 received methyldopa during pregnancy. These data do not support an association between methyldopa and congenital defects. The various features of the fetal heart rate pattern, as evaluated in a controlled trial by computerized cardiotocography in human pregnancy, were not influenced by methyldopa 250 mg three times a day in 19 women with preeclampsia.

[trying43]

I know with my 1st and 2nd pregnancies my drs were freaking out when mine was 140/90.  I was put in bedrest and told to lay on my left side as much as possible.  I didn't have to take medicine.  Good luck to you.