As a general rule, pregnant women aren’t supposed to be taking in medications, as it is still not certain if these substances can affect the fetus that they are carrying. There have been many cases where some drugs and substances exhibited teratogenicity (a drug’s ability to cause fetal malformation), hence bringing it to become a matter of medical concern.
 |
| Image Source: pharmacytechnician.org |
Adding to the long list of fetus-damaging drugs are anti-migraine medications Depakote and Depacon, both of which have been noted by the Food and Drug Administration for potentially causing mental retardation to children. This came after a study showing a pattern of reduced IQ scores among children whose mothers used the abovementioned drugs during pregnancy.
The culprit: a sodium salt called valproate sodium—originally an anticonvulsant which is also being used as a prophylaxis for migraines. Drugs containing this ingredient already come with FDA warnings that tell of its teratogenic effects. Apparently, some uninformed pregnant women would still take these drugs to ease the pain which is brought about the migraines.
 |
| Image Source: foxnews.com |
When stuck in such quandary, mothers are advised to consider all the potential risks which might come from taking these drugs.
Dr. Russell Katz, FDA’s director for neurology drugs, recognizes the likely damage incurred by the medication. “We have even more data now that show the risks to the children outweigh any treatment benefits for this use,” he said. The FDA also said in a statement: “Women who can become pregnant should not use valproate unless it is essential to managing their medical condition.”
 |
| Image Source: bu.edu |
There are many ways by which prospective mothers can keep their pregnancies healthy. Keep abreast with pregnancy-related updates by visiting this Facebook page for Dr. Cristian Andronic.
No comments:
Post a Comment