Important Drugs for Pregnancy

Many babies in our country born with birth defects and this are because of the poor or bad medications that their mother takes during pregnancy. There are some medicines that can interfere with functional development of organ systems in the second and third trimesters. They can produce serious consequences..

So, in this article Dr. Max Mongeli have suggested some detailed information about the drugs during pregnancy-

Types of Drug Induced Effects

• Structural Effects
• Effects on Neonatal Adaptation
• Behavioral Effects

Antibiotics that should be taken during pregnancy-

• Penicillins and Cephalosporins safe
• Augmentin, carboxypenicillins not provento be safe
• Erythromycin proven safe
• Gentamycin only for serious infections -
• Metronidazole: avoid in first trimester
• Vancomycin: reserved for resistant m/oand intrapartum prophylaxis (valvular disease)

Antibiotics that should be avoided during pregnancy –

• Sulphonamides: fetal albumin bindingand neonatal jaundice
• Chloramphenicol: grey baby syndrome
• Tetracyclines: fetal bone dysplasia anddiscoloured teeth (yellow-brown)
• Ciprofloxacin: changes in joint cartilagein puppies

Impact of Drugs on Developement

• Drugs implicated as the definitive cause in a smallnumber of birth defects
• Drugs contribute significantly to the multifactorialaetiology of birth defects
• Effects of drugs vary from fetal death, teratogenic effects to growth retardation & functional effects
• No deleterious effects can be found in many mothers who have taken several drugs.

The Australian categorization consists of the following categories:

• Category A

These drugs have been taken by a large number of pregnant women.

• Category C

These drugs owing to their pharmacological effects, have caused or may be suspected of causing, harmful effects on the human fetus or neonate without causing malformations.

• Category B1

Drugs which have been taken by only a limited number of pregnant women and womenof childbearing age, without an increase in the frequency of malformation or other director indirect harmful effects on the human fetus having been observed.

• Category B2

Drugs which have been taken by only a limited number of pregnant women and womenof childbearing age, without an increase in the frequency of malformation or other director indirect harmful effects on the human fetus having been observed.

• Category B3

Drugs which have been taken by only a limited number of pregnant women and womenof childbearing age, without an increase in the frequency of malformation or other director indirect harmful effects on the human fetus having been observed.

• Category D

Drugs which have caused, are suspected to have caused or may be expected to cause, an increased incidence of human fetal malformations or irreversible damage.

• Category X

Drugs which have such a high risk of causing permanent damage to the fetus that theyshould not be used in pregnancy or when there is a possibility of pregnancy