News Moms Need

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning women and their health providers that Valproate products, a group of medicines normally used to treat seizures, is unsafe for pregnant women to use to treat migraines. A recent study found that the products may harm brain development in babies, leading to lower IQs than healthy babies later in life. FDA also says women who aren’t pregnant and are using Valproate products should use birth control.

Valproate products are usually used to treat epilepsy, a brain disorder that causes you to have frequent seizures, and bipolar disorder, a serious mental illness that leads to unusual mood changes. FDA says that Valproate products may still be used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder in pregnancy, but only if no other treatment is suitable.

If you’re pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant, talk to your health provider about any medicines you take. Some medicines you take can hurt your baby. Once you’re provider knows what medicines you take, she can tell you which ones are safe and which ones you need to stop taking.

Learn more about the FDA announcement on Valproate.

You may have seen a lot of news coverage on a study linking some over-the-counter pain relievers to miscarriage. The Canadian study found that using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which can be found in common pain relievers like Advil®, Motrin® and Aleve®, can put women at risk for miscarriage if taken in early pregnancy.

While more research needs to be done on the safety of these pain relievers during pregnancy, it’s a good time to remember to talk to your health provider before taking any medicines during pregnancy. If you’re already taking medication to keep you healthy, talk to your provider to make sure it’s safe to continue taking the medication during pregnancy. Your provider may want to keep you on the same medicine or switch you to a safer medicine during pregnancy.

Learn more about medicines and other drugs, herbs and dietary supplements during pregnancy.

January 2011 is National Birth Defects Prevention Month.  This year’s theme is Medication Use Before, During, and After Pregnancy.

While most birth defects cannot be prevented because their causes are not known, women can take a number of steps before and during pregnancy to reduce their risk. These steps include taking a multivitamin containing 400 micrograms of folic acid daily starting before pregnancy and in early pregnancy. This helps to prevent serious birth defects of the brain and spinal cord, including spina bifida, and may also help prevent heart defects. Another step is getting a pre-pregnancy check up and making sure that the medications you are taking are safe to use during pregnancy.

Talk with your health care provider and pharmacist about your medications.  For the most current information about medications (prescription or over-the-counter), drugs, vaccines, chemical or environmental agents and their potential risks, we suggest that you contact a Teratology Information Service (TIS).  A teratogen is any agent or substance that can affect fetal development.  To answer questions properly, it is sometimes necessary to know how far along in her pregnancy a woman was when she came in contact with the substance, what medications she was taking at the time, some of her medical history, etc.  Trained professionals in the field of teratogens can answer your specific questions while maintaining your anonymity. They also can tell you if a medication is safe to use while breastfeeding. The national toll-free phone number to call is 866-626-6847.

October 6-10 is the first Get Smart About Antibiotics Week. It is designed to help all of us learn when it is appropriate and safe to take an antibiotic or give one to our children.

Often parents see a child with a cold (sore throat, sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, flu symptoms) and they want the doctor to prescribe an antibiotic, “the magic medicine,” to make it go away.  There usually is no such medicine, but sometimes a doctor will comply with the request to please the troubled parent.  The fact is that most colds and flu, even most cases of bronchitis, are caused by viruses and antibiotics do not work on viruses – they fight bacteria.

Taking an antibiotic for a virus can cause more harm than good.  It won’t cure the problem or make you feel better (time will likely do that), but it may encourage your body to begin building up a resistance to the antibiotic.  If resistance occurs and you end up requiring the antibiotic for a bacterial infection in the future, it may not work for you.  That’s why it is important to take antibiotics only when they are appropriate and not to ask for them “just to be safe.”  The CDC has some very good information about when to use antibiotics.  

And while we’re on the subject of medications, remember not to give over-the-counter cough and cold products to infants and children younger than 2 years of age. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, these medications can have serious and life-threatening side effects.  Read more about over-the-counter medications.

I can’t believe how expensive things are now! I’m not buying any more stuff than I usually need.  But it seems every time I see the cashier scan another item, my heart races as the total price keeps going up.  I’ve tried cutting back on expenses and taking advantage of coupons and that’s helped.  But there are some things I just can’t cut back on, like prescriptions.

The Wall Street Journal had an article last week about how more people are cutting back on their prescribed medications.  Folks are either cutting pills in half or not buying them at all in order to save money.  The trouble is that if you cut back on a necessary medicine, you could really do yourself harm.  Even if you don’t see any changes immediately, your body could suffer greatly in the long run.

Some prescriptions are available in generic versions, which are much more affordable than the brand name meds.  Whenever my health provider prescribes me with a new medication, I always ask her or my pharmacist for the generic kind.  Doing so helps cut down on the cost.  I also talk to my health provider to find out what other alternatives, if any, might help me.  I’m fighting allergy season right now and in addition to my allergy meds, I’m going to try clearing my sinuses with warm salt water and maybe get a humidifier.  Of course, whenever my husband and I decide to try for a baby, I’ll have to talk with my health provider just to make sure I can still take my prescription meds during pregnancy.  But I won’t stop taking them without checking with her first.

Anyone have any other tips for dealing with prescription costs?

Image: Darren Hester, Flickr

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)  is proposing major changes in drug labels to provide more information about the effects of medicines used during pregnancy and breastfeeding. If the changes take effect, they would help doctors and women make more informed decisions. 

Comments on the proposed regulations are due on August 27.  After reviewing the comments, FDA will decide whether to go ahead with the changes.

For more information, visit the FDA Web site.

Meanwhile, if you’re pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding, take only medications prescribed to you or recommended by a health care provider. But don’t stop taking a prescription drug without your health care provider’s okay.