Medications to Avoid During Pregnancy

In general, pregnant women should avoid taking any prescription or over-the-counter medications unless they are specifically approved by an OB/GYN or other health care professional who is aware of the pregnancy, since medications may cause birth defects or pregnancy complications. Some doctors provide patients with a list of medications that are considered safe during pregnancy on their first prenatal visit, and require approval for anything else.

Types

The main types of medications pregnant women might take include prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications and natural remedies. None of these types of medications, including one that are all natural, are necessarily safe. In general, topical and low-dose medications such as anti-itch creams and sore throat sprays are more likely to be okay than those that are taken internally, especially at high or regular doses, but pregnant women should still avoid them without a doctor's approval. While some drugs, including those that affect the blood pressure, such as ACE inhibitors and many migraine medications, are known to be potentially harmful during pregnancy, the risk of other drugs is still under debate.

Identification

Most prescription and over-the-counter drugs contain warnings for pregnant women on outside of the box or in the information pamphlet. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labels drugs as class "A," "B," "C," "D" or "X" for use during pregnancy. Class "A" drugs have been proven safe for pregnant women. Class "B" drugs have not been proven safe for pregnant women, but may have been safe in animal studies. Class "C" drugs have been proven harmful in animals, and have not been proven safe in humans. Class "D" drugs have been proven to cause birth defects or other harm, but their benefits may outweigh the risks in some cases. Class "X" drugs are known to be harmful to pregnant women or their babies, and should be completely avoided during pregnancy.

Time Frame

Some medications are most harmful during the first trimester of pregnancy, while others only need to be avoided during the last few weeks. For some drugs, the FDA may assign them one classification in early pregnancy and another classification in late pregnancy. Medications such as accutane (a prescription acne drug) and Thalidomide can cause severe birth defects if taken in early, or even shortly before, pregnancy, and Soriatane or acitretin (a psoriasis drug) can cause birth defects up to 3 years after a woman stops taking it. Other medications, such as aspirin, may cause excessive bleeding if a woman takes them in the hours or days before delivery.

Effects

Some medications, such as thalidomide, are now well known to cause severe birth defects such as missing limbs, heart problems and digestive disorders. For other medications, the effects are less clear. Drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen (Aleve) may cause heart defects in the baby, especially late in pregnancy, but may be safe at occasional, low doses earlier on. While some medications such as anti-depressants may not cause obvious birth defects or complications, doctors still aren't sure whether they may have more subtle long-term effects on a child's development.

Considerations

In many cases, the effects of medications on pregnant women and their babies have not been adequately studied. Since doctors cannot say for sure that many drugs do not cause birth defects or pregnancy complications for the mother, they often recommend avoiding medications unless they are absolutely necessary to be on the safe side. In each case, the doctor will weigh the potential risks and benefits of a drug, and any less risky alternatives, before recommending which medications a pregnant woman should take. For example, doctors may continue to treat women who have a disorder that makes them prone to blood clots with daily doses of aspirin, but recommend that women who have mild headaches use a safer alternative, such as acetaminophen, cold compresses or relaxation techniques instead.