It is possible that if you are pregnant, one of your concerns is to be clear about what medications pregnant women cannot take .
This information will be very useful to you, since the fact of ingesting certain drugs during pregnancy can cause unwanted interactions that carry dangers for the fetus.
However, we recommend that you go to your GP to ask any questions. Never self-medicate, or think that a certain medication will not harm you just because you have already taken it before, or because you know other pregnant women who have taken it and nothing has happened to them.
WHAT MEDICATIONS CAN PREGNANT WOMEN NOT TAKE?
Whatever the reason, it is possible that if you are pregnant, you want to know what medications pregnant women cannot take. To get rid of doubts, pay attention to the following list of drugs:
Nicotine patches
These have a harmful effect on the fetus that, although at lower levels, closely resembles that of cigarette smoking. If you are a smoker, it is best to try to quit without the help of patches.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Some of these are naproxen, ibuprofen, and aspirin, and their use is not recommended in the last trimester of pregnancy. This is because they inhibit the production of prostaglandins that dilate blood vessels and thus modify blood flow to the fetus. On the other hand, you should know that aspirin is a great inhibitor of platelet function, and increases the possibility of bleeding during pregnancy and during childbirth.
Statins
They reduce cholesterol levels in the blood and their use among the population is not uncommon. Instead, during pregnancy, they are linked to malformations in the fetus in different parts of its body, some of them: the heart, the trachea, the anus and the esophagus.
Antihypertensives
These drugs intended to lower blood pressure in cases of hypertension and with benefits outside of pregnancy, are totally contraindicated during the gestation period. The main cause is that they are related to different birth defects in the fetus, mainly at the kidney level, as well as problems during pregnancy.
Cortisone
This medicine, derived from corticosteroids, can cause a malformation in the fetus, the so-called cleft palate.
Antidiabetic secretagogues
Another of the medications that pregnant women cannot take, therefore, if you were taking them before you were pregnant, you should change your treatment to insulin. The main cause is that they can cause continuous hypoglycemia over time and are difficult to monitor, and this can affect the nervous system of the fetus.
oral contraceptives
They intensify the risk that the fetus will have Down syndrome and that it will present alterations in the urinary tract and in the genitals. In addition, they increase the risk of early vaginal cancer in the mother. Thus, if you get pregnant while you are following a contraceptive treatment (it is not frequent but it is not impossible), you should stop it and go to your doctor.
Baking soda
It causes an increase in the natural pH of the blood in both the mother and the fetus.
Omeprazole
Although it does not have such radical and harmful effects as the rest of the drugs mentioned, its intake is not recommended. There are other antacids that can replace it.
It is possible that you already have a clearer idea of what medications pregnant women cannot take. Apart from not taking them during this period, you should pay attention if you are following any of these treatments and you suspect that you may be pregnant. In these cases, it is best to see your doctor.