I saw a commercial not long ago about Zofran being linked to birth defects in babies born to mothers who took this medication for morning sickness in the first trimester.
This hit home because I know a lot of doctors sing praises of how well Zofran works to combat morning sickness and I'm not going to lie...it worked for me. I'm horrified to know that something I've taken can cause problems in my unborn child and this is very upsetting to me.
I did and do research on any/all medication prescribed to me or any treatments that my doctor advises me to take. I did my research on Zofran, but I guess not enough. I never saw anything stating that it was being linked to birth defects and this is the first time I have seen this commercial. Needless to say I'm worried.
I've done my ultrasounds and other blood tests during my pregnancy and things came back normal. My current doctor told me that he obviously cannot guarantee my baby to be problem free because there are some things that cannot be seen or known about until birth. I'm okay with this...I appreciate him being up front. I'm more pissed at my other doctor. She didn't take any time to educate me on the medication that she was prescribing for my morning sickness. I asked her if it was safe and she said yes it is very common for pregnant women to take it.
I guess all I can do is not stress too much and be thankful for how smooth my pregnancy has been despite first and early second trimester morning sickness. I know now that I'll do additional research before taking anything that my doctor prescribes.
I took zofran during my first pregnancy in 2010. At that point it was so new for use in pregnancy, there weren't any side effects. But now I believe the side effects are cleft palate and some heart defects. I think I read that it's pretty much from 8 weeks and below. Knowing the side effects, I still took it when needed. Sometimes the benefit outweighs the risk. For me, taking the 1/2 unisom at night worked wonders.
Zofran is used off label (meaning that is not the originally intended and approved use- lots of drugs are used this way) for nausea in pregnancy and is considered a category B drug (Animal reproduction studies have failed to demonstrate a risk to the fetus and there are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women OR Animal studies have shown an adverse effect, but adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women have failed to demonstrate a risk to the fetus in any trimester). Many have us already used category B drugs including cough medicine, even cortisone.
The warning says that it is in early pregnancy and there are some possible defects and patients should be prescribed Diclegis as a safer alternative.
Here is the actual warning- it does not mean to actually stop taking the medication.
The FDA is a stringent morherfucker and would have pulled the drug or given it a black box warning long ago if it's life threatening, so take it with a grain of salt. Often a physician will still prescribe it when the benefits far outweigh the risks.
Plus, ALL drugs have lawsuits against them. Plus, the commercial was from a law firm- you can't go by a commercial that is for lawsuits because they are made to scare and make a profit off of people.
1st BFP- March 2011. Natural MC @ 8 weeks
2nd BFP- July 2011. Chemical Pregnancy
3rd BFP- Sep 2011. My beautiful son was born May 2012. 4th BFP-August 2014- Due May 12, 2015
The way I see it, if you are so sick that you need zofran, the benefits outweigh the risks. Some women have hyperemesis so bad that they get hospitalized for dehydration and electrolytes out of whack. This can pose greater danger to mother and baby than simply taking zofran, despite the risks they now say zofran poses. As for now, it's still category b and I still think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread! :-)
If the risks are heart defects and/or cleft palate, you probably would already know if your baby had either of these. They're both detectable via ultrasound. So it sounds like you're in the clear.
My baby has PACs (premature atrial contractions), which are pretty common and could still resolve before birth, but I can't help but wonder if the few times I took Zofran had an effect. I'm scared and angry about the possibilities but just trying not to think about it until she's here and we can really determine what, if anything, is wrong.
My sister had severe hyperemesis gravidarum with all 3 of hers and Zofran is seriously what kept her alive. All 3 of hers are healthy, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.
Daytime TV commercials about adverse reactions etc on medications are meant for scare tactics to a specific market. I would look into real research and it would ease your mind a lot :-)
Re: Zofran lawsuit for birth defects
The warning says that it is in early pregnancy and there are some possible defects and patients should be prescribed Diclegis as a safer alternative.
Here is the actual warning- it does not mean to actually stop taking the medication.
https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Surveillance/AdverseDrugEffects/ucm351864.htm
The FDA is a stringent morherfucker and would have pulled the drug or given it a black box warning long ago if it's life threatening, so take it with a grain of salt. Often a physician will still prescribe it when the benefits far outweigh the risks.
Plus, ALL drugs have lawsuits against them. Plus, the commercial was from a law firm- you can't go by a commercial that is for lawsuits because they are made to scare and make a profit off of people.
4th BFP-August 2014- Due May 12, 2015
My sister had severe hyperemesis gravidarum with all 3 of hers and Zofran is seriously what kept her alive. All 3 of hers are healthy, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.