Side effects of terbutatline?

LisaandBryan

OK as if we don't have enough to worry about, I couldn't sleep last night and read some things online that say terbutaline has been linked to autism.  Fabulous.  THey gae me one shot of it last to stop contrax and it worked.  However, I hated the way it made me feel way.  I felt like my heart was going to come out of my chest and it made me shaky and jittery and sweaty.  I couldn's sleep last night because of it.  Anyone else get like this on it?

Am I jus twonderting when do the side effects override the benefits?  Obviously I don't want to have my babies at 28 weeks, but the whole autism thing is scaring the hell out of me.  I don't know what possesed me to look that up.  This whole thing is so scary. I hate it.

hollyoid7

Yeap I fell the same way when I get the shot..Heart races and I am VERY VERY jittery..I legs just jump like I am freezing..I think the benefits out way it. The first time at 25 weeks when I went to L&D I had diliated to 1 cm when I got to the hospital,so with the shots I don't know what would have happen.?

BelleBaby

I did a search in the medical journals and found a publication that linked exposure during early critical developmental periods in rats to neurological abnormalities similar to autism.  But these rats were exposed during the postnatal period and not in utero, so the effects could be totally different.  And, these are rats, not humans, so it's impossible to know at this point if the correlation would carry over. 

Another article suggests that specific genetic factors need to be present to see the link between terbutaline exposure and autism risk. 

It doesn't seem like there is a definitive link at this time, only a few small studies in animals.  I think the problem with determining the cause of autism is that there isn't really a single obvious cause.  It's a complex combination of genetics and environmental exposure that is hard to seperate. 

The possible risk obviously isn't great enough that your doctors are witholding tertbutaline treatments.  I wish I could give you a more comforting answer, but there really just isn't one available right now because all of the research is so early.  I'll be praying for you and your boys.   

Temp159135562506975

i would not worry one bit.

a) studies done with anmials are usually done with MUCH higher doses than any human would ever get... and even with those mega doses it's hard to show any link.

b) my nephew has a form of autism (as does my father) and neither of them had any medial intervention while in utero....

i had terb and my DS shows no signs of autism at all (we know what to look for since it's in the family).

terb does suck- i hated how it made me feel- like i couldn't breathe and my heart would jump out of my chest.

jlc071903

I used to be on terb (I took the pill AND had several injections during my hospitalization with my girls...I HATED the way the injections made me feel, but the pills didn't do anything at all like the injections did. I've heard the pills can cause headaches and I am migraine prone, but I very rarely if EVER had them. My Peri told me not to worry about those studies b/c of the doseages used in the studies AND the way they were conducted.

lajolla09.30.06

I got terb shots in the hospital and was on the pill form from 26 weeks til 34 weeks.  I didn't like how it made me feel but it stopped my contractions and that was what we were worried about.  It got me 8 more weeks of pregnancy and I think that's worth the side effects.

Empwr

i got it in pill form, i think you should be fine my babies are healthy and happy.  liked the pills cause i had it on hand to take only if i HAD to. i didnt know they offered a shot. And with the pills i could take one and as long as it stopped the contractions didnt have to take more. When i only took one i didnt get the shaky feeling. dont feel dumb though i looked up everything they gave me to take.

jdchris

I was on a terb pump for about 5 weeks before my water broke at 35 weeks.  I was getting a constant flow of terb, and occasionally had to get a bolus shot of it because I went over my "contraction threshold" of 6/hour.  It also freaked me out when I started googling it, the supposed link to autism, the fact that it is not FDA approved for pregnant women, etc.  But on the other hand, twins born at 30 weeks would be given a heck of a lot more medication/drugs than that if I went into preterm labor!  As it turned out, my girls are doing great and didn't have to have one medical intervention after birth (no oxygen even).  As my doctor said "What ISN'T linked to autism in some study somewhere?"  Still, I agree it is scary.