Pregnant women should be careful with any drug, but there are drugs that are prohibited from being given in principle. The criteria follow the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 5th grade pregnancy drug and the domestic drug use service (DUR) pregnancy contraindication grade. Here are 4 medicines you should never take while pregnant.
4 drugs contraindicated during pregnancyㅣSource: Getty Image Bank
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies the effect on the fetus of each drug into five levels, from the safest category A to the most dangerous category X. In Korea, drugs contraindicated during pregnancy, which are considered to have greater risk than therapeutic benefits due to the high risk to the fetus when administered to pregnant women, are divided into three levels, of which level 1 is be opposed in principle.
Exposure to teratogenic drugs in the pre-implantation period up to 3 weeks of pregnancy can lead to miscarriage. From the 4th to the 10th week of pregnancy, when the fetal organs are being formed, it is a very sensitive period to drug exposure, so the use of drugs should be reduced as much as possible. Be aware of drug exposures that could affect Here are the 4 representative drugs.
1. Statin-type hyperlipidemic drugs
Statin-type hyperlipidemia drugs are classified as Class 1 contraindications for pregnancy in Korea and Category X in the US FDA. Statin-type lipid-lowering drugs inhibit the production of cholesterol and cholesterol synthetic substances, and cholesterol is an essential element for fetal development, such as hormones and cell membrane formation. Statins are contraindicated during pregnancy because taking cholesterol production inhibitors during pregnancy makes it difficult for the fetus to develop normally. It is known that the risk of cardiovascular disease does not increase suddenly even if hyperlipidemia drugs are temporarily stopped during pregnancy.
2. Anticoagulant ‘warfarin’
Warfarin is an anticoagulant that delays blood clotting. When there is bleeding in the body, such as from a wound, the body forms a blood clot to stop the bleeding. However, when blood clots form easily in the body, the blood vessels are blocked. If the blood vessels are cerebral vessels, a stroke, and if the blood vessels are blocked, angina pectoris or myocardial infarction occurs. Therefore, patients at high risk of developing blood clots should receive warfarin Oral warfarin crosses the placenta and increases the risk of birth defects when administered in the early stages of pregnancy. There is an increased risk of fetal intracranial haemorrhage, especially when administered in the third trimester of pregnancy.
3. Isotretinoin acne treatment
Pregnant women should also avoid Isotretinoin, an acne medication that inhibits sebum secretion. This is because the ingredient causes birth defects. Major fetal malformations include cranial anomalies, brain malformations, cerebellar malformations, hydrocephalus, and anencephaly. In addition, if you become pregnant during isotretinoin treatment or within 1 month after the end of treatment, it can cause severe deformities and spontaneous abortion of the fetus. Do not touch isotretinoin-based acne medications during pregnancy.
4. Finasteride hair loss treatment
Pregnant women should not take finasteride-based hair loss tablets or come into contact with the skin. If you take finasteride-based hair loss tablets during pregnancy, hormone production is suppressed, leading to genital malformations in the fetus. As this ingredient is also absorbed into the skin, touching the medication will cause the ingredient to be absorbed into the skin. It doesn’t matter if you are a girl, but if you are a boy, you may not be able to develop your genitals.
