For a better use of drugs during pregnancy and lactation

This site has enjoyed great success with physicians and other professionals involved in the care of pregnant and lactating patients. There are more than 1000 drugs listed in our catalog. The reviews are exhaustive, but pertinent to the management of pregnant and lactating patients who have already ingested a drug or who are in need of drug therapy where a cost-benefit analysis may be necessary for appropriate counseling.

There are seldom absolute answers to questions a woman may have when she ingests a drug while pregnant or nursing, since human experience is usually, of necessity, somewhat anecdotal. Even though a drug may not show a problem among a large group of exposed patients, one can never rule out individual susceptibility, making the dictum of not using drugs in pregnancy without good cause still important. The effect or lack of effect in animals does not necessarily translate to human risks or safety, resulting in the persistent need to consider both animal and human studies when counseling exposed patients or selecting appropriate drugs for use in pregnant and lactating patients.

Conclusions

Two basic situations are dealt with throughout this site: (a) risk potential to the fetus of maternal drugs ingested during the course of pregnancy and (b) risk potential to the infant of drugs taken by the mother while nursing.

The obvious solution to fetal and nursing infant risk avoidance is maternal abstinence. However, from a pragmatic standpoint, that would be impossible to implement. Another solution is to disseminate knowledge, in an authoritative manner, to all those involved in the pregnancy and breast feeding processes: physician, mother, midwife, nurse, father, and pharmacist.

This site helps to fill a communication and information gap. We have carefully evaluated the research literature, animal and human, applied and clinical. We have established a risk factor for each of the nearly 900 drugs, in keeping with the FDA guidelines, that may be administered during pregnancy and lactation. This will be changed as new labeling guidelines are promulgated. We believe that this site will be helpful to all concerned parties in developing the risk: benefit decision.

Usefull Links

The Drug Facts was developed with the health care provider in mind. The book is designed to provide vital drug information in a format that is both easy to understand and readily accessible. The Drug Facts contains more than 600 full drug monographs, plus abbreviated monographs for combination drugs, orphan drugs, and AIDS drugs in development. Each monograph covers pharmacology considerations and patient care considerations.

The Town Pharmacies offers the most convenient pharmacy search available on the web. Whether you need to find you local corner drugstore r search the many online pharmacies in our database, the Town Pharmacies is your best source for information. From this database, you may get directions to the nearest drugstore or contact your pharmacist for information on prescription drugs or over-the-counter medicine. USA local pharmacies / drugstores

Drug Information - Prescription and over-the-counter medication information
Taking Medications Safely While Breastfeeding
Hale, T. Medications and Mother's Milk, 7th ed. Amarillo, TX: Pharmasoft, 1998-99. (Order from LLLI, or see Dr. Hale's website)

DailyDrug

CEFTIBUTEN

Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation. .


Name: CEFTIBUTEN
Class: Antibiotic (Cephalosporin)
Risk Factor:    BM

Fetal Risk Summary

Ceftibuten is an oral, semisynthetic cephalosporin antibiotic. Reproduction studies in rats found no evidence of impaired fertility at doses up to approximately 43 times the human dose on a mg/m2 basis (1). No teratogenesis or fetal harm was found in studies with rats and rabbits at doses up to approximately 8.6 and 1.5 times, respectively, the human dose on a mg/m2 basis.

No reports describing the use of ceftibuten in human pregnancy have been located. Cephalosporins are usually considered safe to use during pregnancy (see other cephalosporins for published human experience).

Breast Feeding Summary

No reports describing the use of ceftibuten during human lactation have been located. Low concentrations of other cephalosporins are secreted into milk, however, and the presence of ceftibuten in milk should be expected. Three potential problems exist for the nursing infant exposed to ceftibuten in milk: modification of bowel flora, direct effects on the infant, and interference with the interpretation of culture results if a fever workup is required. Although not specifically listing ceftibuten, the American Academy of Pediatrics classifies other cephalosporin antibiotics as compatible with breast feeding (2).

References

1. Product information. Cedax. Schering Corporation, 1997.
2. Committee on Drugs, American Academy of Pediatrics. The transfer of drugs and other chemicals into human milk. Pediatrics 1994;93:137–50.
   
   

Index