DIETHYLPROPION

Fetal Risk Summary

No reports linking the use of diethylpropion with congenital defects have been located. The drug has been studied as an appetite suppressant in 28 pregnant patients and, although adverse effects were common in the women, no problems were observed in their offspring (1). A retrospective survey of 1,232 patients exposed to diethylpropion during pregnancy found no difference in the incidence of defects (0.9%) when compared to a matched control group (1.1%) (2). No impairment of fertility, teratogenicity, or fetotoxicity was observed in animal studies with doses up to 9 times those used in humans (3,4).

Breast Feeding Summary

Diethylpropion and its metabolites are excreted into breast milk (4). No reports of adverse effects in a nursing infant have been located.

References

1. Silverman M, Okun R. The use of an appetite suppressant (diethylpropion hydrochloride) during pregnancy. Curr Ther Res 1971;13:648–53.
2. Bunde CA, Leyland HM. A controlled retrospective survey in evaluation of teratogenicity. J New Drugs 1965;5:193–8.
3. Schardein JL. Drugs as Teratogens. Cleveland:CRC Press, 1976:73–5.
4. Product information. Tenuate. Marion Merrell Dow, Inc., 1992.