We Really Need to Kick Our Drug Habit
You’d think that we’d recognize that fact after reading this story for about the twelve thousandth time:
Some blood pressure drugs previously thought to be safe when taken early in pregnancy now appear to substantially raise the risk of major birth defects, doctors say.
Babies whose mothers took ACE inhibitors in their first trimester were more than twice as likely to be born with serious heart and brain problems than those not exposed to any pressure-lowering medicines, a large study in Tennessee found. Other types of blood pressure drugs did not raise the risk to babies.
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Exactly how many pregnant women take ACE inhibitors or another blood pressure medication is unclear. However, a national survey found the number of ACE inhibitor prescriptions given to women of childbearing age increased from 1.4 million in 1995 to 2.7 million in 2002, the latest data available.
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Last year, U.S. sales of ACE inhibitors topped $3.8 billion, with about 150 million prescriptions filled, according to IMS Health, a pharmaceutical information company. The top-sellers include Lotrel, Altace and Lisinopril.
Ask your doctor if serious heart and brain birth defects are right for you and your family. He got all the relevant facts from that leggy blonde drug rep who brought him lunch yesterday.
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