If you’re considering continuing medication during pregnancy or nursing, chances are you need that drug. Chances are that without it, your quality of life will be severely impaired. Whether you need treatment for cancer, autoimmune diseases, asthma, allergies, lupus, colitis, arthritis, Still’s disease, Bell’s palsy, Chrohn’s disease, pemphigus, sarcoidosis, kidney disease, mononucleosis, Epstein-Barr, organ transplant, migraines, or many others, choosing to go off your medication is always going to be a big decision. It doesn’t make it any easier that the medical community hasn’t reached a consensus on whether pregnant and nursing women should discontinue treatment. The best you can hope for is an informed doctor to assist in your decision-making process. Below, you will find specific information on the issues concerning this corticosteroid drug, pregnancy, and nursing.
Category C
Prednisolone, the active ingredient converted by the liver, is placed in pregnancy category C by the FDA. Pregnancy category C drugs have shown bad effects on fetuses using controlled animal reproduction studies. However, these drugs have not had adequate enough testing with human studies for the FDA to approve of or warn against usage. They note that category C medications may “warrant use” during pregnancy even when the dangers are taken into account.
So where does that leave you? Nowhere really. All that says is, “See if you think it’s worth it.” So, assuming you know the benefits of continuing medication, let’s take a look at the risks.
Pregnancy
While there have not been any large studies on humans involving the FDA or meeting their standards, studies have shown that the risk of birth defects in non-human animal testing is elevated. Specifically, cleft palate may be a danger in human fetuses. This finding comes from four epidemiological studies, and one specific one in California, which showed a significant rise in the defect. However, there have been many similar studies which show no statistically significant results for any specific birth defect. The result is wide open for debate, but it seems as if there is not a danger clear enough to indict the drug, and that speaks volumes. You can see why it is pregnancy class C. (more…)