Should Not Be Used During Pregnancy
Ever since I had an adverse reaction to a prescription painkiller several years ago, I have been diligent in reading patient inserts and researching any new medication my doctor prescribes. I note the common side effects and the potential adverse reactions, and I ask the pharmacist about drug interactions with other medications I am taking.
One of the most common warnings I have come across concerns pregnancy. The ClinDATA sheets for my migraine medications that I receive from my pharmacy state clearly: “Safety of use during pregnancy has not been established. This medicine SHOULD NOT BE USED DURING PREGNANCY unless the benefit justifies potential risk to the fetus. CALL YOUR DOCTOR.” There’s no mistaking the meaning of that warning. Doctors enforce it, too. Several years ago, I had a friend who had migraines and who had to stop her medication when she became pregnant; she suffered terribly during her pregnancy.
And it’s not just prescription migraine medications. The FDA warns that even aspirin and ibuprofen are unsafe during the last three months of pregnancy. For over a decade, I have relied on migraine medications to enable me to hold down a job, enjoy a social life, and remain active in my community. I can’t imagine how painful, how isolating, how devastating life would be without these prescriptions. Fortunately, as a childfree woman, I don’t have to worry about having to give them up for nine months.
Managing my migraines through the miracles of modern pharmacology is one of many things I can continue to do, uninterrupted, because I am childfree. To a large extent, I can eat what I want without being concerned about the health effects on anyone other than myself. And I can carry on my daily routines without being concerned about those health effects.
Although I rarely drink (my migraine medications are also slapped with a label reading, “DO NOT DRINK ALCHOL WITH THIS MEDICATION”), it’s nice to know that I can occasionally indulge in a margarita, pour Bailey’s on my ice cream, or celebrate with a glass of champagne. Though condoned by doctors a generation ago, drinking while pregnant is now widely condemned, having legal as well as social ramifications. But the “no drinking” prohibition doesn’t just apply to alcohol—pregnancy means a nine-month abstinence from coffee.
I admit that my body is chemically dependent on caffeine, and the thought of caffeine-withdrawal headaches is enough to make me grab an extra birth control pill. Coffee is the incentive that draws me to work in the morning and keeps me going when I start to nod off. A life without coffee is a long nap punctuated by brief periods of wakefulness for the sole purpose of obtaining nutrition. It’s not that I couldn’t kick the coffee habit—I did once, for about two weeks—it’s that I don’t want to.
The other food passion in my life is sushi, which I understand is generally avoided by pregnant women in America. Many pregnant women are concerned that raw fish is not good for the developing fetus. I so frequently find myself craving nigri and ahi tuna rolls, and even though I know that when I eventually retire to a rural setting hours from the nearest city, I will not be enjoying those or any other Japanese delicacies, I have every intention of maxing out on sushi while I still live within driving distance of such dining facilities.
All that fish, rice, and caffeine gives me a lot of energy, which I enjoy burning off in a good workout. Every morning I hit the treadmill for a run that gives me a boost of confidence for the day ahead. A friend and fellow runner had to hang up her running shoes when she became pregnant. Although not all pregnant women have to give it up, they do have to alter their routines, according to an article by Dagny Scott-Barrios in Runner’s World. As a creature of habit, I’d just as soon not alter my workout routine. I know well how hard it is to get back into that routine. This past summer, I had to switch to walking while recovering from a root canal, and I’m still trying to get back up to speed.
From avoiding common medications to altering one’s workout routine, pregnancy means major life changes. Some women gladly make these sacrifices. People make sacrifices for the things and ideals that are important to them. For women who want children, giving up coffee and aspirin may be a small price to pay. For childfree women, these are just additional reasons we’re happy to avoid pregnancy altogether. Women who want children make the choice to tough it out for nine months. Meanwhile, I can tend to my health, as well as my culinary pleasures, without fear.
Copyright Julie Nisley. Published 1 November 2008 in The Zone.
Reader comments
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I had a very unpleasant surprise last year with a prescription. After years of mysteriously falling asleep at inappropriate times (during meetings, while driving, 5 minutes after the movie begins) I took a sleep study and was diagnosed with slight narcolepsy. The neurologist prescribed me a very expensive drug, that I thought I’d at least try for a couple of months to see if it improved my state.
After getting it I carefully read the patient information and discovered two very disturbing facts that this hotshot doc hadn’t bothered mentioning!
1. this drug can interfere with the efficiency of oral contraceptives
2. this drug should NOT be taken during pregnancy
So in a worst case scenario you might become pregnant on this stuff AND harm the fetus.
I was really angry and returned the drug, I’ll keep my excessive daytime sleepiness, thank you very much!
PS: When you leave the city, you can always try do it yourself sushi kits, I love veggie sushi myself ;)
permalink — 5 November 2008, 00:58
I suppose if I really wanted to be pregnant (though I really can’t imagine why I would ever want to) I would suck it up for 9 months. But I really resent how women get such a raw deal with reproduction and men can just have an orgasm and bam, they’re done. I consider being CF a protest against this unfairness. Being able to drink whenever I want to is just a perk, and I hardly ever eat sushi anyway, though I have been planning to change that for a while now ;-)
In general I am just not a fan of sacrificing my health and physical comfort for other people. My health and comfort come first. Fuck the fetus. I like being comfortable and relaxed. That is my “ideal” that I am willing to sacrifice things for (though I don’t consider being CF a sacrifice. Quite the opposite in fact. I sacrifice other things on the altar of comfort.). Pregnancy and motherhood do not complement that ideal, therefore I choose not to partake in them.
But on the subject of medications interfering with bc pills, that is really something doctors should mention. If they don’t, the pharmacist who dispenses it certainly should. Enough women take bc pills so I think a blanket warning to all female patients of reproductive age who take these drugs is appropriate. Besides, your doctor should know what other prescription meds you are on and it’s their job to inform you of any interactions. Hello. That is what doctors are for.
permalink — 6 November 2008, 16:15
This is one of the reasons why I remain child free. I enjoy my life as it is now. I enjoy engorging myself on sushi on pay day, girl drinks, staying up late and going to rock shows on occasion.
I wouldn’t want to put myself in the embittered shoes of the childed folks I know. You know the type, “I had a perfectly fun and exciting life with my partner, and then we had kids. Our lives are completely upended, but it’s all worth it totally! On the rare occasions when we can get a sitter, if you want to hang out and listen to us complain about how hard our chosen path is, while we ignore your stories and try to convince you to join us, that’d be great!”
permalink — 24 November 2008, 10:29