Is it safe to use Labetalol during pregnancy?
It may be difficult to assess whether a particular drug is safe for use during pregnancy. Drugs were often not sufficiently tested in human pregnancies and sometimes the test results are inconclusive. Labetalol, a drug used to treat high blood pressure, is one drug that has been primarily tested in pregnant animals rather than on human beings. Animal testing revealed that the drug is potentially dangerous to human fruits. Although it has not been sufficiently studied to provide a conclusion for human pregnancy, I hesitate to prescribe it for pregnant women.
Animal studies on Labetallool during pregnancy revealed the potential for adverse effects. Some studies have shown that fetal deformities are unlikely as a result of the use of this drug, but other studies have shown that rats and newborns had less chance of survival when exposed to this drug. Similarly, some animal studies have shown an increased risk that the body will reabsorb the fetus, the outcomewhen losing pregnancy. However, the amounts of dosing used in animal testing are usually far above the amount of pregnant human woman.
While there is no reliable evidence of research on the use of this drug in human pregnancy, some retrospective studies have proved to be revealed. Such studies are performed after a woman has already used a medicine during pregnancy and often after delivery. Some retrospective labetallol studies have revealed that its use can increase the risk of congenital defects in human infants. Similarly, some studies have shown that Labetalol can contribute to fetal growth. Rarely, this medicine could cause low blood sugar and low blood pressure in a newborn woman who took her for a long time.
Despite the discouraging evidence against the use of this drug in pregnancy, its harmful does not take into account. Many women took Labetalol during pregnancy without howany bad effects for them or their unborn children. Nevertheless, most medical experts recommend cautious use of this medicine and prescribes it only when treatment is needed. For example, a doctor may prescribe Labetalol during pregnancy when a high blood pressure of a woman is not well controlled or if she best acknowledges for this medicine. The physician may also prescribe if other available medicines are considered to be more risky or if other medicines cause a woman to suffer from unbearable side effects.