Medications

• Prescription medications such as Accutane, Thalomid, Paxil, and anything labeled a teratogen (anything that causes malformation of an embryo or fetus) should not be used by women planning to get pregnant or after conception. These medicines can cause serious birth defects and miscarriage. 
  
  
• Accutane is prescribed for severe acne and if taken during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects in the central nervous system, bone and heart defects, impeded fetal growth, increased likelihood of miscarriage, and mental retardation.
  
• Thalomid, once known as Thalidomide, was used to treat leprosy and some arthritic disorders, and is now prescribed for ulcers and AIDS. This, too, if taken during pregnancy, can cause serious birth defects such as fetal limb deformities and kidney and heart defects.
  
• Paxil, (also available as Paxil CR, Pexeva, and generic paroxetine hydrochloride) is a drug used to treat depression. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently advised that women taking it in their first trimester of pregnancy may have an increased risk for heart defects in their baby.
  
• Lamictal is prescribed to treat seizures and bipolar disorder.  This drug, taken during the first trimester, may increase your risk of having a baby with a cleft lip or cleft palate (a gap in the upper lip or roof of the mouth).
  
  If you are taking any of these, talk to your health care provider about the best way to stop, or gradually stop, taking them at least one month before trying to get pregnant.  You should not simply stop taking them on your own. 
  
  
• Medicines used to treat infections, epilepsy, blood clots, and some cancers can be risky. If you are prescribed any medications, be sure to tell your health care provider that you are planning to get pregnant. Ask specifically if this medication might have any negative affects on you or a fetus.
  
  
• Avoid new drugs. Many have not been tested for their impact on pregnant women and a fetus.