Birth Defects Sharply Rise When Using ACE Inhibitors

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Birth Defects Sharply Rise When Using ACE Inhibitors

 

 

Pregnant women taking ACE inhibitors for blood pressure may be

significantly increasing their babies' risk of birth defects,

particularly when taken early on, according to a large study.

 

Although the drugs were previously thought to be safe, the study found

that babies born to women who took ACE inhibitors during their first

trimester were more than twice as likely to have serious heart and

brain problems as those whose mothers did not take the drugs.

 

In all, about 7 percent of babies whose mothers took ACE inhibitors

developed major birth defects, compared to about 2 percent of those

whose mothers took no drugs or other blood pressure medications. The

birth defects included holes in the heart, neurological and kidney

problems, and others.

 

ACE inhibitors currently carry a " black box " warning on their label,

warning that there are dangers associated with use in later pregnancy,

and advising the drugs be discontinued if a woman becomes pregnant.

 

The study's lead researcher advised that the drugs be avoided during

early pregnancy, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeking

more research before changing the warning label to include risks

during the first trimester. The FDA has placed a notice on its Web

site to notify doctors and patients of the findings.

 

New England Journal of Medicine June 8, 2006, Vol. 354, No. 23: 2443-2451

 

News June 7, 2006

 

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

 

If you have to use a drug for hypertension, and upwards of 75 million

Americans have it , ACE inhibitors really seem to be wonderful as they

appear to have very few side effects and are highly effective for many.

 

Of course they do absolutely nothing to treat the underlying cause of

the disease, and now we find out that if you happen to be pregnant and

take them in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy you will have a 300

percent increase in birth defects in your child.

 

So if you are a woman who has a chance of getting pregnant should you

be on these drugs? I think not. For if you do get pregnant it is

already too late -- your baby will have already been exposed to these

potentially toxic drugs.

 

This is doubly tragic as high blood pressure is so easy to treat. I

remember very clearly being in medical school and, during my

physiology class, studying Gutyon's textbook of physiology. It clearly

said 95 percent of hypertension was idiopathic, which means they had

no clue what caused it.

 

I recall being struck how odd that was. I had such great respect for

the medical sciences and was really puzzled why they had no idea what

caused one of the most common problems afflicting Americans.

 

Well about 10 years after I graduated I finally understood the primary

cause for the majority of those with hypertension -- elevated insulin

levels. Once you normalize insulin levels by grain and sugar reduction

and increased exercise, the blood pressure -- nearly universally --

magically normalizes.

 

Absolutely amazing.

 

Yet how many physicians today understand this fundamental concept?

From my experience not very many.

 

But you don't have to fall into this deception and take needless and

potentially toxic drugs to treat a condition that most physicians

don't know the cause of.

 

I later learned that simple exposure to sunshine will also do wonders

at normalizing your blood pressure. Who would have thought that

getting a tan could help you get off your drugs?

 

Of course, emotional stress is probably the primary reason for high

blood pressure if insulin is not the culprit. Fortunately, there are

effective energy psychology tools for that.

 

Exercise is another tool that will normalize blood pressure, and it

works on both the physical (insulin) and emotional aspects of the disease.

 

You can take your health into your own hands and start the simple

life-transforming health changes mentioned above. Be very careful

about weaning off any hypertensive medications, though. You will want

to do this under the guidance of a trained health care professional as

prematurely discontinuing some of them can lead to a stroke.

 

 

 

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