In pregnancy, there is a term called by experts as “background risk” for women. This pertains to the chance of having a baby with birth defects.
And one of the most widely debated issue is whether weight loss prescription drugs such as Phentermine, can increase your risk of birth defects and other health risks during and post-pregnancy.
In this short but detailed post, I will cite key information about this issue and whether or not you should take Phentermine while pregnant.
But first remember, facts here should not replace your health care or doctor’s advice.
Why Phentermine for Pregnancy?
So the intriguing question is, why use a weight loss drug during pregnancy?
Well, the answer is to help them with weight loss particularly when it comes to reducing appetite.
Phentermine is a anoretics, which is a class of drugs that are designed for suppressing appetite. In short, this drug is a powerful stimulant that greatly influences your brain.
One of the most popular, bestselling and has been in the market for decades, Phentermine helped thousands of people to lose weight successfully without suffering any major adverse effects.
Yes, Phentermine appears to be a safe and effective slimming drug when used correctly and in short-term in healthy people.
But of course, not all individuals experience good results with Phentermine. As a stimulant anoretics, this drug increases your risk of numerous health conditions.
As such, it is quite important to know if Phentermine is safe for people who want to conceive a baby (or before you knew you were pregnant), while pregnant or post-pregnancy.
Plus, does it have any effects on the baby?
Before Pregnancy Risks
According to some experts, taking Phentermine before pregnancy should have no effect on your ability to conceive a baby.
Why is that?
Because all compounds in a Phentermine drug doesn’t reside in the body for too long and is quickly passes through your body.
So even if you took a dose seven days before conception, it won’t have any negative impact on your health especially if you are planning to get pregnant.
Still, you may have concerns about its effects on your ability to conceive a baby as Phentermine has known issues when it comes to fertility.
During Pregnancy
There is little to no information about the true effects of Phentermine on pregnant women or unborn babies during pregnancy.
According to an animal study posted in Drugs.com, a 7 times maximum human dose on a mg/m2 basis during late gestation of Phentermine, showed no adverse effects on the mother or offspring.
However, a dose 10 times the MRD on a mg/m2 basis appears to disrupt the main reproductive cycle of female animal subjects. But the studies in animals are inadequate or may be lacking, but the available data showed no adverse effects on the fetus.
In other studies, Phentermine which have been taken by a limited number of pregnant women, showed no increase in the frequency of malformation or other indirect harmful effects on the human fetus.
However, a human study by US FDA showed fetal abnormalities and some evidence of human fetal risk from taking category X type of Phentermine weight loss drug.
Since only a limited number of studies exists (which shows contradicting outcomes) with regards to Phentermine and its effects on pregnancy, it is important to avoid taking this drug during pregnancy.
In fact, Phentermine or any other appetite suppressants are not approved for use during pregnancy because women simply shouldn’t lose weight while they are pregnancy.
Birth Defect Risks of Phentermine
Again, very few human tests have been done on Phentermine during pregnancy but none showed any connection between this drug and birth defects.
One such study was conducted by NCBI. They compare the effects of Phentermine (or sibutramine) to two groups of pregnant women – those who took the drugs and those who didn’t take the drugs.
The result showed no differences in pregnancy outcomes.
Another study was conducted to focus on the effects of Phentermine/Fenfluramine in the first trimester of pregnancy. The results showed when compared to pregnant women who didn’t use the drug, women who have taken the drug had greater risk of:
- Miscarriage
- Preterm delivery
- Babies with birth defects
According to experts, Qsymia is the drug that has the potential to cause birth defects and shouldn’t be used during pregnancy. FDA considers this drug as category X, the same drug used in a human study which I have mentioned above.
Researchers found out that the substance called “opiramate” contained in this drug has the potential to increase the risk for cleft lip in babies.
Other Health Risks to Consider
Aside from pregnancy risks and baby abnormalities of taking Phentermine, there are other things that you also have to consider.
For example, a 2002 study showed that taking this drug during the first trimester of pregnancy increases the risk of gestational diabetes to the mother.
Again, the increased risk doesn’t entirely related to the drug itself but could be a side effect to being overweight.
And gestational diabetes can increase the risk of numerous health complications for women during pregnancy. This include:
- High blood pressure and preeclampsia
- Heart problems
- Giving birth to a large baby that may cause complications
- Adult-onset diabetes later in life
You also have to consider that weight loss during pregnancy isn’t recommended. In fact, pregnant women should gain weight of at least 25 pounds during pregnancy.
So taking Phentermine or any other prescription weight loss drug can put your baby at risk for a number of health issues such as:
- Being small for its gestational age
- Dying in the first year of life
- Disabilities
- Neural tube defects
Lastly, it is also not recommended for nursing mothers to take Phentermine post-pregnancy.
Why? Because substances from this drug can be excreted in breast milk. Of course, the effects of Phentermine on a breastfed baby hasn’t been completely studied.
Bottom Line
All studies focused on Phentermine’s effect in pregnant women either in pre-pregnancy or post-pregnancy, are not yet conclusive.
But since it involves your own health and the health of your baby, it is best to follow the experts advise not to take Phentermine or any drugs that is designed to suppress appetite.
If you are planning to get pregnant and you are a Phentermine user, the safest way to learn more about the risks is to stop taking the drug and talk to your doctor immediately.
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Your physician can greatly help you in assessing any potential health risks while providing you medical advise on weight gain and management of your whole pregnancy period.
Though I highly and always advise all my readers to take Phen-alternative diet supplements instead of the side effect-infamous Phentermine drugs for weight loss, this time, I would also advise you to stay away from supplements as most of them have stimulants and appetite suppressant herbs that may not be suitable for pregnancy.
Of course, after you gave birth, talk to your doctor for the best drug for your weight loss. Or you can take the safest route and take diet supplements.
One of the best brands out there for you is PhenGold!
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References:
Appetite Suppressants in Pregnancy
by: Manakova E, Kralova T, Hubickova Heringova L
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23353864
Pregnancy Outcomes After First Trimester Exposure to Phentermine/Fenfluramine
by: Jones KL, Johnson KA, Dick LM, Felix RJ, Kao KK, Chambers CD
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11877776
Phentermine/Topiramate (Qsymia) for Chronic Weight Management
by: John Gazewood, and Kathleen Barry MD
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2014/1015/p576.html
Pregnancy Outcomes After First Trimester Exposure to Phentermine/Fenfluramine
by: Kenneth Lyons Jones, Kathleen A Johnson, Lyn M Dick, Robert J Felix, Kelly K Kao and Christina D Chambers
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/tera.10023
Weight Gain During Pregnancy
by: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
https://www.acog.org/Clinical-Guidance-and-Publications/Committee-Opinions/Committee-on-Obstetric-Practice/Weight-Gain-During-Pregnancy
Phentermine While Pregnant: Is it Safe?
by: Healthline.com
https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/phentermine-and-pregnancy
Phentermine Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Warnings
by: Drugs.com
https://www.drugs.com/pregnancy/phentermine.html#ref_pregnancy
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