A large study done in Israel shows that pregnant women who suffer from morning sickness are not risking harm to their babies if they take a certain anti-nausea drug. This result may lead more doctors to prescribe the drug Metoclopramide, sold as Reglan, to women who are experiencing morning sickness.

The study, which was led by researchers at Ben- Gurion University, looked at 82,000 births, and was performed from 1998 until 2007. Researchers compared the health of newborns of 3, 458 women who took Metoclopramide, for as little as a week to more than three weeks, with 78,245 newborns of women who did not use Metoclopramide. The study showed that there were no differences in defects or other problems in newborns of women whether or not they had taken the drug.

“I think that women will be comforted by this,” said Dr. Keith Eddleman, director of obstetrics at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. “Most women are reluctant to take anti-nausea medicine just because of the stories they have heard about the perception that taking something in the first trimester can cause harm.”

Despite the large number of births each year, there still have not been any large, well- designed studies on the safety of medicines in treating morning sickness in the U.S., mainly due to fears of harming a fetus and triggering lawsuits.

In the U.S., Compazine, Phenergan, and Zofran, are used more often than Reglan, which is made by Schwarz Pharma Inc. Some experts say that the new study should lead obstetricians to prescribe it more often.

However, while the children of mothers who take Reglan have not been found to be affected, many consumers of Reglan have reported adverse events. Reglan can cause a rare disease called tardive dyskinesia. This disease is irreversible and generally untreatable. Some symptoms of this disease are shaking of the extremities, trouble controlling facial movements, and trouble swallowing. Anyone who has taken Reglan for more than 90 days and is exhibiting these symptoms should contact an attorney at Schlichter, Bogard, and Denton to discuss your legal rights.

Labels: medicine, morning sickness, nausea, pregnancy, Reglan