Every expectant mother knows very well that, being in an "interesting position", many medications are contraindicated to her. This is especially true for early pregnancy, when the effect of drugs adversely affects the development of an unborn fetus. At the same time, it is not always possible to completely exclude drug treatment, since anything can happen during the bearing of a child. And the impact of a disease is much more harmful than a particular drug. For this reason, it is sometimes necessary to appoint a future mother, for example, "Dexamethasone" during pregnancy.
This drug was not chosen by chance, because, according to the instructions, its administration is undesirable due to the fact that studies regarding safety regarding pregnant women have not been conducted. But the whole peculiarity of the medicine is that just thanks to it you can avoid the threat of miscarriage and keep the child in good health. So whether it can be applied or not - we will analyze the topic of this article.
Reason for doubt
When prescribing "Dexamethasone", any mother has doubts about taking it, because according to the instructions, it should not be used during pregnancy. Nevertheless, doctors in some cases still carry out a course of treatment with its help. In addition, oil is added to the fire by the fact that Dexamethasone belongs to hormonal drugs, which cannot but alert. And every woman knows that it is better not to influence the hormonal background during pregnancy in any way. Otherwise, there can be a variety of consequences, many of which are not encouraging.
As many reviews of Dexamethasone during pregnancy note, its administration is prescribed even at the stage of pregnancy planning in order to provide maximum therapeutic effectiveness in relation to the fertilization of the egg, its consolidation and the safety of pregnancy right up to childbirth. All this worries many mothers, but it is worthwhile to examine this difficult question in more detail.
How does "Dexamethasone"
In a drug like Dexamethasone, contains active substances obtained by artificial means. In its action, it resembles a hormone of natural origin - cortisone. This substance is a kind of response of the body to stressful situations.
On the one hand, cortisone helps to improve the development of the baby in the womb, increasing the level of sugar in the circulatory system. But at the same time, it can also suppress immunity. "Dexamethasone", in turn, has a stronger effect (35 times). In this connection, the minimum dose of "Dexamethasone" during pregnancy is needed for the desired result.
As for its beneficial properties, it is worth noting those cases where the use of this drug is fully justified. In some cases, for a certain reason, too many androgens (male sex hormones) are produced in the female body. This condition is referred to as hyperandrogenism, which often provokes the threat of miscarriage. And for this reason, there is always a risk of premature termination of pregnancy.
And since Dexamethasone is a hormone-type drug, it helps to suppress the functionality of the adrenal glands and ovaries in the production of androgens. As a result, the risk of miscarriage is significantly reduced. When prescribing "Dexamethasone" during pregnancy, treatment is carried out throughout the gestation period, since a grown-up and slightly stronger child’s body, in turn, begins to produce male hormones. And if a woman expects the appearance of a boy, then the risk of miscarriage is doubled, because his hormones are added to the androgens of the female body.
Another important feature of the drug
Also, "Dexamethasone" has another valuable property, which is worth knowing. It can affect immune processes, reducing their activity. Due to this, it is prescribed for autoimmune conditions when human immunity is hyperactive. Usually this happens with some diseases:
- lupus;
- arthritis;
- hepatitis;
- kidney disease and so on.
If a pregnant woman has such diseases, then her excessively active immunity will perceive the fetus as a foreign organism. And what is known in such cases is known - the risk of rejection is very high. In addition, as a result of unreasonable use, contrary to the instructions for the use of "Dexamethasone" during pregnancy, a serious blow can fall on the own cells of the female body. "Dexamethasone" can block the production of antibodies, which prevent the quiet development of pregnancy.
It is also worth noting an equally important feature of the drug - it is able to penetrate the placental barrier, therefore, in a certain way affect the child.
Medical indications
The use of "Dexamethasone" in relation to pregnant women is due to a number of weighty medical indications, which may include the following cases:
- A threat to the health of the expectant mother. The drug is used in combination with resuscitation measures against the background of anaphylactic shock or cerebral edema. In addition, it can also be useful in the treatment of serious allergies, when there is a risk of it becoming more severe. For example, in order to eliminate bronchospasm, which is a complication after bronchial asthma.
- Premature birth. In some cases, a woman, being at a later stage of pregnancy, may be injured or placental abruption occurred. Then the reception of "Dexamethasone" during pregnancy is prescribed for the lungs of the child, which are able to open due to the acceleration of maturation of the surfactant. This is invaluable help in case of premature birth.
- Spontaneous abortion. Taking such a medicine at an early stage in the bearing of a child can prevent a miscarriage or stop signs of its manifestation against the background of hyperandrogenism.
- The presence of chronic diseases in the female body. We are not talking about all diseases, but in particular this applies to autoimmune ailments, including: dermatosis, severe, diffuse diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, osteochondrosis. During pregnancy, they worsen, and to avoid this does not work. As a result, the fetus becomes an attack. Dexamethasone avoids this by blocking antibody production. In addition, the quality of life of the expectant mother is improved thanks to the drug.
- Pathological condition of the fetus. In particular, we are talking about congenital hyperplasia of the adrenal cortex in the third trimester. This disease is found in rare cases and is genetic. Nevertheless, this case requires compulsory medical intervention. "Dexamethasone" during pregnancy helps prevent virilization in girls.
- Oncology. In this case, Dexamethasone delays the development of atypical cells during the formation of metastatic tumors.
In some cases, doctors prescribe this drug as a prevention of the development of autoimmune pathology. Of course, at the same time, there is some negative effect of Dexamethasone on the fetus. Only it, due to the low dosage of the drug, is significantly lower than the consequences of an exacerbated disease.
Artificial hormone can also be prescribed during pregnancy planning, when a woman produces too much testosterone.
Contraindications
Speaking about medical indications for the use of "Dexamethasone", it is worth touching on those cases when it cannot be prescribed in any case. And above all, this is an individual intolerance to the drug itself or its individual components.
Among other contraindications regarding the use of "Dexamethasone" during pregnancy, it is worth highlighting:
- gastritis;
- diverticulitis;
- the presence of a gastric ulcer;
- weak immunity;
- renal failure;
- pathological condition of blood vessels and muscles;
- diabetes or a tendency to its occurrence.
As for pregnancy itself, it all depends on the ratio of risks. Therefore, all responsibility lies with the doctors who prescribe the use of "Dexamethasone" in special cases. We already know about them.
Release form
Dexamethasone is available in three main forms:
- injections;
- tablets;
- drops.
The purpose of injections can be different: parenteral, intramuscular, intraarticular, periarticular, retrobulbar. As for parenteral administration, the infusion is carried out in a hospital through a dropper. The drug goes on sale in the form of ampoules of 1 and 2 ml. One package according to the instructions "Dexamethasone" during pregnancy may contain 5 or 10 ampoules.
Dexamethasone tablets contain 0.5 mg of active substance. They are indicated for the treatment of bronchial asthma, acute eczema, rheumatoid arthritis. Their intake is due to the normalization and strengthening of the right amount of hormones, including the presence of mild to moderate allergies.
Ophthalmic drops are packaged in 10 mm dropper bottles. The content of active substance is 1 mg per milliliter.
And since Dexamethasone is available in various forms, a strictly individual dosage is used for treatment during pregnancy.
Why are dexamethasone injections prescribed during pregnancy?
Dexamethasone injections are given to pregnant women only in emergency cases, which include resuscitation and preparation for the premature birth of a child. Treatment is carried out in short and intensive courses. The dose of the drug is selected depending on the information of the analyzes and the purpose of use. As a rule, 0.5 to 9 mg throughout the day. Injections are carried out intramuscularly or intravenously and only in a hospital setting.
During the injection, the maximum amount of the hormone enters the bloodstream very quickly, which is why multiple changes begin in the body of the expectant mother. The fetus feels and perceives this as a stressful situation. In this connection, it activates all its forces. This allows you to increase endurance with the likelihood of premature birth.
In the instructions for injections there are no clear instructions regarding the dosage, since this obligation rests with the doctor and no one else.
Help pills
With the injections, everything is clear, but why is Dexamethasone prescribed during pregnancy in the form of tablets? They can help avoid the threat of miscarriage at the initial stage of pregnancy (I trimester). In the second period of gestation, taking the hormone helps to calm down chronic diseases, including those cases when a woman is waiting for a boy to appear.
A “powerful” dosage is up to 6 tablets per day, however, an overdose is not threatened, since administration is carried out for a short period. After the threat has passed, the dosage of the drug will be gradually reduced to a minimum of half a tablet per day.
With a minimum dosage of Dexamethasone, the risk of side effects is low. At the same time, you can’t stop taking this medicine in a sharp form, otherwise a “withdrawal syndrome” may occur. As a result, this leads to bleeding and it all ends in abortion. Therefore, it is so important to do this gradually under the supervision of a doctor.
The benefits of eye drops
When planning pregnancy in the form of drops, “Dexamethasone” is prescribed to pregnant women in extreme cases, which is not so common.
Doctors often try to dispense with the permitted medications during pregnancy. But the situations are different, and in some cases only hormonal eye drops can help:
- Ophthalmic allergy of a strong degree.
- Irit and iridocyclitis.
- Conjunctivitis in an allergic form, which is caused by exposure to bacteria.
- Eye inflammation due to injuries.
If the need arose, the woman is prescribed a course of treatment with Dexamethasone in the amount of 1-2 drops three times a day. Moreover, you need to bury both eyes, regardless of the location of the pathology.
Side effects
The use of "Dexamethasone" during pregnancy, as is the case with many drugs, can also be accompanied by side effects:
- Delirium.
- Increased intracranial pressure.
- Dizziness.
- Insomnia.
- Headache.
- Glaucoma, up to loss of vision.
- Manic depression.
- The appearance of hallucinations.
In addition, cardiovascular system disorders may occur: high blood pressure, thrombosis and other manifestations. As for the digestive tract, nausea accompanied by vomiting, abdominal pain, pancreatitis, and erosion is not ruled out. There may also be swelling, weakness and muscle pain, osteoporosis.
On the surface of the skin, steroid acne and striae may appear, emerging wounds heal more slowly. In addition, there may be allergic reactions.
Opinion of the people
On the Internet you can find a large number of forums where people, or rather, future or real mothers share with each other experiences, experiences and everything else that may be associated with pregnancy. Among the large number of reviews about "Dexamethasone" during pregnancy, you can find cases when mothers were prescribed the drug is considered.
Many mothers, especially for whom this is the first experience, have doubts about taking the drug and are looking for support among colleagues. Many ladies noted that the effects of the injections actually helped maintain the pregnancy, and they gave birth to healthy babies. Therefore, the benefit, despite the presence of slight harm, is still there, which is confirmed by the women in labor, and not only by scientific research.
Someone is afraid of risks, while others understand everything and prefer to rely on the experience of doctors. But everyone unanimously notes that if there was a need to take Dexamethasone, then you should not miss the opportunity to give birth to a healthy baby! Someone who was prescribed such a treatment course did not experience the consequences. This was mainly due to later stages of pregnancy. In addition, with regard to injections of "Dexamethasone" during pregnancy, reviews of most women are inclined to the need for such a measure.
From all this, the only conclusion can be made - if dexamethasone is assigned to the future mother, then there were good reasons for that. And this means that the degree of danger from any potential threat is much higher than from the action of the drug.