Popular Drug to Treat Morning Sickness Does Not Cause Harm During Pregnancy

A popular type of anti-nausea drug can be used as an effective treatment for morning sickness and does not trigger any serious side effects, according to WEB MD.

The Danish researchers involved in the study reported that the medication, also known as metoclopramide is effective and safe for pregnant women without possible risks for spontaneous abortion, stillbirths and congenital malformations among infants. Their study which was published in the Wednesday edition of JAMA found that more than 40,000 women exposed to the drug during their pregnancy did not face any increased risks. "This is by far the largest study on metoclopramide safety in pregnancy, and as such it expands substantially on the published evidence," said co-author Dr. Bjorn Pasternak of the Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen.

"It found that metoclopramide use in pregnancy was not associated with increased risk of major adverse outcomes, including major malformations and fetal death, and as such supports what is known about the safety profile of this drug." Authors of the study also noted that most women experience morning sickness during the early stages of their pregnancy including vomiting but this can be conservatively managed following various approaches. However, approximately ten to 15 percent of pregnant women still need to take medications to treat their early morning sickness, Medscape reported.

However, a lot of women remain most concerned about the possible side effects of taking anti-nausea drugs during pregnancy because of the possible birth-related side effects associated with it. "There's a general feeling to take no medications during pregnancy," said Dr. Siobhan Dolan, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City and medical adviser to the March of Dimes. The truth is in the first trimester when the organs are forming we're cautious about any medication the women take. But there's a growing appreciation that there can be risks to not treating symptoms like nausea and vomiting."