Buzoianu D. Anca 1, Boca N. Andreea 1, Bocşan I. Corina 1
1 University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Iuliu Haţieganu”, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Abstract
From the viewpoint of pharmaco-therapeutic approach, pregnancy is a period that deserves special consideration. Health care providers face concerns regarding the safety and efficiency of drugs for both mother and fetus. Ethical considerations limit clinical testing during pregnancy, so there is an important lack in safety data. There is a general misconception that all drugs are harmful to the fetus, therefore mothers expose themselves to high risks refusing medication in life threatening medical conditions. On the other hand, although they are readily available, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs should not be used by pregnant women without the physician’s advice. While there is a fairly good safety record for some commonly used OTC medication like short-acting NSAIDs, calcium based antacids, Chlorpheniramine, or PPIs, the misuse of others can be harmful to the fetus. Therefore it is very important to always assess that benefits overweight the risks while using OTC drugs during pregnancy.