High blood pressure Q

[krystee]

I have high blood pressure, and it didn't budge even when I lost 50 lbs last year. I think it's genetic at this point, and I am on meds for it. The one I am on is not pregnancy safe, so I need to switch before we TTC in the near future. Do any of you have high BP, and did you take a med while pregnant? I am so afraid of it harming the baby, but NOT taking it would cause more harm. Can anyone ease my concerns?

[ijack]

A friend of mine is chronic hypertensive and took meds while pg and nursing all of her kids. I don't remember what it's called, but it's REALLY old and most docs don't even think about it anymore.
You definitely want to be on something!

[twoplustwo]

I developed HBP while pregnant. My Dr gave me Labetalol, after delivery they still couldn't get my BP down. I was then on Labetalol and Nifedipine while nursing.

[luvmagoldn]

Spironolactone. Old school drug but safe during pregnancy and breast feeding.

[egishere]

I had it while pg and was put on Labetalol. Totally safe and I think it helped me get further in my pregnancy. I was able to go off a few weeks after delivery.

[LauraMoser]

Me! I was on Losartan before getting PG. This PG was a bit of a surprise, so I stopped that med as soon as I got a BFP. Doc has since put me on a low dose of Labetalol, which so far has been working.

[wordtothewise]

I took procardia for pre-term labor (off-label), but it is really a bp drug.

[krystee]

Thanks! This makes me feel better and I'm glad I can go to the doctor with specific meds to talk about.

[Redpoppy]

I have chronic hypertension too. I switched to labetalol and was good through mid-second trimester and then it started creaping up. I got put on limited activity (worked half days from home) and then ended up being induced at 37 weeks. I was getting weekly biophysical profiles and non-stress tests towards the end. The induction was due to DS taking too long to pass two NSTs and also not passing the BPP. Even with the early induction and BP issues I was still able to use a mid-wife for delivery, which was great as she tried every trick in her bag to get me dilated over the course of 3 days. After delivery I swelled horribly and my bp was even higher so they added in HCTZ.

Labetalol is class C but was the standard drug the practice used. A lot of the newer drugs just aren't well studied on pregnant women. They even said I could switch from Toprol once I got pregnant but if anything has happened I would've wondered if that was the cause.

[GailGoldie]

i would talk to your OB (not your regular doc) about what meds are OK for pregnancy - and get changed to one of them before you TTC. Your OB and your IM doc (or cardiologist if you see one) can work together to make sure your BP is taken care of.

Many drugs that are category C for pg are still used a lot in pregnant women - so don't worry about that.

[kimibrighteyes]

Jun 4, 2012 15:46:10 GMT -5 luvmagoldn said:

Spironolactone. Old school drug but safe during pregnancy and breast feeding.

I certainly wouldn't choose spironolactone as a first choice for treating hypertension in pregnancy. It has antiandrogenic effects and therefore a theoretical risk of affecting male genital development that has been seen in rats.

I don't know your particular circumstances, but the drugs that are commonly used to treat hypertension in pregnancy are Labetalol, Methyldopa and Nifedipine (these are all the generic names). Most drugs in pregnancy are used off-label as the drug companies don't seek to get this indication for their drug. Other drugs can be used depending on a patient's particular circumstances.

[Deleted]

I was put on BP meds during my last PG and continued on them for a year after birth. There are several BP meds that are safe for pregnancy.

I am back on them now and went with a pregnancy safe one again because we are hopefully TTC soon.

Diltiazem is what I'm on now.
Labetalol did not work for me.

[luvmagoldn]

Jun 5, 2012 8:57:17 GMT -5 kimibrighteyes said:

Jun 4, 2012 15:46:10 GMT -5 luvmagoldn said:

Spironolactone. Old school drug but safe during pregnancy and breast feeding.

I certainly wouldn't choose spironolactone as a first choice for treating hypertension in pregnancy. It has antiandrogenic effects and therefore a theoretical risk of affecting male genital development that has been seen in rats.

I don't know your particular circumstances, but the drugs that are commonly used to treat hypertension in pregnancy are Labetalol, Methyldopa and Nifedipine (these are all the generic names). Most drugs in pregnancy are used off-label as the drug companies don't seek to get this indication for their drug. Other drugs can be used depending on a patient's particular circumstances.

OMG - I totally gave the wrong info! I was on Methyldopa during PG and while nursing. I switched to spironolactone afterwards to help with my hormonal acne. Spiro is absolutely contra-indicated during PG.

Thanks so much for catching this!