A new study suggests that doctors are not doing a good job of warning young women to avoid getting pregnant while they are taking prescription drugs that can cause birth defects. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center researchers found that nearly half of the women taking medicines that can cause birth defects were not counseled by their doctor about using contraceptives or other birth control measures to prevent pregnancy.
There are several drugs that may cause birth defects including some antibiotics, acne meds, cholesterol reducers, anti-seizure drugs, sleep aids and blood thinners.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies drugs into categories of whether they are safe or potentially harmful to developing fetuses. But, often, busy physicians do not consult the FDA listings for these drugs.
Researchers did find that women on the acne drug Accutane (generic isotretinoin) got more pregnancy prevention counseling than anyone else. Anyone taking Accutane is required to use birth control, pass a pregnancy test before each monthly refill and enroll in a national registry. Women taking statins for cholesterol got the least amount of counseling.