Accuretic and Pregnancy

Side effects and complications may potentially occur with the use of Accuretic, and pregnancy warnings have also been issued with the medicine. The medication is considered a pregnancy Category C drug for the first trimester and Category D drug for the second and third trimesters, meaning temporary or permanent problems (such as head and facial deformities) may occur in the developing fetus.

Is Accuretic Safe During Pregnancy?

For people who are pregnant, Accuretic^® (quinapril HCl-hydrochlorothiazide) is usually not recommended. This is because during pregnancy, Accuretic can cause temporary or permanent problems, including death, in the unborn child.

What Is the Risk of Using Accuretic During Pregnancy?

Prior to 2006, there was a common belief among healthcare providers that problems with Accuretic and pregnancy were generally seen when the drug was taken during the second or third trimester of pregnancy. However, that changed when a study by researchers at Vanderbilt University was published in the June 2006 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. This study showed that there may, in fact, also be an increased risk to the fetus if it is exposed to Accuretic during the first trimester. Whether the risk to the fetus is as great in the first trimester as in the second or third trimesters is not known.

Some of the complications seen with fetuses or newborns exposed to Accuretic during pregnancy include:

Low blood pressure (hypotension)
Developmental problems with the nervous system
Developmental problems with the cardiovascular system (this includes the heart and/or blood vessels)
Developmental problems with the lungs
Kidney failure
Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes)
Deformities of the head and face
Loss of life.