Inderal and Pregnancy: An Overview
Depending on your particular situation, your healthcare provider may or may not recommend that you take
Inderal® (
propranolol hydrochloride) while pregnant. Your healthcare provider will consider the risk of using Inderal, the risk of not treating your condition, and alternative treatment options before making his or her recommendation.
Inderal and Pregnancy Category C
The FDA uses a category system to classify the possible risks to a fetus when a specific medicine is taken during pregnancy.
Pregnancy Category C is given to medicines that have not been studied in pregnant humans but show side effects to the fetus during animal studies. These side effects can be temporary (such as a slowed heart rate at birth) or permanent (for example, birth defects). Also, medicines that have not been studied in any pregnant women or animals are automatically given a Pregnancy Category C rating.
A pregnancy Category C medicine may still be given to a pregnant woman if her healthcare provider believes that its benefits outweigh the possible risks to the unborn child. For example, untreated
high blood pressure during pregnancy carries its own set of significant risks to both the mother and the fetus
(see Preeclampsia). In situations like this, a healthcare provider may prescribe a pregnancy Category C medicine if the benefit of treating
high blood pressure in pregnancy outweighs the risk presented by the medicine.
