Prinzide and Pregnancy

Taking Prinzide during pregnancy can increase the risk of serious health problems in the fetus or newborn. Therefore, most healthcare providers do not recommend Prinzide for women who are pregnant. Prior to 2006, most healthcare providers believed that these risks concerning Prinzide and pregnancy mainly involved taking the drug during the second or third trimester. However, a study published in 2006 suggests that there may be an increased risk to the fetus even if Prinzide is taken during the first trimester.

Prinzide Drug Info

Is Prinzide Safe During Pregnancy? -- An Overview

Healthcare providers do not usually recommend Prinzide^® (lisinopril-hydrochlorothiazide) for women who are pregnant. If the medication is taken during pregnancy, Prinzide can cause temporary or permanent problems, including death, to the unborn child.

What Is the Risk of Using Prinzide During Pregnancy?

Prior to 2006, there was a common belief among healthcare providers that problems with Prinzide and pregnancy were generally seen when the drug was taken during the

second trimester 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 Prinzide 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 Prinzide 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 or the skin or whites of the eyes)
Deformities of the head and face
Loss of life.

(Prinzide and Pregnancy Continued: Page 2)