Zestoretic and Pregnancy

Generally, healthcare providers do not recommend taking Zestoretic during pregnancy. Up until recently, many healthcare providers believed that most of the problems associated with Zestoretic and pregnancy occurred during the second and third trimesters. However, a study published in 2006 seemed to indicate that there may be increased risks involved with taking Zestoretic during the first trimester as well. A few of the complications that have occurred in fetuses or newborns exposed to the drug include low blood pressure, kidney failure, and loss of life.

 

Is Zestoretic Safe During Pregnancy? -- An Overview

Healthcare providers do not usually recommend Zestoretic® (lisinopril-hydrochlorothiazide) for women who are pregnant. Taking Zestoretic during pregnancy can lead to serious complications for the fetus or newborn, including loss of life.
 

What Is the Risk of Using Zestoretic During Pregnancy?

Prior to 2006, there was a common belief among healthcare providers that problems with Zestoretic 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 Zestoretic 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 Zestoretic 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.
 
(Zestoretic and Pregnancy Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;