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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Does Taking Ethambutol During Pregnancy Cause Abnormalities In The Fetus?

hi doc , please help me i need your reply , i have lymph node tuberculosis i have taking my med 4months only i stop bcoz i got pregnant my doctor told me i need to stop it i actually need to take it for 6months but bcz i got pregnant my doctor told me to stop it. now im so nervous because its too late that i know that im 1month pregnant .and i take a lot of my medicine for lymph node its like ethambutol or rifampicin something ...doc, is my become abnormal ? im one month pregnant now ? im afraid please help me..
Mon, 17 Sep 2018
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hello,

I understand you are concerned about the treatment for tuberculosis while pregnant. Usually the treatment for tuberculosis consists of 4 medications: Rifampin, Isoniazid, Ethambutol, and Pyrazinamide. These are given for the first 2 months, and then normally Rifampin and Isoniazid are given for 4 more months (a total of 6 months). However, if you are on Rifampin and Ethambutol, your doctor may have had a reason for using those medications, perhaps from side effects from Isoniazid.

Fortunately, all of these medications have a low risk of causing problems with your baby. Normally, the risk of not treating tuberculosis to you and your baby is greater than the risk of the medications harming your baby. However, if the diagnosis of tuberculosis is not certain, your doctor may have decided it wasn't worth treating the full 6 months, or he/she may have another reason based on your particular case.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Aaron Branch,
General & Family Physician
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Does Taking Ethambutol During Pregnancy Cause Abnormalities In The Fetus?

Hello, I understand you are concerned about the treatment for tuberculosis while pregnant. Usually the treatment for tuberculosis consists of 4 medications: Rifampin, Isoniazid, Ethambutol, and Pyrazinamide. These are given for the first 2 months, and then normally Rifampin and Isoniazid are given for 4 more months (a total of 6 months). However, if you are on Rifampin and Ethambutol, your doctor may have had a reason for using those medications, perhaps from side effects from Isoniazid. Fortunately, all of these medications have a low risk of causing problems with your baby. Normally, the risk of not treating tuberculosis to you and your baby is greater than the risk of the medications harming your baby. However, if the diagnosis of tuberculosis is not certain, your doctor may have decided it wasn t worth treating the full 6 months, or he/she may have another reason based on your particular case. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Aaron Branch, General & Family Physician