so worried

[lizziejane87]

So i found out i was pregnant (yay) and went to doctors as you should... And hes worried me senseless. Before i knew i was pregnant (i would have only just conceived) i had coldsores all over my face and mouth and so was given acyclovir 800mg x 5 a day as they thought i had shingles... I was also before finding out, taking my regular beta blocker propranalol 80mg for migraines. As soon as i found out i stopped everything as advised for safety but the doctor has told me that 'the damage might already be done', but i should not worry and wait til 12 week scan to find out. I am only 7 weeks now and i am so scared because a) i didnt know b) my husbands so elated and c) i wouldnt be able to forgive myself if ice accidently ruined things. I think the doctor was wrong to say what he did and of course i am now going to worry. Ive not had any morning sickness but have incredibly sore boobs and i am so tired but ive since read something about no morning sickness is a bad sign. I have more coldsores now too so my body is having a tough time otherwise. I just am so worried
worried. Any advice or encouragement would be very welcomed. X

 

[purplelou]

Hi there, I just did a bit of reading for you and it seems that aciclovir is actually given to pregnant women who get chicken pox, there have been some studies done in the use of aciclovir in pregnancy and there has been no toxicity to mother or baby found and no evidence of problems
since you stopped taking the propanolol immediately you found out your were pregnant I would think you have limited any risks that may have been there.
mean of your doctor to have scared you like this
try not to worry
ohh and congratulations

 

[skyesmom]

hey hon!

your doc sounds like a real smartass when it comes to treating people!! first, for those first few weeks until the placenta develops, the baby isn't even connected to your blood stream properly so it's very much saved from everything that's in your blood.

second, i also think acyclovir is safe.

third, so many women end up having healthy children despite drugs and alcohol abuse, or being born in extreme poverty, with family violence and so on. i mean, just think that HIV+ women give birth to healthy children.

Babies and life itself aren't so fragile as we fear them to be, once they have decided to stay and come.

 

[Peanutt]

Try not to worry. Many drugs are listed as category C simply because they have not been tested on pregnant women, mostly because it's unethical. So most newer meds are going to be category C because they haven't been able to rule out risks to the baby.

FWIW, they tell those who had alcohol before 7 weeks not to worry too much and that something like fetal alcohol syndrome usually develops from mothers who drink too much between 7-12 weeks. So it may be safe to assume that since you stopped taking the medicine before 7 weeks that the baby has had minimal or no exposure.

So try not to worry. I know it's hard though. H&H 9 months!

 

[LadyHutch]

Zovirax and Valtrex are both safe in pregnancy. I am on maintenance valtrex and have been for both of my pregnancies.

 

[skyesmom]

ah and one more thing (i hope this doesn't upset you more, it's meant to calm you down, as you wrote you're feeling guilty and will never be able to forgive yourself):

i did everything by textbook and more, twice. i never took drugs or smoked in my entire life, and i don't drink either (i'm allergic to many fermented products so most of the alcoholic drinks and cheese and bread as well are a no go for me).
i eat by default SUPER healthy since years, am in a really good physical shape, go skating and swimming and all that.

i wasn't under any stress and overjoyed both times. had a supportive partner and was in my twenties and gotten pregnant right away. and guess what? it didn't work both times.

all this to say that we don't have so much influence on our babies that early on. after my losses i came to believe that children come when they wanna come, no matter what we do to keep them or to harm them. this doesn't mean that we should all drink and smoke our asses off or whatever, but...

...the overwhelming guilt for being a bad mother is something that moves into your head, heart and soul the moment you see those two lines on a test. and waaaaaaay too many times, there is actually no reason to feel like that. it took ages for me to forgive myself and my body for not being able to carry my babies.

it took ages to understand there was really nothing i could do. and i often see women with that same guilt and worry, even when their babies are doing fine.

i so wish there was a magic want to take that away. but until then - remind yourself you're doing all you can already, from the day 1 of finding out.

 

[Kalabear]

Hey Hun! Don't worry! I'm on a cat d medicine for my thyroid. I was during my first pregnancy also and he turned out perfectly healthy. I know of other women who have had to be on beta blockers for their thyroid when I was pregnant with my first and their babies were healthy as well!!

 

[lizziejane87]

Thank you for the replies. I think it made it worse as he told me to expect low birthweight, hyperplasia, a baby with bradycardia or hypoglycaemia... Even though I stopped taking the medicine straight away. He then placed me on 5mg of folic acid as said i am high risk as im a little overweight and my pharmacist originally wouldnt dispense the folic acid as he thought it was the wrong dose for me. So in short... I am not sure he quite had the right bedside manner. He didnt even confirm my pregnancy... So i await the midwife.... Xx

 

[Dini]

Your doc shouldn't have worried you so much! I am at a high risk for shingles with pregnancy because I had it last year in my eye (so very very painful!) it was part of a syndrome called Ramsey Hunt and it almost always reoccurs, especially during periods of stress such as pregnancy. Mine happened while planning a wedding. I talked to an infectious disease doc at work about being worried about needing it because we were undergoing fertility treatments and I did have 2 small flare ups that my body got rid of on it's own. He said that he has many pregnant patients on antivirals. He doesn't like valtrex partly because of the expense and you have to take it three times a day but said if it happens he'd put me on Famvir, some women opt not to take it but in my case I could lose vision in my eye if I did that. At this time the only symptom I have of it is my eye waters more than usual. Sometimes the stress of the virus is worse on you than the drug so you may want to get a second opinion, but don't worry!!