Re: endo appt/ pregnancy and GD & some OT

October 25, 2001

> OK, what is the bottom line with this? If my clock was ticking, if I were

> unexpectedly pregnant, it's good to know that things quite possibly could

> turn out well. But what's the best for all concerned?

>

> * PTU is better for a pregnant and lactating woman than Tapazole. But how

> good is it really? And what if a pregnant

> woman finds herself unable to tolerate PTU? (Is this where surgery

> comes in?)

Yes, if you're pregnant and taking PTU and discover you're intolerant, your

thyroid will be surgically removed, hopefully around the fourth month

(that's the ideal time for the fetus.

But this question of how good is PTU really, and what's the best for all

concerned -- this really gets me going. Without question, the rare but

potentially horrid adverse affects of tapazole make tap a risky drug (the

fetus can develop a rare condition in which the skin on the scalp doesn't

grow correctly, exposing the brain orsomething horrific like that--but it's

rare). However, PTU is classified as a 'probable carcinogen " by the US

department of Health and Human Services. As far as I know, ob/gyns and

endos are NOT telling this to their pregnant patients. My own endo had no

idea. I've mentioned this many times and the link to the government report

should be in the archives; I can dig it out and send it again if someone

wants to see this. Remember, estrogen also shares this classification -

estrogen serves a vital purpose in our bodies, but too much is now suspected

of contributing to cancer. According to one study, 4 people of 350 who

took PTU developed thyroid cancer; large doses of PTU caused thyroid cancer

in rats.

There have been NO studies on the longterm health of fetuses who were

exposed to PTU. We really don't know what the drug does to the developing

baby. We do know that there appear to be no immediate adverse affects --

newborns are fine, babies are fine etc. We also know that untreated

hyperthyroidism can be damaging and deadly to both mother and baby.

That's the picture. If I decide to have another baby and became

hyperthyroid again, if the situation were dire, I would probably take PTU.

But I would not take the drug blindly or lightly, and would not believe all

would be 'fine' simply because this is the drug of choice. It is a choice

with uncertainties and with the tag of 'probable carcinogen' being given to

a developing baby. If this drug causes cancer in lab rats, it makes me

angry and sad that we haven't figured out if this drug may adversely affect

a baby in the longterm.

> * Even if a one can take PTU while breastfeeding there is powerful

> anecdotal evidence (, help me out here. [And

> what's happening with " Prairie Rat? " ]) that achieving hormonal stasis

> can be very helpful for Grave's patients. Would a

> pregnant woman just do well to psyche herself up to not breastfeeding

> to more easily achieve remission? Personally,

> that would be a very painful decision.

>

Not all women will go into remission once the hormonal changes of lactation

have returned to their 'normal' state. However, I did. Again, I would

probably breastfeed again and if I became sick, would wean quickly. this

isn't an easy decision and I think that breastmilk is of course, the best

food for a baby (the average worldwide age of weaning is 4!!!). There are

other concerns about breastfeeding too -- a bit off topic, but according to

Theo Colburn Phd (in the book Our Stolen Future), the dioxins in the

mother's body are largely stored in fat, including the high fat breastmilk.

These dioxins are then dumped into the baby. One of the reasons, Colburn

speculates, that breastfeeding is a good preventer of breast cancer, is that

the mother loses some of her dioxins through breastmilk. Of course, the

infant gets those. There are dioxins in the plastics of nipples used on

bottles as well, but breastmilk is really an excellent source of transfer.

Some health care activists are asking women to reconsider breastfeeding, but

for now, the recommendations of most who are up on this issue is to continue

breastfeeding as the benefits to the immune system may outweigh the dioxin

load and actually allow teh child to fight these. In sum, the pollutants

we've created are indeed are children's problems -- instantly.

My book?!! Aargh. Met with the interested literary agent a couple of weeks

ago. I'm on a third draft of the darn thing, mostly readjusting one

character into something more complex. It shoudl be finished in December

and then I hope the agent will be able to try to sell it. Thanks for

asking!!!! Continuing my off topic ramble, I also wrote a short 8 page

story related to the pyschological aspects of the current war on terrorism.

I'm going to transform this into a first person narrative, but if anyone

wants a copy through email, I'd love to have people actually read some of my

work right now; since the magazine I used to write for went under, I've

missed having an audience other than neighors!

If you want a copy, let me know privately at:

petri017@...

I'll copy it into the body of the email itself.

B

October 25, 2001

Please help me I am on Tapazole for hyperthyroidism. What is PTU.

_____________________________

Sonya

I.S. Administrator

Diamond Offshore Drilling

Direct:

Fax:

Email: srharris@...

> Re: endo appt/ pregnancy and GD & some OT

>

> > OK, what is the bottom line with this? If my clock was ticking, if I

> were

> > unexpectedly pregnant, it's good to know that things quite possibly

> could

> > turn out well. But what's the best for all concerned?

> >

> > * PTU is better for a pregnant and lactating woman than Tapazole. But

> how

> > good is it really? And what if a pregnant

> > woman finds herself unable to tolerate PTU? (Is this where surgery

> > comes in?)

>

> Yes, if you're pregnant and taking PTU and discover you're intolerant,

> your

> thyroid will be surgically removed, hopefully around the fourth month

> (that's the ideal time for the fetus.

>

> But this question of how good is PTU really, and what's the best for all

> concerned -- this really gets me going. Without question, the rare but

> potentially horrid adverse affects of tapazole make tap a risky drug (the

> fetus can develop a rare condition in which the skin on the scalp doesn't

> grow correctly, exposing the brain orsomething horrific like that--but

> it's

> rare). However, PTU is classified as a 'probable carcinogen " by the US

> department of Health and Human Services. As far as I know, ob/gyns and

> endos are NOT telling this to their pregnant patients. My own endo had no

> idea. I've mentioned this many times and the link to the government

> report

> should be in the archives; I can dig it out and send it again if someone

> wants to see this. Remember, estrogen also shares this classification -

> estrogen serves a vital purpose in our bodies, but too much is now

> suspected

> of contributing to cancer. According to one study, 4 people of 350 who

> took PTU developed thyroid cancer; large doses of PTU caused thyroid

> cancer

> in rats.

>

> There have been NO studies on the longterm health of fetuses who were

> exposed to PTU. We really don't know what the drug does to the developing

> baby. We do know that there appear to be no immediate adverse affects --

> newborns are fine, babies are fine etc. We also know that untreated

> hyperthyroidism can be damaging and deadly to both mother and baby.

>

> That's the picture. If I decide to have another baby and became

> hyperthyroid again, if the situation were dire, I would probably take PTU.

> But I would not take the drug blindly or lightly, and would not believe

> all

> would be 'fine' simply because this is the drug of choice. It is a choice

> with uncertainties and with the tag of 'probable carcinogen' being given

> to

> a developing baby. If this drug causes cancer in lab rats, it makes me

> angry and sad that we haven't figured out if this drug may adversely

> affect

> a baby in the longterm.

>

> > * Even if a one can take PTU while breastfeeding there is powerful

> > anecdotal evidence (, help me out here. [And

> > what's happening with " Prairie Rat? " ]) that achieving hormonal stasis

> > can be very helpful for Grave's patients. Would a

> > pregnant woman just do well to psyche herself up to not breastfeeding

> > to more easily achieve remission? Personally,

> > that would be a very painful decision.

> >

>

> Not all women will go into remission once the hormonal changes of

> lactation

> have returned to their 'normal' state. However, I did. Again, I would

> probably breastfeed again and if I became sick, would wean quickly. this

> isn't an easy decision and I think that breastmilk is of course, the best

> food for a baby (the average worldwide age of weaning is 4!!!). There are

> other concerns about breastfeeding too -- a bit off topic, but according

> to

> Theo Colburn Phd (in the book Our Stolen Future), the dioxins in the

> mother's body are largely stored in fat, including the high fat

> breastmilk.

> These dioxins are then dumped into the baby. One of the reasons, Colburn

> speculates, that breastfeeding is a good preventer of breast cancer, is

> that

> the mother loses some of her dioxins through breastmilk. Of course, the

> infant gets those. There are dioxins in the plastics of nipples used on

> bottles as well, but breastmilk is really an excellent source of transfer.

> Some health care activists are asking women to reconsider breastfeeding,

> but

> for now, the recommendations of most who are up on this issue is to

> continue

> breastfeeding as the benefits to the immune system may outweigh the dioxin

> load and actually allow teh child to fight these. In sum, the pollutants

> we've created are indeed are children's problems -- instantly.

>

> My book?!! Aargh. Met with the interested literary agent a couple of

> weeks

> ago. I'm on a third draft of the darn thing, mostly readjusting one

> character into something more complex. It shoudl be finished in December

> and then I hope the agent will be able to try to sell it. Thanks for

> asking!!!! Continuing my off topic ramble, I also wrote a short 8 page

> story related to the pyschological aspects of the current war on

> terrorism.

> I'm going to transform this into a first person narrative, but if anyone

> wants a copy through email, I'd love to have people actually read some of

> my

> work right now; since the magazine I used to write for went under, I've

> missed having an audience other than neighors!

>

> If you want a copy, let me know privately at:

> petri017@...

>

> I'll copy it into the body of the email itself.

>

> B

>

October 25, 2001

You know I will be honest with you. One of my last pregnancies was a

huge surprise and I was HyerT with out a choice. Now rather than drive

myself so crazy I had to go with waht the literature says as well as the

scientific studies. No choice here. I wasn't about to go under the knife.

Surgery certainly has it's risks also. Since I was on relatively low dose

PTU I couldn't drive myself insane with worry . It may sound funny to some

but with alot of prayer I had to have faith that God wanted me to have my

children so he would protect my child. Some things are out of our own hands

but with things we can control we do our best with the right information we

are given. I don't know , I guess with all that's happened lately I have to

try and put things in proper perspective and live life to the best of my

ability and rely on God to help me get through. regards, I.

Re: endo appt/ pregnancy and GD & some OT

>

> > OK, what is the bottom line with this? If my clock was ticking, if I

were

> > unexpectedly pregnant, it's good to know that things quite possibly

could

> > turn out well. But what's the best for all concerned?

> >

> > * PTU is better for a pregnant and lactating woman than Tapazole. But

how

> > good is it really? And what if a pregnant

> > woman finds herself unable to tolerate PTU? (Is this where surgery

> > comes in?)

>

> Yes, if you're pregnant and taking PTU and discover you're intolerant,

your

> thyroid will be surgically removed, hopefully around the fourth month

> (that's the ideal time for the fetus.

>

> But this question of how good is PTU really, and what's the best for all

> concerned -- this really gets me going. Without question, the rare but

> potentially horrid adverse affects of tapazole make tap a risky drug (the

> fetus can develop a rare condition in which the skin on the scalp doesn't

> grow correctly, exposing the brain orsomething horrific like that--but

it's

> rare). However, PTU is classified as a 'probable carcinogen " by the US

> department of Health and Human Services. As far as I know, ob/gyns and

> endos are NOT telling this to their pregnant patients. My own endo had no

> idea. I've mentioned this many times and the link to the government

report

> should be in the archives; I can dig it out and send it again if someone

> wants to see this. Remember, estrogen also shares this classification -

> estrogen serves a vital purpose in our bodies, but too much is now

suspected

> of contributing to cancer. According to one study, 4 people of 350 who

> took PTU developed thyroid cancer; large doses of PTU caused thyroid

cancer

> in rats.

>

> There have been NO studies on the longterm health of fetuses who were

> exposed to PTU. We really don't know what the drug does to the developing

> baby. We do know that there appear to be no immediate adverse affects --

> newborns are fine, babies are fine etc. We also know that untreated

> hyperthyroidism can be damaging and deadly to both mother and baby.

>

> That's the picture. If I decide to have another baby and became

> hyperthyroid again, if the situation were dire, I would probably take PTU.

> But I would not take the drug blindly or lightly, and would not believe

all

> would be 'fine' simply because this is the drug of choice. It is a choice

> with uncertainties and with the tag of 'probable carcinogen' being given

to

> a developing baby. If this drug causes cancer in lab rats, it makes me

> angry and sad that we haven't figured out if this drug may adversely

affect

> a baby in the longterm.

>

> > * Even if a one can take PTU while breastfeeding there is powerful

> > anecdotal evidence (, help me out here. [And

> > what's happening with " Prairie Rat? " ]) that achieving hormonal stasis

> > can be very helpful for Grave's patients. Would a

> > pregnant woman just do well to psyche herself up to not breastfeeding

> > to more easily achieve remission? Personally,

> > that would be a very painful decision.

> >

>

> Not all women will go into remission once the hormonal changes of

lactation

> have returned to their 'normal' state. However, I did. Again, I would

> probably breastfeed again and if I became sick, would wean quickly. this

> isn't an easy decision and I think that breastmilk is of course, the best

> food for a baby (the average worldwide age of weaning is 4!!!). There are

> other concerns about breastfeeding too -- a bit off topic, but according

to

> Theo Colburn Phd (in the book Our Stolen Future), the dioxins in the

> mother's body are largely stored in fat, including the high fat

breastmilk.

> These dioxins are then dumped into the baby. One of the reasons, Colburn

> speculates, that breastfeeding is a good preventer of breast cancer, is

that

> the mother loses some of her dioxins through breastmilk. Of course, the

> infant gets those. There are dioxins in the plastics of nipples used on

> bottles as well, but breastmilk is really an excellent source of transfer.

> Some health care activists are asking women to reconsider breastfeeding,

but

> for now, the recommendations of most who are up on this issue is to

continue

> breastfeeding as the benefits to the immune system may outweigh the dioxin

> load and actually allow teh child to fight these. In sum, the pollutants

> we've created are indeed are children's problems -- instantly.

>

> My book?!! Aargh. Met with the interested literary agent a couple of

weeks

> ago. I'm on a third draft of the darn thing, mostly readjusting one

> character into something more complex. It shoudl be finished in December

> and then I hope the agent will be able to try to sell it. Thanks for

> asking!!!! Continuing my off topic ramble, I also wrote a short 8 page

> story related to the pyschological aspects of the current war on

terrorism.

> I'm going to transform this into a first person narrative, but if anyone

> wants a copy through email, I'd love to have people actually read some of

my

> work right now; since the magazine I used to write for went under, I've

> missed having an audience other than neighors!

>

> If you want a copy, let me know privately at:

> petri017@...

>

> I'll copy it into the body of the email itself.

>

> B

>

> -------------------------------------

> The Graves' list is intended for informational purposes only and is not

intended to replace expert medical care.

> Please consult your doctor before changing or trying new treatments.

> ----------------------------------------

> DISCLAIMER

>

> Advertisments placed on this yahoo groups list does not have the

endorsement of

> the listowner. I have no input as to what ads are attached to emails.

> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------

>

October 25, 2001

Hi Sonya,

PTU is another ATD, I can't remember the full name of it though, I'm sorry.

It is said to be safer for pregnancy than Tap (see B's post for a much

better explanation). Others I'm sure will explain it better.

Jody

_________________________________________________________________

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October 25, 2001

, your beliefs do not sound funny in the least. Congratulations and

enjoy. I am one of five and have a large family myself. I hope I haven't

upset or offended anyone but I do want to find out all the angles of this

issue.

Take care, everyone, Fay

________________________________________________________________

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Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!

Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit:

http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.

October 25, 2001

Hi -

Do you remember the class ranking of PTU as a carcinogen? I think you

posted it once before.

I took Glucophage for PCOS when trying to get pregnant. It has a class B

risk factor and isn't advised for those attempting pregnancy. However, it's

now being used often to treat PCOS and women are often being kept on it for

their 1st trimester because it seems to reduce the risk of miscarriage. The

consensus is that although there is some risk, the benefits for PCOS

patients far outweigh them.

The good thing is that since little PTU crosses the placenta (and they keep

mom on a minimal dose), the risk that it is a probable carcinogen is

probably much much lower than it is for the rats given a high dose or the 4

people that developed thyroid cancer (who get PTU directly). They are very

cautious when listing drugs as safe during pregnancy and if there's any

possibility of a risk at all, the drug is listed as risky.

It is good to bring this to people's attention though and it does deserve

long-term study. That you would take it again during pregnancy is an

example of that cost-benefit risk. Some people wouldn't be willing to take

any risk and it wouldn't be right for them not to be able to decide that for

themselves.

Take care,

>

> > OK, what is the bottom line with this? If my clock was ticking, if I

were

> > unexpectedly pregnant, it's good to know that things quite possibly

could

> > turn out well. But what's the best for all concerned?

> >

> > * PTU is better for a pregnant and lactating woman than Tapazole. But

how

> > good is it really? And what if a pregnant

> > woman finds herself unable to tolerate PTU? (Is this where surgery

> > comes in?)

>

> Yes, if you're pregnant and taking PTU and discover you're intolerant,

your

> thyroid will be surgically removed, hopefully around the fourth month

> (that's the ideal time for the fetus.

>

> But this question of how good is PTU really, and what's the best for all

> concerned -- this really gets me going. Without question, the rare but

> potentially horrid adverse affects of tapazole make tap a risky drug (the

> fetus can develop a rare condition in which the skin on the scalp doesn't

> grow correctly, exposing the brain orsomething horrific like that--but

it's

> rare). However, PTU is classified as a 'probable carcinogen " by the US

> department of Health and Human Services. As far as I know, ob/gyns and

> endos are NOT telling this to their pregnant patients. My own endo had no

> idea. I've mentioned this many times and the link to the government

report

> should be in the archives; I can dig it out and send it again if someone

> wants to see this. Remember, estrogen also shares this classification -

> estrogen serves a vital purpose in our bodies, but too much is now

suspected

> of contributing to cancer. According to one study, 4 people of 350 who

> took PTU developed thyroid cancer; large doses of PTU caused thyroid

cancer

> in rats.

>

> There have been NO studies on the longterm health of fetuses who were

> exposed to PTU. We really don't know what the drug does to the developing

> baby. We do know that there appear to be no immediate adverse affects --

> newborns are fine, babies are fine etc. We also know that untreated

> hyperthyroidism can be damaging and deadly to both mother and baby.

>

> That's the picture. If I decide to have another baby and became

> hyperthyroid again, if the situation were dire, I would probably take PTU.

> But I would not take the drug blindly or lightly, and would not believe

all

> would be 'fine' simply because this is the drug of choice. It is a choice

> with uncertainties and with the tag of 'probable carcinogen' being given

to

> a developing baby. If this drug causes cancer in lab rats, it makes me

> angry and sad that we haven't figured out if this drug may adversely

affect

> a baby in the longterm.

>

> > * Even if a one can take PTU while breastfeeding there is powerful

> > anecdotal evidence (, help me out here. [And

> > what's happening with " Prairie Rat? " ]) that achieving hormonal stasis

> > can be very helpful for Grave's patients. Would a

> > pregnant woman just do well to psyche herself up to not breastfeeding

> > to more easily achieve remission? Personally,

> > that would be a very painful decision.

October 25, 2001

Hi ,

I totally understand -- if I have another baby and need to, I'd take PTU

again too. It seems the best option. Plus, sometimes you DO have to take a

leap of faith and have trust that the 'best' option is good enough.

The only reason I get annoyed about this particular issue is that I believe

PTU's classification as a 'probable carcinogen' should be made known to

women before they take the drug. Maybe if enough of us -- esp. when we're

not pregnant, not in a crisis situation etc. -- demand better information of

hte medication we'll be needing in a pinch, we can help one another become

better informed. Also, I always wonder if people knew this, if these babies

developed thyroid problems as young adults or adults, etc., we might be able

to track a connection, IF there is one.

B

Re: endo appt/ pregnancy and GD & some OT

>

> >

> > > OK, what is the bottom line with this? If my clock was ticking, if I

> were

> > > unexpectedly pregnant, it's good to know that things quite possibly

> could

> > > turn out well. But what's the best for all concerned?

> > >

> > > * PTU is better for a pregnant and lactating woman than Tapazole. But

> how

> > > good is it really? And what if a pregnant

> > > woman finds herself unable to tolerate PTU? (Is this where surgery

> > > comes in?)

> >

> > Yes, if you're pregnant and taking PTU and discover you're intolerant,

> your

> > thyroid will be surgically removed, hopefully around the fourth month

> > (that's the ideal time for the fetus.

> >

> > But this question of how good is PTU really, and what's the best for all

> > concerned -- this really gets me going. Without question, the rare but

> > potentially horrid adverse affects of tapazole make tap a risky drug

(the

> > fetus can develop a rare condition in which the skin on the scalp

doesn't

> > grow correctly, exposing the brain orsomething horrific like that--but

> it's

> > rare). However, PTU is classified as a 'probable carcinogen " by the US

> > department of Health and Human Services. As far as I know, ob/gyns and

> > endos are NOT telling this to their pregnant patients. My own endo had

no

> > idea. I've mentioned this many times and the link to the government

> report

> > should be in the archives; I can dig it out and send it again if someone

> > wants to see this. Remember, estrogen also shares this classification -

> > estrogen serves a vital purpose in our bodies, but too much is now

> suspected

> > of contributing to cancer. According to one study, 4 people of 350 who

> > took PTU developed thyroid cancer; large doses of PTU caused thyroid

> cancer

> > in rats.

> >

> > There have been NO studies on the longterm health of fetuses who were

> > exposed to PTU. We really don't know what the drug does to the

developing

> > baby. We do know that there appear to be no immediate adverse

affects --

> > newborns are fine, babies are fine etc. We also know that untreated

> > hyperthyroidism can be damaging and deadly to both mother and baby.

> >

> > That's the picture. If I decide to have another baby and became

> > hyperthyroid again, if the situation were dire, I would probably take

PTU.

> > But I would not take the drug blindly or lightly, and would not believe

> all

> > would be 'fine' simply because this is the drug of choice. It is a

choice

> > with uncertainties and with the tag of 'probable carcinogen' being given

> to

> > a developing baby. If this drug causes cancer in lab rats, it makes me

> > angry and sad that we haven't figured out if this drug may adversely

> affect

> > a baby in the longterm.

> >

> > > * Even if a one can take PTU while breastfeeding there is powerful

> > > anecdotal evidence (, help me out here. [And

> > > what's happening with " Prairie Rat? " ]) that achieving hormonal

stasis

> > > can be very helpful for Grave's patients. Would a

> > > pregnant woman just do well to psyche herself up to not

breastfeeding

> > > to more easily achieve remission? Personally,

> > > that would be a very painful decision.

> > >

> >

> > Not all women will go into remission once the hormonal changes of

> lactation

> > have returned to their 'normal' state. However, I did. Again, I would

> > probably breastfeed again and if I became sick, would wean quickly.

this

> > isn't an easy decision and I think that breastmilk is of course, the

best

> > food for a baby (the average worldwide age of weaning is 4!!!). There

are

> > other concerns about breastfeeding too -- a bit off topic, but according

> to

> > Theo Colburn Phd (in the book Our Stolen Future), the dioxins in the

> > mother's body are largely stored in fat, including the high fat

> breastmilk.

> > These dioxins are then dumped into the baby. One of the reasons,

Colburn

> > speculates, that breastfeeding is a good preventer of breast cancer, is

> that

> > the mother loses some of her dioxins through breastmilk. Of course, the

> > infant gets those. There are dioxins in the plastics of nipples used on

> > bottles as well, but breastmilk is really an excellent source of

transfer.

> > Some health care activists are asking women to reconsider breastfeeding,

> but

> > for now, the recommendations of most who are up on this issue is to

> continue

> > breastfeeding as the benefits to the immune system may outweigh the

dioxin

> > load and actually allow teh child to fight these. In sum, the

pollutants

> > we've created are indeed are children's problems -- instantly.

> >

> > My book?!! Aargh. Met with the interested literary agent a couple of

> weeks

> > ago. I'm on a third draft of the darn thing, mostly readjusting one

> > character into something more complex. It shoudl be finished in

December

> > and then I hope the agent will be able to try to sell it. Thanks for

> > asking!!!! Continuing my off topic ramble, I also wrote a short 8 page

> > story related to the pyschological aspects of the current war on

> terrorism.

> > I'm going to transform this into a first person narrative, but if anyone

> > wants a copy through email, I'd love to have people actually read some

of

> my

> > work right now; since the magazine I used to write for went under, I've

> > missed having an audience other than neighors!

> >

> > If you want a copy, let me know privately at:

> > petri017@...

> >

> > I'll copy it into the body of the email itself.

> >

> > B

> >

> > -------------------------------------

> > The Graves' list is intended for informational purposes only and is not

> intended to replace expert medical care.

> > Please consult your doctor before changing or trying new treatments.

> > ----------------------------------------

> > DISCLAIMER

> >

> > Advertisments placed on this yahoo groups list does not have the

> endorsement of

> > the listowner. I have no input as to what ads are attached to emails.

>

> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> ------------

> >

October 25, 2001

Re: endo appt/ pregnancy and GD & some OT

>

> Hi -

>

> Do you remember the class ranking of PTU as a carcinogen? I think you

> posted it once before.

>

It's a 'probable' carcinogen

>

> The good thing is that since little PTU crosses the placenta (and they

keep

> mom on a minimal dose), the risk that it is a probable carcinogen is

> probably much much lower than it is for the rats given a high dose or the

4

> people that developed thyroid cancer (who get PTU directly). They are

very

> cautious when listing drugs as safe during pregnancy and if there's any

> possibility of a risk at all, the drug is listed as risky.

>

> It is good to bring this to people's attention though and it does deserve

> long-term study. That you would take it again during pregnancy is an

> example of that cost-benefit risk. Some people wouldn't be willing to

take

> any risk and it wouldn't be right for them not to be able to decide that

for

> themselves.

>

You know, I have to agree wtih this -- weighing all, I'd take PTU. I don't

mean to scare anyone away from using the drug when necessary.

However, the longterm impact of PTU on babies has never been studied. I

guess I feel that there might be some risk -- we don't know that. There

mightNOT be a risk -- we don't know that either. This is an area that I

think needs more research.

B

October 26, 2001

I'm taking PTU, but have no intentions of having any more children. Should

I be taking the Tapazole, instead?