I'll talk more about high blood pressure in a future column. Accutane , used to treat severe, cystic acne, is one of the most teratogenic drugs around. It is so dangerous in pregnancy that doctors prescribing it are advised to recommend a strict protocol of birth control after first checking a pregnancy test, and have patients sign informed consent agreements before taking it. It is fat-soluble, so it can be stored in the body for up to three months after the last dose is taken. If you have used Accutane , I recommend using contraception for three months after you stop taking it to make sure all of it is out of your body before you try to conceive.
Diuretics are another thing to be careful of in pregnancy.
Don't use these when you are pregnant, unless prescribed by your doctor. Bloating and swelling are common in pregnancy, and diuretics can cause dehydration and other problems. That said, remember that Prozac and other drugs from the SSRI class affect brain chemistry and have not been used long enough to study their effects on the developing brain fully. They are to be used judiciously. Lithium, used to treat bi-polar disorder, may have a small risk of causing heart defects in the fetus and should be avoided during pregnancy.