Another commonly used name is theophylline and glyceryl guaiacolate . This medicine relieves cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, and troubled breathing. In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to aminophylline, guaifenesin, oxtriphylline, or theophylline.
Theophylline is used to treat asthma in pregnant women.
Although there are no studies on birth defects in humans, problems have not been reported. However, some studies in animals have shown that theophylline can cause birth defects when given in doses many times the human dose. Because your ability to clear theophylline from your body may decrease later in pregnancy, your doctor may want to take blood samples during your pregnancy to measure the amount of medicine in the blood. This will help your doctor decide whether the dose of this medicine should be changed. Theophylline crosses the placenta.