Acyclovir and pregnancy
Acyclovir is a widely used medication of low toxicity highly specific for treatment of herpes simplex and varicella-zoster viruses. It is available in oral and intravenous forms.
Dehydration or kidney disease can increase blood levels of acyclovir, which would increase the chance of side effects.
Acyclovir corresponds to the category B in the FDA. This means that acyclovir is not likely to harm an unborn baby. But anyway you should not take this medication without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant.
Acyclovir gets into breast milk and may affect an unborn baby. Do not take Acyclovir without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
Up to 50% of Acyclovir users are women of child-bearing age, making unsuspected fetal exposure during the first trimester of pregnancy a common occurrence and increasing the prospect of maternal or physician anxiety. Although the drug has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use during pregnancy, some studies indicate several situations in which it can be of therapeutic value.
Acyclovir was used by pregnant women and no birth defects or other related problems have been reported; but at the same time, studies of acyclovir in pregnancy in humans have been limited and inconclusive.
Acyclovir is widely used by sexually active women, particularly for the treatment and suppression of genital herpes, and inadvertent use during early pregnancy is highly possible. It is estimated that up to 50 percent of all users of acyclovir in this country are women of childbearing age. Although the drug has not been found to be teratogenic in standard tests in mice, rabbits and rats, very high doses have been associated with fetal abnormalities in rats. In addition, in vitro studies have linked very high dosages of acyclovir to chromosomal damage in human lymphocytes. Acyclovir is known to cross the placenta and to be concentrated in the fetal kidney. It is currently a category C drug–it should not be used in pregnancy unless the potential benefits outweigh the risk to the fetus.
These results do not show an increased incidence of congenital abnormality in infants exposed to acyclovir. in utero, compared with the general population. In addition, the lack of any consistent pattern of abnormality indicates that acyclovir does not seem to cause a specific fetal abnormality or syndrome.
Acyclovir and Pregnancy Acyclovir has been used by pregnant women and no birth defects or other related problems have been reported; however, studies of acyclovir in pregnancy in humans have been limited and inconclusive