Mebendazole (worming tablet) in early pregnancy - I'm panicking

[octocompass]

I didn't realize I was pg until 9 weeks, and at 8 weeks I took a worming tablet because my DD had worms and the GP said everyone in the family should take it. It says on the packet do NOT take during pregnancy. I've spoken to my GP and to a consultant about it, and researched it online, and basically what I've learnt is that there is nothing PROVEN to say it harms the fetus, but it could. In animal studies, it was harmful to rat fetuses.

I am probably overreacting, but I am really upset by this. Just posting here in case anyone has any words of wisdom. How do you deal with having made mistakes in pregnancy? Anyone else done stuff they regret before they realized they were pg?

THanks!

[mercibucket]

something very similar, my gynae told me it was an 'all or nothing' situation ie if the pregnancy continues as normal then everything will be fine and no harm has been done. i don't know if it was the same drug but it was also a worming drug. I still, tbh, feel guilty about it even though they said that, and ds, while pretty much absolutely fine,does have a chronic but not serious condition which I like to wonder if I am responsible for. In fact, I'm sure it's nothing to do with it but it is the nature of motherhood to feel responsible for everything and guilty about everything.
chin up
I'm sure your lovely baby will be absolutely fine. you didn't do it on purpose and 99.999999% chance of no harm at all having been done in any case. we love our children so much and want everything to be perfect for them but we are all only human. guilt is also the eternal mother's emotion imo, so if it wasn't this it would be something else: working, not working, breastfeeding, not breastfeeding, giving them fruit shoots

[Milkybrew]

Please don't worry-my friend did exactly the same as you, took menendazole not knowing she was pregnant. She now has a perfect DS, after a problem free pregnancy.

[mercibucket]

just to be absolutely clear on the 'all or nothing' thing in case you are worrying! just read it back and I''m not sure it's clear. I took the drug at 5 weeks and they were saying it wouldn't develop beyond that if the drug had any effect. I am quite quite sure the same does not apply in your situation so don't start worrying about that as well sorry if that wasn't clear in my first post

[octocompass]

Thanks mercibucket, don't worry I did understand what you meant in your first post. I totally understand you feeling guilty - I think I will forever - but in case it helps you, everything I've read says that, when babies have had problems or defects after exposure to mebendazole, these defects are all different so they do not think there is a causal effect. So I doubt your DS's condition was caused by it. BUT, although I can say this to someone else, I can't say it to myself, if you see what I mean. I feel really bad about it and don't want to spend the next however many years worrying and feeling guilty.

[mercibucket]

really, I don't think it was, I think what happens with anything to do with your children is that if they are not perfect in every way, you look for some way to blame yourself and cast your mind back to anything you might have done. it's like there are two parts of me - the rational part that knows perfectly well it's just the luck of the draw, and the part of me that is looking for some 'reason'
it could just have easily have been 'I worked too much and was too stressed in pregnancy' or 'the birth was tricky'
in fact, it's none of those things and I am just beating myself up a bit for no good reason
I'm only saying all this because I hope it helps to see that we all, every single one of us, blame ourselves for something. you would never, I'm sure, blame anyone else or tell them to feel guilty about the same thing, so try to cut yourself the same slack and be kind to yourself. say to yourself the same things you would say to anyone else in the same situation. it wasn't your fault, you didn't know, everything will be fine in any case so it's not worth stressing about.

[edwinbear]

I drank like a fish before I knew I was expecting DS, I found out at about 5 weeks and of course, stopped drinking immediately. He was born with an undescended testicle, which was successfully treated at 9 months and he is now a happy and healthy 2 yr old. Out of the 10,000 odd internet pages I looked at about undescended testicles in the 9 months prior to his op, I found one single site which suggested the mother's alcohol consumption can lead to an undescended testicle and I have beaten myself up about it ever since. I think it's part of being a mum!

[Catsycat]

A lot of medecines say not to use in pregnancy, because it would be unethical to test them on pregnant women, so there is no data to prove them safe or otherwise. Manufacturers have to err on the side of caution by saying not to take during pregnancy. Lots of things harm animals, that wouldn't harm us, and vice versa, and the dosage given to a rat in testing may not be comparable to the dosage you took. I'm sure you know that already, but I understand how worried you must be, and like other people have said it seems we have an instinct to beat ourselves up! Hopefully the other stories on here have reassured you that you'll be OK. Please don't torture yourself, you didn't know you were pregnant, and you did nothing wrong.

[octocompass]

Just to say thanks for all the replies, they are helpful. Also, edwinbear, as I understand it (I may be wrong), sex organs don't start developing till much later than 5 weeks - more like 9 or 10 weeks? not sure - so I don't think your early alcohol consumption could have caused it.

[cindarella1234]

Ive done the same! Taken it and found out i was pregnant, cant sleep or eat worrying ive done some harm to my baby, not told the boyfriend. Please can u let me know how u got on and if it affects the baby please.

[nab6]

I took an albendazole chewable table (Zentel brand name) during my six or seven weeks pregnancy by last period (4- or 5 th week according to scanning).

I am worried about it, if someone has taken in your early pregnancy, please share your views and whether baby was normal during delivery. I am eagerly waiting for your reply.

Thanks in advance

[nehawagh]

Hey all,
whats the status? has everyone had a normal pregnancy. I m little panicky, I took deworming zentel (Albendazole), not knowing I was pregnant 3 weeks. Feeling really stupid and cursing myself. Please let me know, if everything was normal. please

[NoOneLikesACrispyTowel]

Oh, Zombie thread.

[inboxofvandana]

Hi, even i have taken Albendazole at 6 week, without knowing that i am pregnant. Can you please share your result.

[Liz3891]

Mebendazole is on the list of essential drugs around the world. It is regularly taken by pregnant women in the developing world with no indications of any effects at all in any trimester.

[Samaia]

Girls please help!!! I just found out I am 3 weeks pregnant, just at time of ovulation and conception for the next 3/4 days I was taking Albendazole to threat potential threadworms my daughter has had. Now I am literally crying and considering to go get the pill tomorrow to abort the pregnancy. I am such a mess reading everything everywhere and it says it’s real bad for a badly taking anytime in pregnancy, especially early pregnancy while Feria is just developing. Please someone reply. I know this post is very very old but I have no one to ask and gp’s in my practice seem careless reading everything of the screen on patient.com website. How did your case go? How did the baby develop?

[SiolGhoraidh]

This guidance is from the clinical site Best Use of Medicine in Pregnancy, which looks at and summarises available research on medicines taken in pregnancy. This is for a similar medicine to what you took, so advice would be the same:

'Is there any risk to my baby from use of mebendazole in pregnancy?
Studies that included around 1,650 women taking mebendazole during the first trimester of pregnancy found that these women do not seem to have a higher chance of having a baby with a birth defect.
Studies of a small number of pregnant women taking mebendazole in early pregnancy have shown no link with miscarriage.
A study of around 2,500 pregnant women taking mebendazole did not shown any links with stillbirth, premature delivery (before 37 weeks of pregnancy), very low birth weight in the baby (less than 1,500g), or the baby dying soon after birth.'

So you're good. The reason so many medicines are not recommended for pregnant women is because there's a lack of research, not because they're actively harmful.

[inboxofvandana]

Don't worry, even i have taken Albendazole at my 6th week of pregnancy, now i am 26 week pregnant and my anomaly scan shows no defect, baby is absolutely fine. so relax.

[Ashfiqur]

Hi @07inboxofvandana

Samething is happened with wife, she got albendazole 400mg 4 days ago. And yesterday we know she is pregnant. Will it create any effects, we were very worried about it. Have you got well chilled?

[Ashfiqur]

Can anyone suggestions me please

[Ashfiqur]

Anyone here?

[xTinkerbell]

I took ovex and found out I was pregnant three days later. Now 32 weeks and baby is absolutely fine

[nora1104]

Hello, I have taken Deworming tablet in my first month of pregnancy not knowing that I am pregnant. Can you share your experience about what the doctors suggested, was there any birth defect noticed in the child, and is it safe to continue the pregnancy?

[nora1104]

@nehawagh, @octocompass @Samaia @inboxofvandana request you to confirm if you went ahead with your pregnancy after having Albendazole (Mebendazole) during first trimester and if your child was observed with any birth defect?

[Ceny]

Pls I need advice, I'm panicking I took worm medicine not knowing I'm pregnant. I'm 7 weeks pregnant and took the medicine about 2weeks ago, pls anyone with such experience? Do you think is safe to continue with the pregnancy. Pls advice thanks.