Trimethoprim in first trimester. PLEASE PLEASE HELP!

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Hi everyone,

I am a young first time Mum and have a serious concern which I would be so grateful for any reassurance/advice/help with. Does anyone here have any experience of taking trimethoprim in the first trimester, and if so were there any any harmful effects upon your baby or was all well?

I'm going out of my mind with worry as I took three days of trimethoprim tablets (400 mg a day) for a UTI in what I now realise was week 5 (of my pregnancy (it was unplanned and I didn't realise I was pregnant then. Wasn't taking any folic acid either). I'm now in week 7 and so so so scared about the potential harm these tablets may have done.

Have read some horrific things on the internet. Have spoken to GP but I get the impression that she doesn't know too much about its harmful effects upon developing fetus as she had to look the drug up and said she couldn't think why it would be harmful and seemed to shrug it off. According to my research it's one of the worst things you can take for your baby in the 1st trimester? Desperate for any advice or help!

Thank you
xxxxx

Please don't go by anecdotes on this website. I know it is natural to want reassurance but you would be better off ringing your hospital and asking either to speak to someone by telephone or getting a clinic appointment to discuss it.

For what it is worth I did a very brief search and it seems trimethoprim is not contra-indicated in pregnancy, even in the first trimester, which suggests taking it really can't be as bad as all that:

For women who are pregnant:

* Trimethoprim can be used during pregnancy (although it should not be used first-line when other alternatives are available ? for example, amoxicillin, if the bacterial sensitivity is known)...
     
* If trimethoprim is recommended for use during the first trimester:
      o Ensure the woman is taking a folic acid supplement.
      o For most women, prescribe folic acid 400 microgram daily.
      o Consider a higher dose (5 mg daily) if the woman is at high risk of neural tube defects.

I got that from an NHS site call Clinical Knowledge Summaries.
Hope that helps.

I had a 3 day 400mg script for a uti at 16 weeks and doc prescribed it no problem at all.
Talk to your doc if it is worrying you but I am sure it'll be fine try not to worry.
step away from google x

I was prescribed it at 24 weeks for a UTI as well so fingers crossed it should be fine but as others said; have a chat with the department at the hospital or similar medical proffessional.

I didn't have trimethoprim but I did have azithromycin for bronchitis at 9wks. I did a lot of research afterwards (before hand I was so ill I think I'd have happily taken heroin if I'd thought it would have helped). I think the deal is that generally it's not that things are UNsafe during pg but that there's not enough evidence to show that things ARE safe, and there is a v big difference.

Eg, with azithromycin, there was a study done yonks ago but it was on about 16 women and one lost a baby but the study doesn't give an indication as to why, it could have been entirely unrelated.

FWIW, ask your dr to put it on your notes and then, hopefully, when the notes are collaborated after the big event it will be included in the records as another success. That's what I was told to do. That way, more drugs are listed as 'safe' for use during pg.

Another FWIW, dd1 was aggressively treated as a migraine problem w=for 12 weeks with some pretty heavy duty drugs. She's fine.

Oh, and congratulations!

Thank you all so much. I've spoken again to my GP and she says there is a slightly increased risk of NTDs in studies in rats etc but not much research has been done in humans, and as I'm healthy and have no deficiencies then it should really be fine.

Thank you again all for your help. The internet can be a blessing and a curse!

Good luck and best wishes to you all~

xxx

I'm really hoping as this thread is old, how did you get on in your pregnancy? I'm currently in the same position found out I'm pregnant last week so 5 weeks 2 days .. took 2 days worth of this anti b. 200mg Now I'm worrying a little. I started folic acid as soon as I found out I'm pregnancy.

Really hope somebody could reply xxx

Hi,
I have done the same mistake not knowing i was pregnant, i just found out and am really worried. Am 5 weeks pregnant. Can someone please tell me what happened and if it harmed the baby

Dina I took trimethoprim about a month before getting pregnant and also did the mistake of googling and reading about higher risk of birth defects even for people who took it before getting pregnant. Based on my research the risk of any problems is still very small and can be countered completely by taking folic acid.

My GP was very reassuring that this is not something I should be worried about!

And just to add, my baby is six months and absolutely perfect.

Thank you Onemoremummy! Thats reassuring, i cant stop thinking abt what harm could happen since i found out. I've been reading alot about it and the effects are horrible (maybe the internet is making me even more paranoid). Problem for me is that i had the antibiotics while being pregnant 5 weeks.

I bet a lot of people take trimethoprim early in pregnancy and don't think register that it's not advisable! Just make sure you keep taking folic acid! I even went up to 5mg folic acid, ask your GP to see what they say!