People with certain medical conditions should not take Vytorin, and pregnancy is a condition in which use of the cholesterol medicine can harm the unborn child. According to the FDA, Vytorin has been classified as a pregnancy Category X medicine, which means it can potentially cause harm to the fetus. If you are taking Vytorin and pregnancy occurs, your healthcare provider will likely tell you to stop taking Vytorin.
Vytorin and Pregnancy: An Overview
Vytorin® (
ezetimibe/
simvastatin) is a pregnancy Category X medicine, meaning that the drug could potentially cause harm to your unborn child. Therefore, Vytorin is not recommended in women who are pregnant. If you are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant and are taking Vytorin, talk to your healthcare provider immediately.
Vytorin and Pregnancy Category X
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses a category system to classify the possible risks to a fetus when a specific medicine is taken during pregnancy. Pregnancy Category X is given to medicines that show problems to the fetus in pregnant animal studies or in humans that have mistakenly taken the medicine. The use of a Category X medicine during pregnancy is not recommended.
Vytorin and Pregnancy: Suggestions
The
effects of high cholesterol do not cause problems for many years or even decades. Therefore, it should be expected that if a woman does not take
cholesterol medicine during pregnancy, it will have little impact on any long-term risks. Since there is little benefit and a very high risk during pregnancy, your healthcare provider will likely recommend that you do not take Vytorin while pregnant. However, if you still have questions after reading this article, discuss Vytorin and pregnancy issues with your healthcare provider.
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