Noresthisterone period delay pill now sold over the counter : is it safe ?

What will be the real cost of “giving women more choices” and messing with their bodies” ?

“The Period Delay Pill has been available on our Online Doctor service previously and now introducing it in our pharmacies and nurse clinics with a consultation and questionnaire allows women to make the choice easily and quickly should they choose to delay their period.”

Michael Henry, healthcare director for Superdrug.

Reported Side Effects

Asthma; cardiac dysfunction; conditions that may worsen with fluid retention; diabetes (progestogens can decrease glucose tolerance—monitor patient closely); epilepsy; history of depression; hypertension; migraine; susceptibility to thromboembolism (particular caution with high dose).

When used for contraception

Active trophoblastic disease (until return to normal of urine- and plasma-gonadotrophin concentration)—seek specialist advice; arterial disease; functional ovarian cysts; history of jaundice in pregnancy; malabsorption syndromes; past ectopic pregnancy; sex-steroid dependent cancer; systemic lupus erythematosus with positive (or unknown) anti-phospholipid antibodies with intramuscular use for contraception disturbances of lipid metabolism; history during pregnancy of deterioration of otosclerosis; history during pregnancy of pruritus; possible risk of breast cancer.

Cautions, further information

A possible small increase in the risk of breast cancer should be weighed against the benefits.

The product literature advises caution in patients with history of thromboembolism, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and migraine; evidence for caution in these conditions is unsatisfactory.

Read NICE guidelines about norethisterone.

“Like the contraceptive pill, period delay pills are not side-effect free. Norethisterone is a synthetic version of the naturally occurring hormone progesterone and, like the other synthetic hormones in contraception, it can cause breast tenderness, nausea, headaches, low libido and, crucially, ‘disturbances in mood’. What the NHS likely means by this is mental health side effects which can range from ‘feeling a bit low’ to full-blown depression and anxiety. No two women are the same and so no two women will respond to a pill in the same way.”

Read Why no one’s talking about the worrying side effects of period delay tablets on Metro, 10 Aug 2019.

Declining malformation rates with changed antiepileptic drug prescribing – An observational study

Reducing birth defects in women with epilepsy : prescribing responsively leading to results – Aug 2019

Abstract

Objective
Changes in prescribing patterns of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in pregnant women with epilepsy would be expected to affect the risk of major congenital malformations (MCMs). To test this hypothesis, we analyzed data from an international pregnancy registry (EURAP).

Methods
EURAP is an observational prospective cohort study designed to determine the risk of MCMs after prenatal exposure to AEDs. The Cochrane-Armitage linear trend analysis was used to assess changes in AED treatment, prevalence of MCMs, and occurrence of generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCs) over 3 time periods: 2000–2005 (n = 4,760), 2006–2009 (n = 3,599), and 2010–2013 (n = 2,949).

Results
There were pronounced changes in the use of specific AEDs over time, with a decrease in the use of valproic acid and carbamazepine and an increase in the use of lamotrigine and levetiracetam. The prevalence of MCMs with monotherapy exposure decreased from 6.0% in 2000–2005 to 4.4% in 2010–2013. The change over time in MCM frequency after monotherapy exposure showed a significant linear trend in the crude analysis (p = 0.0087), which was no longer present after adjustment for changes in AED treatment (p = 0.9923). There was no indication of an increase over time in occurrence of GTCs during pregnancy.

Conclusions
There have been major changes in AED prescription patterns over the years covered by the study. In parallel, we observed a significant 27% decrease in the prevalence of MCMs. The results of adjusting the trend analysis for MCMs for changes in AED treatment suggest that changes in prescription patterns played a major role in the reduction of teratogenic events.

The shocking truth behind the widely used drug sodium valproate

Inside Out London, 22.01.2018 Full Version

We expose the government documents that we obtained concerning Sodium Valproate and the defect risk when taken during pregnancy and the worrying transgenerational link it will affect our grand children.

In a special edition of Inside Out London, Tarah Welsh investigates the shocking truth behind an anti-epilepsy drug which has harmed thousands of children. She uncovers new medical evidence suggesting that birth defects caused by the drug could be passed down through generations of the same family. Archives.

France : Renforcement des mesures de réduction des risques liés à l’exposition in utero aux antiépileptiques

L’Agence nationale de sécurité des médicaments et des produits de santé (ANSM) publie l’avis du comité d’experts (CSST) sur le renforcement des mesures de réduction des risques liés à l’exposition aux antiépileptiques au cours de la grossesse

Considérant le rapport de l’ANSM, les auditions des parties prenantes et le retour d’expérience sur le valproate, le CSST formule les recommandations détaillées ci-dessous afin de renforcer les mesures de réduction des risques malformatifs et neuro-développementaux suite à l’exposition in utero aux antiépileptiques autres que le valproate. Ces recommandations ont été établies après analyse des médicaments antiépileptiques selon les groupes de risque définis dans le rapport de l’ANSM.

En préambule, le CSST souligne la nécessité d’avoir une réflexion, lors de la prescription d’un traitement antiépileptique chez une jeune femme de plus de 10 ans, sur la possibilité qu’elle ait un jour un projet de grossesse et d’intégrer le choix de l’antiépileptique dans cette perspective.

1. Mise en place d’un carnet de suivi pour les patientes atteintes d’épilepsie à partir de l’âge de 10 ans

Le CSST recommande de mettre en place un carnet de suivi pour toutes les patientes atteintes d’épilepsie à partir de l’âge de 10 ans.

Ce carnet sera notamment destiné :

  • à informer systématiquement les patientes de la façon la plus claire possible sur les niveaux de risques malformatifs et neuro-développementaux des différents antiépileptiques. Il comportera également des informations scientifiques utiles pour les professionnels de santé ;
  • à documenter le suivi de la patiente (consultations, notamment pré-conceptionnelles, traitements, calendrier des crises, contraception, résultats d’examens…).
2. Mise en place de mesures spécifiques aux antiépileptiques à risque malformatif augmenté avéré

Pour les antiépileptiques dont l’augmentation du risque malformatif est avérée (carbamazépine, (fos)phénytoïne, topiramate, phénobarbital et primidone) sans relation dose-effet établie à ce jour et qui présentent par ailleurs un risque non exclu de troubles neuro-développementaux, le CSST recommande, chez les patientes atteintes d’épilepsie à partir de l’âge de 10 ans :

  • de mettre en place une consultation annuelle obligatoire par un spécialiste de l’épilepsie (neurologue, neuro-pédiatre ou pédiatre), afin de s’assurer régulièrement que le recours à ces médicaments est toujours nécessaire ;
  • de renforcer l’information des patientes sur ces risques au travers d’un document d’information signé par la patiente (ou son représentant légal) et le spécialiste de l’épilepsie ;
  • de conditionner la délivrance de ces médicaments à la mention sur l’ordonnance de la date de signature de ce document d’information.

Pour les médicaments antiépileptiques qui peuvent être prescrits dans d’autres indications (carbamazépine, phénytoïne, topiramate), cette mention devra également apparaitre sur l’ordonnance et conditionnera la délivrance.

Le CSST recommande par ailleurs de prévoir des dispositions permettant :

  • la délivrance de la quantité minimale de traitement antiépileptique si l’ordonnance ne mentionne pas la signature du document d’information, afin de ne pas exposer les patientes aux risques liés à une interruption de traitement ;
  • de s’affranchir de la signature du document d’information par les patientes lorsqu’il existe des raisons indiquant qu’il n’y a aucun risque de grossesse. Seul le médecin signe alors ce document en précisant les raisons pour lesquelles la patiente ne le signe pas et mentionne sur l’ordonnance « document d’information non requis ».
3. Concernant les antiépileptiques à risque malformatif potentiel ou pour lesquels la fréquence globale de malformation ne semble pas augmentée

Pour ces médicaments, en l’état actuel des connaissances, le CSST recommande :

  • d’avoir recours au carnet patient préconisé ;
  • que l’avis d’un spécialiste de l’épilepsie soit recherché pour tout projet de grossesse chez une patiente épileptique traitée par plusieurs médicaments antiépileptiques (polythérapie),
4. Adaptation des pictogrammes sur les boites

Les pictogrammes concernant la grossesse figurant sur les boites d’antiépileptiques devront être adaptés et harmonisés au niveau de risque détaillé dans le rapport de l’ANSM.

5. Mise en place d’un registre national de surveillance des grossesses sous antiépileptiques

Ce registre a pour objectif de surveiller les effets tératogènes et foetotoxiques des médicaments antiépileptiques. Dans cette perspective, il devra intégrer a minima les mêmes données que celles du registre européen EURAP auquel il devra être lié. Il devra par ailleurs permettre également de colliger des informations sur le suivi, à plus long terme, des enfants exposés in utero aux anti-épileptiques afin de poursuivre les investigations notamment sur les troubles neurodéveloppementaux.
Les sociétés savantes devront pouvoir accéder à ces données

6. Poursuite du suivi renforcé de l’ANSM

L’ANSM devra mettre à jour régulièrement son rapport ainsi que l’information sur ces risques et adapter, si nécessaire, les mesures de réduction des risques selon l’évolution des connaissances.

La mise en place de ces mesures devra être accompagnée d’actions de communication afin d’informer les patientes et les professionnels de santé sur les risques des médicaments antiépileptiques pendant la grossesse mais également sur l’importance d’une épilepsie bien équilibrée.

Sodium Valproate Review : Who knew What and When ?

Cumulative meta-analysis gives extra insights

2018 Abstract

Sodium valproate is licensed in the EU for treating generalised, partial or other forms of epilepsy. It has also been used to treat bipolar disorder and to prevent migraine. In February of this year, the European Medicines Agency recommended that sodium valproate should not be used during pregnancy unless no other effective treatment is available, and that it must not be used in women able to have children, unless the conditions of a pregnancy prevention programme are met. These measures to protect women and their children are welcome, but we argue that they should have been instituted several years ago, as the evidence was clear as far back as 1990 that there were risks of congenital malformations in women exposed to valproate.

Our analysis shows the value of cumulative meta-analysis, which, in our view, should be performed as standard in systematic reviews when any concerns about harms arise during the use of medications. …

…, we consider that drug companies, journal editors, prescribers and systematic reviewers have all acted too late. We, therefore, consider that from 1990 individuals should have been offered the opportunity to switch to treatments with lower risks, where they existed, and given minimum effective doses of valproate if alternative treatments were not available or advisable. In the intervening years, many women’s children will have been harmed. Manufacturers and regulators should be responsible for ensuring that cumulative analyses are carried out as part of postmarketing risk management plans.

Offspring whose mothers experienced early life febrile seizures display long term memory deficits

Prolonged febrile seizures induce inheritable memory deficits in rats through DNA methylation

2018 Summary

Aims:
Febrile seizures (FSs) are the most common types of seizures in young children. However, little is known whether the memory deficits induced by early‐life FSs could transmit across generations or not.

Methods:
The memory functions of different generations of FS rats were behaviorally evaluated by morris water maze, inhibitory avoidance task, and contextual fear conditioning task. Meanwhile, molecular biology and pharmacological methods were used to investigate the role of DNA methylation in transgenerational transmission of memory defects.

Results:
Prolonged FSs in infant rats resulted in memory deficits in adult and transgenerationally transmitted to next generation, which was mainly through mothers. For these two generations, DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) was upregulated, leading to transcriptional inhibition of the synaptic plasticity protein reelin but not the memory suppressor protein phosphatase. DNMT inhibitors prevented the high expression of DNMT and hypermethylation of reelin gene and reversed the transgenerationally memory deficits. In addition, enriched environment in juvenile rats rescued memory deficits induced by prolonged FSs.

Conclusions:
Our study demonstrated early experience of prolonged FSs led to memory deficits in adult rats and their unaffected offspring, which involved epigenetic mechanisms, suggesting early environmental experiences had a significant impact on the transgenerational transmission of neurological diseases.

Valproate Medicine : Chronology of Research, Regulation and Knowledge

Fetal Valproate Syndrome : The “Information Gap”, Infographic by FACSaware

Infographic showing the chronology of what happened and when.

It exposes the gaps in who received information and the lack of additional regulation.

Sources FACSaware group on Facebook.

Valproate Drug Harms : EMA Public Hearing in London

Many pregnant women are still unaware of epilepsy drug risks

The public hearing was part of a review of the safety of using valproate-containing medicines in women and girls who are pregnant or of childbearing age by EMA’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC). There is a risk of malformations and neurodevelopmental problems in babies who are exposed to valproate in the womb, and the review follows concerns that European Union (EU)-wide risk minimisation measures currently in place do not seem to be sufficiently effective.

Warnings to young women who might become pregnant that the epilepsy drug sodium valproate could cause birth defects and developmental problems in their babies could have been made public more than 40 years ago, according to campaigners.

EMA Public Hearing about Drug Valproate Use in Pregnancy

Pregnant women still unaware of epilepsy drug risks

Was there a deliberate decision not to publish Valproate’s risks ?

The public hearing was part of a review of the safety of using valproate-containing medicines in women and girls who are pregnant or of childbearing age by EMA’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC). There is a risk of malformations and neurodevelopmental problems in babies who are exposed to valproate in the womb, and the review follows concerns that European Union (EU)-wide risk minimisation measures currently in place do not seem to be sufficiently effective.

Warnings to young women who might become pregnant that the epilepsy drug sodium valproate could cause birth defects and developmental problems in their babies could have been made public more than 40 years ago, according to campaigners.

Epilepsy drug warnings DO NOT reach enough women, 2017 survey finds

Almost 70% of women surveyed about a powerful epilepsy drug have not received new safety warnings about the dangers of taking it during pregnancy

Two thirds of women who take the antiepileptic drug sodium valproate said they had not received new safety warnings about the dangers of taking it during pregnancy, a survey carried out by epilepsy charities has found. A similar survey last year found that half of women taking the drug were unaware it could harm their fetus.

The new results are to be presented at a public hearing on the safety of valproate drugs organised by the European Medicines Agency on 26 September in London. …

… continue reading Women still not being told about pregnancy risks of valproate on The BMJ doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j4426, published 22 September 2017.
Featured image credit @bmj_latest.