Injured by Cytotec?

The FDA approved Cytotec, manufactured by Searle, on March 17, 1999. Cytotec is approved to treat ulcers. With the increasing off label usage of Cytotec as a labor-inducing drug, Searle sent physicians a letter in August 2000 reminding them that Cytotec is not approved to induce labor. Cytotec‘s sole appeal for inducing labor is price; Cytotec costs pennies per induction.

There are growing concerns about the safety of this drug when used for labor induction. A November 1999 Committee Opinion of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) warns: ″There have been reports of uterine rupture following Cytotec use for cervical ripening in patients with prior uterine surgery. Thus, until reassuring studies are available, Cytotec is not recommended for cervical ripening in patients who have had prior cesarean delivery or major uterine surgery.″

Mothers seldom die as a result of ruptures, but babies often do. Obstetricians generally react to a rupture by performing a complete hysterectomy, eliminating all possibility of future biological children. Other risks of Cytotec include increased incidence of jaundice in the baby, fetal distress caused by uterine hyper stimulation, fluid overload from the IV use, increased blood loss post-partum, amniotic fluid embolism, uterine rupture, and an overall increased risk of instrumental or surgical delivery, death and birth defects.

If you or your baby were adversely affected by Cytotec, please fill out the form at the right for a free case evaluation by a qualified drug side effects attorney.

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Abortion

Misoprostol (cytotec) is one of the drugs used for medical abortions. In many countries it is used in conjunction with mifepristone (RU-486). After mifepristone is taken orally, misoprostol (cytotec) is taken 24–72 hours later causing the expulsion of the fetus and associated matter in approximately 92% of the cases.
No large studies have established a protocol for the use of misoprostol alone, and the range of efficacy is 65%–93% depending on sample size, gestational age, and other test variables; Misoprostol alone may be more effective in earlier gestation. The side effects associated with the misoprostol-only regimen are generally much more severe than those associated with the combined regimens.
Misoprostol (cytotec) is used for self-induced abortions in Brazil, where black market prices exceed US $100 per dose. Illegal medically-unsupervised misoprostol (cytotec) abortions in Brazil are associated with a lower complication rate than other forms of illegal self-induced abortion, but are still associated with a higher complication rate than legal, medically supervised surgical and chemical abortions. Failed misoprostol abortions are associated with birth defects in some cases. Poor immigrant populations in New York have also been observed to use self-administered misoprostol to induce abortions, as this method is much cheaper than a surgical abortion (about $2 per dose).

Other obstetric uses

Misoprostol is sometimes used to treat early fetal death in the absence of spontaneous miscarriage, but further research is needed to establish a safe, effective protocol. It can also be used to dilate the cervix in preparation for a surgical abortion. Misoprostol (cytotec) is also used to prevent and treat post-partum hemorrhage, but it has more side effects and is less effective than oxytocin for this purpose.

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Side effects and contraindications

The most commonly reported adverse effect of taking a misoprostol 200 µg tablet by mouth four times a day to reduce the risk of NSAID-induced gastric ulcers is diarrhea. In clinical trials, an average 13% of patients reported diarrhea, which was dose-related and usually developed early in the course of therapy (after 13 days) and was usually self-limiting (often resolving within 8 days), but sometimes (in 2% of patients) required discontinuation of misoprostol.

The next most commonly reported adverse effects of taking a misoprostol 200 µg tablet by mouth four times a day to reduce the risk of NSAID-induced gastric ulcers are: abdominal pain, nausea, flatulence, headache, dyspepsia, vomiting, and constipation, but none of these adverse effects occurred significantly more often than when taking placebos.

Misoprostol should not be taken by pregnant women to reduce the risk of NSAID-induced gastric ulcers because it increases uterine tone and contractions in pregnancy which may cause partial or complete abortions, and because its use in pregnancy has been associated with birth defects.

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Obstetric and gynecological

Labor induction

Misoprostol is commonly prescribed off-label to cause labor induction by promoting uterine contractions and the ripening (effacement or thinning) of the cervix. Misoprostol is considered to be more effective than oxytocin and dinoprostone, the FDA-approved drugs for medically necessary labor induction. It is also less expensive than either of these two drugs.

Concern has been expressed about the overuse or misuse of misoprostol for labor induction. High doses can cause uterine rupture (especially in women who have previously had a caesarean section), fetal death and severe fetal brain damage. All induction agents cause uterine contractions – this can affect the blood supply to the fetus, especially if contractions become very frequent. Induction agents therefore need to be used with great care and with close fetal monitoring. One of the problems with induction using prostaglandins (such as dinoprostone or misoprostol) is that once given, the process is difficult to reverse. In contrast, oxytocin has a half-life of about 10 minutes and is administered via intravenous drip, which can be stopped immediately in the event of adverse reaction.

for more information about cytotec visit http://www.trustedprescriptionsonline.com/cytotec