Health & Pregnancy

Acid-Reducing Drugs May Not Be Risky in Pregnancy

Neonatologist’s Perspective

Robert Kimura, MD, director of neonatology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, is cautiously optimistic about the use of PPIs during pregnancy. He sees newborns and is not in the habit of asking new moms if they took these drugs during pregnancy, but may start doing so.

“There are certain drugs we know are associated with anomalies, but PPIs have not been that high on the radar screen,” he says.

“Some obstetricians may cite this study and tell their pregnant patients that these drugs are safe,” he says. “If a woman is really symptomatic, you can use these drugs to treat heartburn, but we shouldn’t use them like water,” he says.

Often, risks do not become apparent until millions of people take the drugs, he says.