Drug prescribing during pregnancy. A controlled study of Tennessee Medicaid recipients.

The effect of pregnancy on prescribing was assessed in a population of pregnant Medicaid recipients and two matched groups of control women. Of the 2,528 gravidas, 62 per cent received systemic legend drugs (excluding dietary supplements) during their pregnancies. White women and women 30 years of age and older were most likely to receive these medications. Systemic anti-infectives were the most frequently prescribed category of drugs (excluding dietary supplements). One fourth of the women received a narcotic-containing drug and 13 percent of the women received psychotropic drugs, most frequently diazepam. Barbiturates and narcotic-containing drugs were often "hidden" a fixed combination medication. In general, prescribing did not decrease as a result of pregnancy. This study and other studies reviewed here emphasize the need for comprehensive drug-use guidelines for physicians who care for pregnant women.