Prescribing medication in pregnancy.

When prescribing medication in pregnancy, the clinician must follow some principles of prescribing. These include timing of exposure, dosage, duration of use, and fetal susceptibility. The health care provider must weigh the risk of exposure to the fetus with the benefit of treatment. This article summarizes the effect of selected medications used to treat common primary care disorders. These disorders include gastrointestinal complaints, asthma and allergies, infections, diabetes, epilepsy, headache, thyroid disorders, depression, and anxiety. The use and risks associated with common medications are discussed. Although no drug can be proven completely safe, prescribing medication with a long safety record, avoiding exposure in the first trimester, avoiding multidrug regimens, and prescribing the lowest dose for the shortest duration will minimize the fetal risk.