Terbutaline

I have bee reading a lot on the drug, and I'm afraid to take it as prescribed. Has anyone had experience with it and if so, how did you feel and was there any affect on your babies after they were born?
I read an article where a woman began taking it about 22 weeks (same as me) and all 3 of her children (triplets) have autism - she blames the drug....?

I guess with everything else, I am just nervous about it....

 

I took it every four hours for the last 9 weeks of my pregnancy. I felt a little jittery the first week or so- but then felt no side effects at all. My babies are almost ten months old and are right on track developmentally and are in the 85th-90th percentile for height, weight and head circumference. When I started it at 28 weeks- I felt the benefit of trying to keep the contractions under control and keep those babies cooking longer- outweighed any "possible" negatives. I believe if one looks- they will find pro's and con's to almost everything. It is a very personal decision- you need to do what you truly feel is best for you and your family. Good luck- I hope all goes well.

 

I took it when I went into PTL with my twins. And they are fine, I've never heard anything about it being associated with autism. The only thing I found with it is it made me really warm.

 

I started it at 21 weeks ( and bedrest)...my twins have no side effects from it.

I also took mag sulfate several times as well as a hypertensive med & antibiotic my WHOLE pregnancy. I talked to my Peri & the neonatologist to see what the effects would be and they reassured me that statistically it was wiser to take it adn the small chance of side effects than the VERY real risk of super micropreemies ( less than 25 weeks). The big side effect for the babies was low birth weight....mine were statically average (and slightly above) for gestational age. Maternal side effect was high heart rate--they monitored it and I was fine.

It made my heart kinda racy, but I was on a 24 hour pump ( also got shots at the ER at 18 & 20 weeks) from 21-31+ weeks. I got used to it and felt fine, then they upped it due to increasing contractions and I would get a racing heart, flushed feeling again, and then it would go away.

I would try to take the advice of your Dr. Get a second opinon if you can. Then go with the Dr's advice. They are far more educated than the Internet and/or other people that are not in the medical field. They study, see, and think about those kinds of meds EVERY day and weigh risk/cost factors of prescribing it.

I dont blame you for being informed and nervous. Everyone wants to do the 'right' thing for themselves and their babies. It is so hard since very few things are clear cut--not every option is right for everyone and not everyoen has the same situation.

Lots of hugs!


KC


edited to add: my girls do have some minor troubles due to prematurity (though they are wonderful walking talking 3 year olds!!)-- not in anyway connected to any meds I took. I really think terbutaline made a huge difference in how long I was able to carry them.

 

I too have never read anything linking this drug to autism. WIth that said, it is one of the most common meds prescribed to pregnany women experiencing PTL. I was on the drug for 11 weeks and I have two very healthy children. They were also very healthy, born a bit premature at 34 weeks, but perfect in every way!

 

Thank you all - I appreciate your feedback.
I spoke to my regular OB as well about it and he agrees it is the best course of action... so I will take their advice and do as I am told...

 

I was scared, too...I read about links to autism and ADHD, but if I hadn't taken it, I probably would have given birth at 22 weeks. Instead I have healthy 4 month old babies who are totally on track physically and developmentally so far...laughing and smiling so much that everyone who meets them cracks up about it. We had no NICU time because they cooked until 37 weeks and I have no doubt it is because of the terbutaline and the bedrest. I know it's hard to take something when you think it might hurt them, but when you know the odds of that early of a preterm delivery, it's really not even a question. You're making the right decision to take it.

 

I was on the terb pump from 25 to 36 weeks for PTL. Like the PPs it made me very jittery and my heart would race with each dose, but I adjusted to it after a few days. My dose was increased as the pregnancy progressed which is pretty common. My boys are healthy 6 year olds and if I had to do it over again I would. I felt that the risks of prematurity outweighed the risks of taking the terb. Good luck!

 

I have heard of complications with it. Sometimes thought you just have to weigh the odds. It's hard, but if there is a SMALL chance you babies could have a side effect vs. the LARGE chance you would loose them with out the drug... Play the odds and keep those babies healthy. I believe there are things you can be doing to decrease the side effects though... Keep researching.

 

I took it every 4 hours (a super high does if I recall correctly) for about 6 weeks. The only side effect I noticed in myself was that I would get lightheaded if I moved too fast.
Overall it served it purpose of keeping me from going into labor which could have been scary since I had a placenta previa.
Do what you and your Dr. feel is best :good:

 

I started taking it at 24 weeks, it started at every 6 hours I think, then every 4 and then whenever I had contractions. My boys are fine, they are a little wild but boys will be boys. Good Luck!

 

I had terb with my second son, and he's anything but autistic. Good grief. He's my only truly independent child. He's Mr. Personality. He was reading at age 3, and taught himself to play Roller Coaster Tycoon earlier this summer (age 5) while I was on bedrest. . . had no help from anyone. He's a very bright, sensitive and funny child.

Some of my OBs have said that tocolytics (like Terb) don't really help. I don't know. I took them (and they gave them to me) more as a precaution as I was experiencing PTL. I was told that if labor is going to happen, nothing is going to stop it. I've also taken procardia.

This go round with the twins (while on bedrest), I didn't do procardia regularly, and they never gave me terb this time.

This is controversial, and you never see it discussed. . . but there's some thoughts that autism may be related to the age of a man's sperm. And alot of the people I know who've had difficulty getting pregnant or waited later in life have been the ones who have had the autistic children I know. I realize this isn't always the case, but no one wants to look at themselves in "blame" for this terrible disease/condition. They just blame the medical establishment. Could it be related to age of a man's sperm and even fertility drugs/treatments? No finger pointing. . . just some thoughts.

 

I began terbutaline when I was 27 1/2 weeks pregnant and was taken off of it when I was exactly 36 weeks. It really helped calm my contractions, and I really think that is why I was able to carry my girls as long as I did. So far, they are perfectly healthy, though I obviously won't know about possible autistic traits for a couple years. But for me, it was worth the risk instead of having two very premature infants.

 

I was on Terbutaline from 24 weeks on. It was the worst of all the PTL meds I took just because it made me feel awful! It made my heart race and made me really anxious, but it worked to slow down my contractions. I was on all kinds of meds and my girls are perfectly fine. GL!