PREGNANCY-BIRTH Messages for September, 2000: Re: Double blind study using corticosteroid (prednisone) -- what are my risks?

Re: Double blind study using corticosteroid (prednisone) -- what are my risks?

From: Kathy

anonymous@obgyn.net

Sun, 24 Sep 2000 04:13:21 -0500 (CDT)

-- Kathy F.

At Fri, 22 Sep 2000, R. Daniel Braun, MD wrote: > >Steroids can make Diabetes much harder to control. Steroids can also >cause suppression of the immune system. Some of that is dose related. >Ask all of these questions of the P.I. (Principal Investigator) for the >study. Ask to see a copy of the IRB(Institutional Review Board) >approval of the study. If you don't get all of your questions >satisfactorily answered, don't sign up for the study. > >RDB > >At Fri, 22 Sep 2000, Kathy wrote: >> >>I've been asked, because of that positive fetal fibronectin test, to >>participate in a double-blind study. It's been ongoing for two years, >>and the purpose is to determine if treatment with corticosteroids >>can/will delay preterm labor. All the paperwork I was given I've read >>thoroughly, and the only side-effect mentioned is a supression of the >>Adrenal gland, apparently the gland that is responsible for causing the >>secretion of (secreting?) the ffn protein. This surprised me, because I >>know my sister is taking prednisone, the pill form being used in the >>study, for an auto-immune disorder that affects her liver, and she has >>had serious weight gain among other things. I also know that prednisone >>and other drugs of this type also surpress the immune system, which is >>of course why they are used for auto-immune disorders in the first >>place. But this isn't mentioned in any of the paperwork at all. The >>information also states that the only side-effect to the babies is >>possible adrenal suppression which can be monitored/taken care of by the >>baby's physician after birth. >> >>First, it seems to my uneducated, lay understanding, they have seriously >>and untruthfully downplayed the dangers of prednisone. But I don't know >>anywhere near enough about this drug and its effects on a pregnant woman >>(pg with twins) and her babies, for up to eight weeks. The paperwork >>does not tell me what the dosage is. Granted, I have a 50% chance of >>ending up in the control group and be given a placebo, so it won't >>matter. But then again, I might be given the drug, too. >> >>Could any of you kind doctors enlighten me further about the risks I'd >>be taking by participating in this study? I understand what the benefits >>could be, if their hypothesis is correct, and steroids do delay the >>onset of labor. But does this possible benefit outweigh the risks? I >>know, only I can decide that. But I really don't feel I've been given a >>fair picture of the risks and side-effects of this drug to make a >>fully-informed decision. I've been searching the web trying to find >>more info, but having little luck so far. What I have found makes me >>nervous. I have GD again with this pg, tachycardia (since my teens, off >>and on, especially when pg), hypothyroidism, and psoriatic arthritis >>(PA). What little info I've found indicates that diabetes and >>tachycardia could be problematic in taking prednisone, but in what way I >>don't know. I also know that prednisone is also used used to treat >>auto-immune related arthritises like my PA. But that's all I've been >>able to learn so far. >> >>Thanks for any information you can provide. I sure appreciate being >>able to come here and get such clear and precise answers to my >>questions!!! >> >>-- >>Kathy F. >> >-- >R.Daniel Braun, MD FACOG FOG > >**Note: Opinions expressed here are for educational purposes only >and, as such, do not constitute a physician-patient relationship. >This information is not intended to supplant the need for you to >consult with your physician prior to choosing therapeutic options >and/or interventions. > >**Private emails cannot be entertained due to time constraints, >consequently no private emails will receive a response. > >**Thank you for your understanding ;-) > >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >Please be aware that all e-mail on this forum is archived and can be viewed at >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >http://forums.obgyn.net/pregnancy-birth and is accessible to anybody on the >internet including internet search engines. This should be taken into >consideration before sending postings of a personal or confidential nature. >

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