ACE Inhibitors are estimated to have been prescribed to as many as 149 million patients in the United States each year. In the past 25 years there has been sufficient evidence that ACE Inhibitors can cause birth defects during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, but a recent study indicates that they can also cause serious birth defects during the first trimester and that ACE Inhibitors should not be taken by pregnant women at all.
ACE Inhibitors are a group of drugs that help relax pressure on blood vessels. A chemical called Angiotensin II causes the muscles around blood vessels to constrict and the constriction narrows the blood vessels and raises blood pressure. Angiotensin II is produced in the blood stream by an enzyme called “angiotensin-converting enzyme” or ACE for short. ACE Inhibitors are drugs that inhibit the activity of this enzyme, thereby reducing the amount of angiotensin II in the bloodstream.
We have ACE inhibitor attorneys in South Carolina to serve you. If you have taken ACE Inhibitors while pregnant and your child has experienced birth defects, call our Myrtle Beach office and talk to the experienced attorneys at the Stampfle Law Firm, LLP today. 1-843-839-3377.
If you are pregnant or intend to become pregnant, you should consult with your health care provider about an alternative to the use of ACE Inhibitors. The Federal Drug Administration now recommends that pregnant women not take ACE Inhibitors at any time.
If your child has suffered birth injuries as a result of prescribed ACE Inhibitors during your pregnancy, immediately call the Law Offices of the Stampfle law Firm, LLP. We help you. Call us right now at 1-843-839-3377.
ACE Inhibitors are used to treat patients with heart failure and to prevent kidney damage in people with hypertension or diabetes. They are also prescribed for people who have had heart attacks. The ACE Inhibitor claim is that they lower blood pressure.
ACE Inhibitors include the following drugs: |
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BrandAccupril
Aceon Altace Capoten Lotensin Mavik Monopril Univasc Vasotec Zestril and Prinivil |
Genericquinapril
perindopril ramipril captopril benazepril trandolapril fosinopril moexipril oral and injectable enalapril/enalaprilat lisinopril |
On June 7th, 2006 The New England Journal of Medicine published an article that caused the FDA to recommend that patients discontinue the use of the ACEI Angiotensin as soon as possible when you become pregnant.
If you or a member of your family has taken any of the ACE Inhibitors above while pregnant, please contact your doctor and then you need to call the Law Offices of the Stampfle Law Firm, LLP immediately to get help.