Bendectin And Birth Defects (Page 30)

I took this drug in the 1970's while pregnant. Am looking for the side effects to the babies. Drug has been off the market for many years. Not sure on correct spelling. Used for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Thank you for any help you can send me. Sincerely, Dana.

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Dee, I applaud you for bringing some citations to the discussion. In the current Pixar release "Inside Out" there is a scene where the characters are riding on the "thought train" of a young girl and a box of "opinions" and a box of "facts" get knocked over. While one character frets about getting the items back in the correct box the other says "don't worry, they get mixed up all the time". Let's review the citations, all of which come from one source (birthdefects.org), and are a review piece by one author (the head of the organization). The first article is a review of how drugs may act as teratogens. It's largely centered on the history of thalidomide (clearly a teratogen) and cites mostly internal memos which aren't available for review. There are a few studies, essentially all pre 1970's. The author relies on the results of some studies by "Staples" for her conclussions, but these studies are not listed in the citations. I doubt they were submitted for peer review or published. "Part two" of the papers again mentions the Staples studies (again, no citation), lists among citations a number of papers on dyskenisas and dystonia associated with anticholinergics (aprapos of nothing), newspaper articles and most damning, relies heavily on the research and reviews of Dr. William McBride who ultimately was found to be falsifying data (on bendectin), and convicted of producing fraudulent science (not unlike immunizations and autisim). Consequently any conclusions based on his research is worthless. The last citation is of the Blum v Merrell Dow which was found in favor of Blum. Interesting, but if you look further you find that the lower court ruling was overturned by the Superior Court and that decision was further upheld by the PA Supreme Court. The original court jury decision was based largely on plantiff "expert" Dr. Alan Done. However the upper courts, in overturning the lower court decision, noted that Done, not an epidemiologist, chose to ignore 30 epidemiological studies that found no association between bendectin and limb defects and instead picked and chose his own data, ignoring scientific processes (see the Pixar quote, above). Somehow Birthdefects.org failed to list these follow-up conclusions. Numerous studies and meta-analysis (the majority of which are more current then anything cited on birthdefects.org) continue to demonstrate no association between bendectin and the birth defects (and other medical problems) listed here. I've listed many in previous posts here and they are easy enough to look up.

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Here's an interesting article (linked below) hot off the 'press'. It's interesting to note that the 4th-last paragraph begins with: "But it may not work for every woman." It may not 'work' for every fetus also! Mustn't forget the bub! I don't agree with the article's final sentence that the uncontrolled depression will, in *all* cases, have greater risk. It might in *most or many* cases, but certainly not in *each and every* case. And the article's last few words evince that those who promote the use of drugs still don't know beyond all doubt exactly what will definitely befall (beneficially or otherwise) those who follow their advice, nor of course myriad those too who don't.

theconversation.com/pregnant-women-taking-antidepressants-shouldnt-panic-about-birth-defect-claims-44358

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emtridoc, in your #577 post you said: "...it's highly against the law." This is true, but when, in all cases, has something being 'highly illegal' proved to be a simple panacea? Many experiments on humans/animals have already been found to be highly illegal and I've no doubt that many more will in time to come. It's well-known that "laws are meant to be broken", and as much as we might not like them being broken, it's just as well that they are broken, because if none were then there'd suddenly be millions of people out of well-paid work. Many judges/lawyers earn more than $1 million in three years, not forgetting all the others perk$ they get. The authorities are always happy as long as the amount of laws being broken are manageable. It's only when there's too much or too little that you'll hear complaints, and when it's the latter, then new additional laws are hastily enacted before too many people go broke and have to start breaking laws themselves to get by. If only a few go broke and they then have no option but to break laws to survive and in doing so take up any slack then all's seen and said to be well on the home front. I'm yet to meet any judge/lawyer/police officer/social worker who complains to me that they commenced and stayed long in the job they undertook not of their own volition.

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ILP, I will grant you laws are for breaking, but what you're suggesting here (giving particular patients placebo when prescribed bendectin so as to prevent them having children with birth defect) would be a process so intricate, wide spread, and deeply entrenched it would cost millions (billions?) to try and pull it off. You would have to know every patient who was prescribed the medication (pharmaceutical companies don't have that information), you would have to somehow tag them so that every time they picked up their prescription (regardless of which pharmacy) they would get the placebo package, every pharmacist would have to be in on it since they're the ones picking the bottles off the shelf, manufacturing and shipping would have to be involved to make certain the appropriate supplies were there, and on and on. Keep in mind this long before your corner pharmacist had any kind of computer in their shop, so these are all hand tabulated records. Most prescriptions of this nature are provided in 2-4 week increments and the poster who wrote in said she took bendectin for 17 months through 2 pregnancies. She could have easily picked up more than 30 different prescriptions (and quite easily from several different pharmacies). A more plausible (though no less absurd) explanation would be that M/D developed an antidote to the side effects and secretly inj. patients with it. Far fewer steps to pull that off. While there are plenty of known examples of companies covering up or hiding data (hexavalent chromium and PG & E, for example) I can think of zero examples of companies secretly handing out sugar pills to reduce the prevalence of their bad side effect and I'm betting no one here can come up with one. A more likely explanation would be that most things (drugs and otherwise) that cause bad effects don't cause them 100% of the time. We know smoking causes cancer without a doubt, but not everyone who smokes gets cancer. And of course not everyone who gets lung and other cancers was a smoker. So the key is do people who smoke (or take bendictin) get cancer (or suffer birth defects, autism, or the myriad of other things people have brought up here) more frequently than those who don't? In the case of bendictin the research shows they do not. And that, of course, is the best explanation for why the poster had two healthy pregnancies and generations of healthy family since taking bendictin.

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Hello. I am posting on here after reading reading all comments in regards to Bendictine. I see these posts are all from 2013.. It is now 2015... Hope I'm not too late to get some feedback and much needed help from you people who have gone through what I am facing right now.

I have just recently had an ultrasound and informed that my baby shows evidence of club feet. I have been beside myself, blaming myself, trying to pinpoint something I took or came into contact with that may have caused this disformity in my baby. I believe there is something that causes it, we just havent found it yet. So I started researching online a prescription medication I was prescribed by my doctor in my first trimester for my severe nausea. It was Diclectine. To which I discovered after some research, is the cousin drug to Bendictine.

I was not expecting to find what I found. I had a feeling and acted on it and want answers just like everyone else. Linda... Your posts really got me! I'm not saying this drug is the cause. I have no idea. But wow, i was not expecting to find others that have the same claims. Coincidence?? I'm just reaching out, trying to find answers.

I'd really appreciate any feedback or suggestions as to where to go from here. I'm feeling lost. If there is some way I can help, as evidence in the case.. I'd like to. I agree that if we, the victims, don't come out, then we are not able to raise awareness and it may never be uncovered and many more WILL suffer.

Please reply with stories, suggestions, resources, websites, blogs, support groups, anything. Thanks in advance :)

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Curious George, I came here looking for more info myself. My mom took Bendictine while pregnant with me in the 60's. I don't have visible deformities as she took it later. She had tried 2 other meds that didn't work, by the time she was put on Bendictine I was fully developed. She had said they were calling it the 'miracle drug'. My previous posts explain my experiences & issues due to the this drug. I never took anything for my morning sickness due to what it did to me when my mom took it. My child seems to have similar problems with their digestive system & meds not working or having bad reactions to them as I have, limiting what we can take. Unfortunately you will find that some on here are out to prove you have no idea what your talking about in regards to this med (or anything that go against their beliefs!). In my personal journey I have found it hard to find another doctor to help with my issues (I live in a small area) as they all seem to be defending a drug they like to prescribe. Its been over 30 years since I was diagnosed & the doctor I had at that time is no longer around. There are several drugs that have a common ingredient & its this ingredient that seems to be causing the issues. Someone had mentioned researching 'Betty Medeci at birth defects in children'. There is more info there that might be of help to you. I feel for you & am sorry to hear about your news, I will keep you in my prayers. Here are some of my notes from my research. I hope they will help.

thalidomide
Bendectin
Bentyl?
Debendox and Diclectin

also search- Betty Medeci at birth defects in children

affect of morning sick. meds

POSSIBLE TERATOGENIC PROBLEMS WITH DICYCLOMINE IN DEBENDOX

"The sternal changes noted involving shifted ossification centers among kits of Bendectin-treated females by past experience of the laboratory, could point to the possibility of more severe alteration should increased dosages be employed. This is considered of particular importance since this type of change was noted only at the highest dose administered ..." ((Here, I also have slightly miss shaped ribs & sternum)).

Skeletal abnormalities induced in the young of the thalidomide-treated rabbits included club hand and abnormal fusion of sternebrae. These malformations were seen in the kits of rabbits treated with large doses of thalidomide (150 m/p/k/) from day 8 to 16 of pregnancy.

In the Bendectin teratology study, clubbed limbs and sternal malformations were also produced, but at much lower doses than with thalidomide. Despite Dr. Staples recommendation to repeat the Bendectin teratology study at higher doses, the study was never repeated. The original "Staples Study" was the only animal teratology study ever done with three-part Bendectin. Years later, researchers reviewing the raw data from the original Staples Study discovered additional unreported malformations in Bendectin treated kids that had been miscarried or born dead.

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Curious George-I almost forgot.

Here are a couple links to more info. I know its on Bendectin but its the common ingredient in multiple drugs thats causing the issues

bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2001/02/12/story4.html

sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/089062389500020B

And again, there are people out there trying to make our lives more difficult. Don't let them stop you from seeking your answers. You are not the only one looking & there are people who really do care! Good luck!

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Curious George, It's very understandable that you would be upset and even blame yourself, but you shouldn't. The cause of club foot isn't well understood, but it's relatively common - roughly 1 in 1000 births. There does seem to be a familial (genetic) component and it's more common in male than females, about 2:1. There is a link between smoking, elicit drugs, low amniotic fluid (so amniocentesis) and other enviornmental factors, but again not well understood. There are, of course, many treatment options, so no reason not to believe your child can't grow up to live a healthy, happy life.

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I took bendictine with my second pregnancy. My daughter had projectile vomiting when she was first born. She has recently learned that she has some kind of heart condition. I am wondering if this can be attributed to the nausea medication. I took this medication in 1976.

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Dee, This is good stuff. For starters you reference Staples (animal) studies, but there is no citation in the birthdefects.org paper, so it can't be reviewed and was likely never peer reviewed nor published. None-the-less, if you're going to lean on Staples then understand that he reported possible teratogenic effects. A teratogen is a substance that interferes with fetal development. You yourself reported that you were "fully developed" when your mother took the medication, and you report that your children have the same issues despite the fact that they were never exposed to the medication. In essence you have presented evidence to refute your own belief (emphasis on belief, no supported science to back it up, see my earlier post on birthdefects.org papers). Something that continues across generations is more likely to be genetic or some long term exposure (assuming you live in the same area in which you were born).

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It's amazing what some putative medical specialists will do to earn themselves a few extra easy shekels. I wonder how many of them are fully-paid-up members with Actors Equity.

eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-07/sumc-ptf071415.php

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Alexa, you see. The pharmaceutical industry is so big it can't be touched. It would take someone to spend decades of studying and search out all the victims, get their stories, etc and bring it to a lawyer. Like Erin Brockivech with the legal case of BG & E did. Or someone that concerned with the victims of benedctin. It is unfair. But now days many many people have been made victims and have screwed up lives due to crappy FDA approvals. They have approved it for use again. And when their side effects again shows its ugly horns of never ending symptoms of defects there will be some refuge and compensations hopefully. I would like to live long enough to see that too. I've suffered depression and other ailments from it. My first daughter has suffered from mal formed feet and miscarriages. And now we suspect my grandson, his girlfriend lost one. They broke up and his second girlfriend lost two. It may be a never ending thing for the genes of the people involved too. Besides my daughters malformed feet, all of her children had to have foot surgery because they too had no arches. No one before her in the family had any arch problems. There is proof if they look for it. But I believe it is a skilled cover up. But with this greedy action and the FDA recent approval the can of words is opening again. Like a Pandora's box of proof. It's just sad that uninformed people will again become victims of this drug. God help is all.

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Emtridoc
What a crock. Back up some of your so called proof by posting some well acclaimed copies of documents or studies or even websites. Who's paying you to cut down everyone that posts on here that wonders about if they are victims. You claim and say many things but so far I see no proof of anything you claim. All you seem to be is wasting time trying to discourage people that they would have a claim, if one was ever suspected. You say club foot is rare. Well explain it with documented oroof. How can my daughter have club feet all her kids have flat feet and between her and her kids there has been so far 8 miscarriages. If you can't post the real documented proof don't bother writing a bunch of crock that you hope will alter my suspicions. Its your waste if time.

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I agree. I have warned many of the drug and we should all keep warning women of its horrible side effects on them and especially of what the birth defects could hold.

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Lindy, You're kidding, right?? I'm the only one who has posted citations to peer reviewed literature and numerous scientific studies. Did you even bother looking up the citations?? About the only thing posted to support any claims here are from the website "birthdefects.org" which I showed were largely debunked and in some cases shown to be based on fraudulent data much like the study that was used to try and bring legal cases against vaccines. If you want to read the citations you need only look through my posts. Or you can go to the American or Canadian Colleges of Obestrics and Gynecology which have reviewed the large body of science on the topic and concluded that there is no support for the claim that bendictine is linked to birth defects.

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Emitrodoc, I keep wondering what you have at stake on this forum. You are starting to sound hysterical. Are you also defending the use of thalidomide, which is again being prescribed I believe in South America.

The club feet issue is interesting because the daughter with whom I took bendectine has short wide feet (not normal for our family) and has a terrible time finding shoes. Not the same category as club feet, but could be seen as part of a gradation of symptoms. My daughter has four children who all have what is called mid line defects -- meaning tongue tie, which can be considered a mild form of cleft palate.

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Same here in 1979,my little boy was born with partial cleft lip

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Ruthe, I've reported this many times, but I know it's hard to search through all these posts, so here you go again: My only "stake" is to bring some science and reality check to this discussion. While you don't explicitly suggest I have some financial stake here, many have made that claim with no basis. I could just as easily suggest that all those who start or end with "we should bring a legal suit" are really seeking financial gain. As for thalidomide, not sure where you think I "defend" it, but again, no basis. Thalidomide is clearly a teratogen, no question asked. What I have pointed out is that a number of people have tried to cite papers or articles about thalidomide and somehow claim that they make the case against bendictine. They don't. They make the case against thalidomide, which is moot.

Finally, I can't quite tell if you're suggesting that the cleft palate in your grandchildren is a result of the bendictine you took with your daughter, but certainly several recent posts have (see Lindy's and others). This would suggest a lack of understanding of what a teratogen is and how they impact fetal development. Instead of supporting a claim that the medication is a teratogen, it instead suggests an ongoing exposure (soil, water, etc) or more likely, a genetic cause that is inherited.

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I was living in Singapore in 1973.& took this for morning sickness. My daughter was diagnosed with billery artresia ( the tubes in her liver didn't develope) at 8 weeks we flew home to great ormond street for an exploratory op sadly at nine months she died. Finally I think I found the answer.

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I took bendectin in 1973 and again in 1977 for extreme morning sickness. I lived in Alaska and was very naive to most things in life such as drugs. My doctor prescribed bendectin so I trusted he was encouraging me to take a safe medication.
This is the first time I have read and even thought about bendectin......41 years later.
Both of my adult daughters have back problems. Scoliosis and severe flexible spine. It seems odd that both have very weak bones

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