title: Prenatal use of medications by women giving birth at a university hospital.
abstract: Medication use during pregnancy has changed over time because of various factors: new products have been marketed, concerns have arisen regarding safety and efficacy, public education has increased, and some prescription medications have been granted nonprescription status by the Food and Drug Administration. The purpose of this investigation was to determine overall medication and substance use by prenatal patients whose infants were delivered at our tertiary university hospital. Within 96 hours after delivery, 100 women were evaluated by a personal interview and medical record review. The medications most commonly used during pregnancy were vitamins, analgesics, calcium and iron preparations, and antibiotics. The mean numbers of medications consumed during the second and third trimesters (3.32 +/- 1.87 and 4.13 +/- 2.46) were significantly higher than the mean number taken before pregnancy (2.65 +/- 1.95). Over-the-counter medications accounted for 54% of the total products taken during pregnancy. Percentages of women using caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs decreased during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City 73190, USA.
authors.forename: M Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Splinter
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sagraves
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nightengale
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Rayburn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs; D009825:Oklahoma; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D004366:Nonprescription Drugs