Artane and Pregnancy

Since not much information is available on Artane (trihexyphenidyl hydrochloride) and pregnancy, the medication has been given a pregnancy Category C rating. Category C medications are given to drugs that have not been adequately studied in pregnant women or animals. If you are taking Artane and pregnancy occurs, your healthcare provider will weigh the benefits and risks before making a recommendation for your situation.

 

Artane and Pregnancy: An Overview

Artane® (trihexyphenidyl hydrochloride) is a prescription medication approved to treat parkinsonism (including Parkinson's disease) and certain side effects of antipsychotic medications. Almost no information is available about the safety of using Artane during pregnancy.
 

Artane and Pregnancy Category C

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses a category system to classify the possible risks to a fetus when a specific medicine is taken during pregnancy. Pregnancy Category C is given to medicines that have not been studied in pregnant humans but that do appear to cause harm to the fetus in animal studies. Also, medicines that have not been adequately studied in any pregnant women or animals are automatically given a default pregnancy Category C rating.
 
Artane is usually considered a Category C medication, since it has not been adequately studied in any pregnant women or animals. There have been a few reports of problems such as minor birth defects in infants born to mothers who took Artane, but these reports do not provide enough information to determine whether Artane actually causes such problems.
 
A pregnancy Category C medicine (such as Artane) may be given to pregnant women if a healthcare provider believes that the benefits to the pregnant woman outweigh any possible risks to the unborn child.
 
(Artane and Pregnancy Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;