Mefenamic Acid: advise please!

[KateyKat]

Hello everyone,

Hope I'm not inundating with posts but I'm quite anxious with this one: I've been prescribed mefenamic acid tablets by my doctor to help with pain. I've just been reading the information inside the box before I took one and read that it can cause problems if you're planning on becoming pregnant. This is probably just paranoia on my part (only just seen a doctor today so trying to absorb a lot of information right now) but would this only be temporarily whilst I take the tablets or does it mean it could have a long term effect? I'm not planning on trying for a baby now but the plan was in the next year.

Any clarification on this would be wonderful! Thank youuu

[Impatient]

It can be used in early pregnancy - with caution. So on the basis of that there's nothing to worry about.

According the the US FDA

The known risk to foetal development is in late pregnancy and can cause the hole in the heart that all babies have to aid their circulation with the placenta to prematurely close up before they are delivered- by which stage you sure would know you were pregnant and would in all likelyhood be able to stop taking the drug early on in pregnancy as th endo would be inactive by then..

It isn't known to be toxic to early pregnancy- like some drugs are. So if you are planning ahead for baby next year - it is fine to take it up till then - provided you are okay with the other side effects.

[riotsnotdiets]

It doesn't have a long-term effect on fertility, it is reversible. x

[Hope23]

On another issue with the tablets - watch your bowel movements and stop them & go back to the doctor if you start getting Diarrhoea. It is common with these tablets for this to happen. They helped my pain but after 6 months or so, they really started upsetting my stomach, so I had to stop.

[KateyKat]

Thanks so much ladies, will definitely watch out for those things and also bear all of it in mind. Started taking it last night. Still in pain but I'm actually able to move from my desk at work now so I suppose that's something!