Commonly Dispensed Medications During Pregnancy: Think Twice Before You Prescribe

More than 40% of women in the U.S. are covered by Medicaid during pregnancy, allowing for a detailed analysis of their medical care. Investigators assessed patterns of outpatient prescription drug dispensation among >1 million pregnant women with live births from 2000 to 2007.

Overall, 82% of women in the cohort received at least one prescription medication. The most commonly dispensed drugs were antibiotics (nitrofurantoin prevalence 22%, metronidazole 19%, amoxicillin 18%, and azithromycin 17%), followed by promethazine (14%). Women younger than 20 received prescriptions more often than those older than 35, and white women were more likely to receive prescriptions (except metronidazole and miconazole [more common among black women] and ace…