Prescription drugs are passed out at a more frequent rate today than ever before. There are drugs available to grow longer eyelashes and reduce restless legs. You can take medication to improve mood and decrease anxiety. If there is an ailment that can be diagnosed by a physician, there is a medication you can take to reduce the symptoms or make the ailment disappear all together, but things change when you’re pregnant. Not all drugs pass through pregnancy testing before being approved by the FDA – that’s why some drugs are pushed into a general pregnancy category that simply says – we haven’t tested this drug so proceed with caution. As a pregnant woman do you have the right to tell a doctor you want a different prescription medication?

The Patient’s Rights and Your Fetus
Without a doubt, a pregnant woman has the right to ask for a pregnancy-safe medication, but she might not be presented with the answer she wants from her doctor. There are some medical situations when drug choice is limited, so the doctor prescribes the safest drug in the class. There are other situations when the benefits of treating a condition with a risky medication outweigh the possible side effects. 

How You Can Help Your Doctor Choose the Right Medication
The best thing a pregnant woman can do to help the physician choose the right medication is tell the truth in the medical examination. If your pain is a 4 on a scale of 1 to 10, report it as a 4 not as an 8 or 9 because you are exhausted or tired of feeling the pain. If you feel slightly nauseous, don’t report feeling extremely nauseous. Being honest about how you really feel empowers the physician to choose from a wider array of medications, in some cases. 

There are prescription medications that are safe during pregnancy and there are medications that can cause serious birth defects. Make sure your attending physician knows you are pregnant at the beginning of the appointment so your care can be tailored to your pregnancy.