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From: pamp@bcsaic.UUCP (pam pincha)
Newsgroups: net.kids
Subject: Re: Morning sickness (a reply to a reply)
Message-ID: <390@bcsaic.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 27-Nov-85 13:24:56 EST
Article-I.D.: bcsaic.390
Posted: Wed Nov 27 13:24:56 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 30-Nov-85 01:09:33 EST
References: <855@osu-eddie.UUCP> <388@bcsaic.UUCP> <1029@vax2.fluke.UUCP>
Reply-To: pamp@bcsaic.UUCP (pam pincha)
Organization: Boeing Computer Services AI Center, Seattle
Lines: 37

In article <1029@vax2.fluke.UUCP> jacobson@fluke.UUCP (David Jacobson) writes:
>> >Why was Bendectin taken off
>> >the market anyway?
>> 
>> 	Bendectin was taken of the market because of the high
>> 	rate of birth defects associated with its use
>> 	(it was almost as bad as thalimide (sp?)). 
>> 
>> 	Hang-in there. Best wishes,
>> 		P.M.Pincha-Wagener
>
>My recollection of the Bendectin thing was exactly the opposite.  There were 
>numerous studies that showed that there was no difference in the rate of
>birth defects in the babies of women taking Bendectin vs. those who weren't.
>Unfortunately there is a certain rate of birth defects, even when no drugs
>are taken.  In our society there is a great tendency for people who have
>some misfortune befall them (ie a defective baby) to run to a lawyer and 
>sue.  The lawyers encourage this with contingency based fee systems.  It 
>happened often enough that juries would award a large judgement out of
>sympathy with the family, regardless of whether a cause and effect 
>ralationship had been established, that Bendectin was finally removed 
>from the market.
>
 I would double check the Science articles back around the first
 half of 1984. The US drug company studies were the ones that
 gave the figures you mentioned above. Independant studies here in
 the US and Great Britian (where it was first banned 2 years earlier
 than the US) indicated otherwise. 

 Also be careful with the B-vitamins! Don't megadose out on
 them! B-6 is indicated to cause some nerve damage in abused
 (read megadose) situations! IE. Take only the recomended amount.
 (CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR -- MAKE HIM CHECK! Very often they might
 not be aware of current studies and such.)

P.M.Pincha-Wagener
1984.