Some things are beyond discussion.

[blackburn_stevie]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23418102

I was born in 1950 so I can easily say, "There but for the grace of God ....... "

But then the whole subject is difficult to talk about. I mean, how do you say that this drug should never have been kept on the shelves and yet deny folk a quality of life? Do you say, "OK, take the drug but never have kids?"

I don't know the answer, hence the title.

[margaret*e]

I was born in1950 too, but it was a bit later than that the thalidomide caused problems, it says in the article victims, for want of a better word, are 55 now.

It is a difficult subject, but surely nobody would  or should contemplate taking it during pregnancy if they knew the risks .

As it started life as a cure for pregnancy it wasn't a choice then before the disastrous results happened .

[sir_arthur_strebe-grebling]

Why is this 'beyond discussion'? It seems to me a perfect example of the advantages and disadvantages of drugs, whether pharmaceutically-produced such as thalidomide (very useful in countering a nunber of diseases, but with dreadful effects if taken by pregnant women), or 'natural' such as digitalis (can be a life-saver in controlled doses but lethal in the hands of quacks). Etc.

The Brazil thalidomide cases are very sad for those who wrongly took it, and their progeny, but no reason to ban the drug that saves or improves the quality of life for millions who are not pregnant.

And, incidentally, for those who oppose the use of animals in testing drugs, thalidomide set the standard such that all pharmaceuticals proposed for human use have to be tested on pregnant mice.

[margaret*e]

It obviously wasn't a cure for pregnancy , but it was supposed to be a cure for severe sickness in pregnancy .

[bankhaunter]

It's now used in a combination with other drugs, as a treatment for a particular form of cancer, reading that article it would seem most of the problem is a lack of an informed choice and information given to patients.

[treefrog6352]

Thalidamide was given to women who were having a number of miscarriages, Thalidamide prevented them, maybe the body was rejecting a less than perfect baby, I don't think the drug caused the deformaties, just allowed a less than perfect child to be born.

[palsifmgb]

I have never heard of it being given to prevent miscarriages. It was given to prevent morning sickness and had the unfortunate side effect of causing varied birth defects. 

[blackburn_stevie]

Sir Arfur asked .... Why is this 'beyond discussion'?

What I meant by that comment is that it is very difficult for folk that have not been in that situation to hold a conversation about taking a pill for one problem that may, or may not, cause another problem. We also have to remember that the women in Brazil may not be in the top range of (ahem) **smarts**. They may even have been given the drug without knowing about the possible side effects. Who knows?

[al**bear]

Medicine Education at fault not the drug, which is a good cure (stabiliser?)  for Leprosy.  The drug has been used in this capacity for over 40 years

[blackburn_stevie]

So how about striking off any doctors that prescribe this drug to pregnant women?

[bankhaunter]

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@stevie_blunder** wrote:

So how about striking off any doctors that prescribe this drug to pregnant women?

---

How would a doctor necessarily know for certain if a woman was going to become pregnant while taking the tablets?

The problem may be more as suggested in the article

Poor health education and widespread sharing of medicines may be to blame,

Despite the amount of information available and all the warnings on and inside packets, medicine sharing is not that uncommon in the UK.

[blackburn_stevie]

You're probably right, bankhaunter.

People from all walks of life and from all educational levels will totally disregard leaflets and such like stuck in a packet of pills.

[cee-dee]

Those leaflets are often in very small print with a very poor contrast between the print and the paper.

Surely it's not too difficult to print a very large, short, clear warning regarding pregnancy on not only the pack but also the pill packaging?