Thalidomide

Thalidomide is a drug previously widely used as a sedative. If a woman takes this medicine during the first three months of pregnancy, this can lead to the formation of developmental defects in the fetus, among which underdevelopment of the limbs is common. Currently, this drug is not used due to identified side effects.

Thalidomide was developed in the 1950s as a sedative and anti-uterine drug. It quickly gained popularity due to its effectiveness and relative safety. However, it soon became known that the drug causes serious side effects when taken during pregnancy.

In a fetus under the influence of thalidomide, the normal development of the limbs is disrupted, their shortening or complete absence occurs. Defects in the development of internal organs, hearing and vision are also observed. These side effects are called thalidomide embryopathy.

After a link between the drug and birth defects was confirmed, thalidomide was banned for use in pregnant women in the early 1960s. It is now used on a limited basis for the treatment of certain oncological and dermatological diseases under strict control. The thalidomide tragedy highlighted the importance of thorough clinical trials of drugs before their widespread use.

Thalidomide is a drug that was widely used as a sedative in the 1950s and 1960s. However, in 1961 it became clear that taking this medication during pregnancy can lead to developmental defects in the fetus, among which underdevelopment of the limbs is common.

As a result of this discovery, the use of this drug was withdrawn in most countries around the world. Currently, thalidomide is used as a medicine only in certain cases, such as for certain forms of cancer or for the treatment of certain skin diseases.

Thalidomide was developed in Germany in 1954 and was marketed as a safe sleeping pill and sedative. It was available without a prescription and quickly became very popular as a remedy for insomnia and morning sickness in pregnant women.

However, reports soon began to emerge of newborns who were born with serious defects. It was found that this was due to the fact that their mothers took thalidomide during pregnancy. This led to a series of studies showing that taking thalidomide in the first three months of pregnancy can lead to developmental defects in the fetus.

Among the developmental defects associated with thalidomide, the most common is phocomelia - underdevelopment of the limbs. Children born with this defect may have severely shortened limbs or be completely absent.

Today, thalidomide is not used in most countries of the world as a sleeping pill or sedative, and is sold only under strict control and by prescription only for the treatment of certain diseases. However, its use in medicine still raises certain questions and requires additional research.

“Wonder Lovers” or “Goblin Mother”? In medicine, thalidomide is usually called the biggest disappointment of the 20th century. According to doctors, this drug was supposed to cure many cancer diseases. But very soon the truth became clear - thalidomide drugs caused many deformities in infants. The side effect of Taled (as this medication is popularly called) turned out to be terrible. Therefore, neither pregnant women nor doctors took the risk of using this drug anymore. The results of use after taking this drug used during pregnancy can be terrible - if there is no miscarriage, then the newborn will develop multiple deformities: underdeveloped limbs, skin folds in the neck. Sometimes such children remain alive for only a few hours.

When treating children suffering from multiple dystrophic lesions of the extremities, the doctor will prescribe the drug at a dosage of 8-15 mg/kg per day. The course of treatment lasts 4-6 weeks. After which, for 3-4 years after discontinuation of the drug, dynamic monitoring of the child is mandatory - after all, adonia does not make itself felt immediately, but in the period from 2 to 7 years. It is not yet known how dangerous the consequences of taking thalidomide therapy will be for women at the stage of pregnancy planning. However, there is already an opinion that termination of pregnancy at 6–13 weeks for women taking drugs based on the thalidomide ring is a significant predictor of severe chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus. So the problem of “miracle lovers” is not just amateurish marketing. This is a problem for all of our medicine. Some women take this miracle drug on purpose or “accidentally”, forgetting about the risks. Alas, for “such” mothers, their pregnancy will end tragically, if they survive it at all. But this is unlikely to result in any problems for the state, since budget money is spent on training personnel with medical education, on laboratory diagnostics and other little things. But the problem of childhood disabilities will have a negative impact on the entire society, and it will take decades to resolve it.

And now, almost 40 years later (!), the name of the substance “thallydomide”, which caused this deadly stigma, is still used to refer to medications. "How correct is this and is it generally acceptable? There is a possibility that due to