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Urgent warning needed for women who take Lyrica

It’s like a horror movie that the FDA and Big Pharma just can’t stop watching.

Ever since Pfizer unleashed Lyrica, its blockbuster fibromyalgia and seizure med on America 12 years ago, I’ve been warning you about its risks.

It’s been linked to vision problems, muscle pain, a serious heart condition, and even suicidal thoughts.

And that’s the short list!

Now, a new study has found that Lyrica may be sending the risk of serious — and life-threatening — birth defects through the roof.

It’s an urgent warning that all women who may become pregnant need to hear right now.

Because by the time they find out they’re expecting, it may already be too late.

Harm and heartache

Lyrica is one of those “Teflon” drugs.

We already know that it does little to nothing to help those suffering from fibromyalgia — or the other conditions it’s prescribed for.

Yet despite its terrible track record — plus its long list of absolutely horrible side effects — it keeps on going like the Energizer Bunny.

And sadly, Big Pharma is doing everything it can to make sure this latest study doesn’t put a dent in sales.

In a report just published in Neurology — and supported by the American Academy of Neurology — researchers analyzed data from seven different countries on pregnant women taking Lyrica.

And they found that birth defects were three times higher in those on the drug. And even worse, if that’s possible, babies born to moms who used Lyrica were at six times the risk of having a major defect of the central nervous system (CNS).

I’m talking about spinal bifida, anencephaly (where part of the skull and brain is missing at birth), and encephalocele, in which large parts of brain tissue bulge out from a gap in the skull.

Can you imagine? These were innocent women taking Lyrica under doctors’ orders — and they had no idea that the drug was doing long-term damage to their babies.

Considering that there are thousands of women of child-bearing age who are using this drug, you would think the FDA would be sounding an urgent alarm (like the one now being widely broadcast about the risk to pregnant women of the Zika virus).

Yeah, you would think.

But even the lead author of the study doesn’t want anyone to hit the panic button. He told reporters, “We should not unduly alarm mothers-to-be about a definite risk.”

Are you kidding me? The warning going out should be as loud as an air-raid siren in the living room. But he sounds almost sorry to have discovered this in the first place.

Pfizer, of course, is trying to throw cold water on the Lyrica fire as well by saying that the study was small and besides, some of the women were smokers.

Now, we all know smoking and pregnancy don’t mix. But you can bet there were smokers in the group that weren’t taking Lyrica, too.

It would be nice if drug companies were as worried about the health of our unborn babies as they are about hitting their next quarterly sales figures.

And, unfortunately, it’s not just pregnant women with fibromyalgia or seizures who are at risk. Lyrica is prescribed for plenty of other reasons. In fact, almost a quarter of the women in this study were taking it for anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder.

So if a family member or friend is or may become pregnant, it’s urgent that you forward them this warning.

Because the chances of our government or Big Pharma stepping up and doing what’s right in this case are slim to none.

Sources:
“Epilepsy drug Lyrica linked to birth defects risk” Steven Reinberg, May 18, 2016, HealthDay, webmd.com

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