Chronic hypertensive and pregnant

[tcg]

I'm currently 9wks pregnant and chronic hypertensive. I've had two previous losses...one at 11.5wks and another at 25wks. The causes of both losses are unknown as all my test results have come back normal.

I am currently taking 400mg of Labetalol 3x a day and am being followed by a perinatologist and am keeping track of my blood pressure...at least 3x a day. My blood pressures have been well controlled during the day, with reading of 124/78 and below...however, in the evenings, the seem to start creeping up. I got a reading of 148/94 yesterday evening and called my OB's emergency number. The on call doctor told me that if my readings weren't consistently high and were normal during the day, then as long as they weren't hitting 160's/110's, then I should be ok. I have my next OB appt. on Wednesday morning and the on-call OB wants me to talk to my doctor about either increasing the Labetalol or adding Nifedipine as a second agent.

My question is, are there other medications out there that I can take since my blood pressure is proving difficult to control? With two previous losses, I'm praying everything works out ok with this pregnancy.

Chronic Hypertensive
TTC #1
Currently on 1000mg of Labetalol

m/c ^i^ @ 11.5wks 06/03/02

stillbirth ^1^ @ 25wks 02/21/03

[expert on call]

Generally speaking, the best drugs are Labetalol and Nifedipine. The dose of labetalol can be increased to 2400/mg/d and nifedipine up to 120 mg/d. Good luck in your pregnancy.

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