Bendectin And Birth Defects (Page 4) (Top voted first)

I took this drug in the 1970's while pregnant. Am looking for the side effects to the babies. Drug has been off the market for many years. Not sure on correct spelling. Used for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Thank you for any help you can send me. Sincerely, Dana.

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You are amazing and I wish I could discuss with you in person but unfortunately I am only as intelligent as my heart allows my mind to be, a grade eight education doesn't take canadian single moms too far I am afraid. The hours I spend seeking an explanation for my short comings keeps bringing me back to you intralineal persuer

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Good Doctor........my humble apologies for only seeing the earth as flat and congratulations for all of your unselfish and commendable service to the world using your skills. You are truly a servant of the world, and thank you. My husband and I are just mere Doctors of Music, but of both extended families (14 siblings between us) my son is the only one who has ever had any bad situation and I was the only one who took the drug......and NOTHING ELSE......not even antacids. Some day I hope to find out what is causing all of his pain and Aspergers. But don't worry, I won't bother you again.......or anyone else on the site. Congratulations for all of your good works and deeds. I was just a humble teacher for 35 years who tried to make kids feel like they could do anything, despite their crummy family situations......and guess what.......they did!

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ILP, They may want answers but they are not coming here to ge them form YOU. I think your on the wrong thread, perhaps you should start a new one.You have gotten way off track. Your like a cop on this forum. So quick to jump on all the new peoples post, They dont want your debate,your not the final word, and everyone has opinons, yours need to be kept to yourself. Start your own discussions elsewhere.
We dont care about PROPER
spelling
grammer
speach
quotes
pronunciation
or anything else you have , leave the people alone!
print this out and save it. I dont care! nobodys trying to hide or burn anything and this is really me I never changed my name.Shocking! there is more than one that dislikes you.Your not the moderator on this forum! you wouldnt know war eagle unless you googled the meaning.and even still you would be lost. LMAO!

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Linda Terrell, you have hit on the key point: research has been done, and pretty much every study done in every kind of way has demonstrated no link to the medication bendictin and the myriad of complications and diseases listed here. The fact that virtually everything under the sun (abnormal limbs, heart defects, depression, antisocial behavior, vision problems, developmental delay, ADHD, polydactyly and on and on), many without any developmental/embryolic connection should point to the fact that there is no pattern. Underlying causes may some day be found for some of these problems, but the fact is that most occur at the same rate (or even higher) today long after bendictin was taken off the market as they did in the days when it was widely prescribed. What studies did show is that in the period after bendictin was pulled from the market is that pregnancy related dehydration rates and hospitilization increased. Don't blame yourself for taking bendictin and any unfortunate outcome because no link has been demonstrated (and don't blame your husband, either, because it doesn't help and it's highly unlikely that drugs he took in the past had anything to with it, either).

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emtrodic, I find what you brought out, and your opinion is quite interesting and even the things you state that you have also concluded your opinion from.
What I stated---my opinion and post from was an online verdict and actual court document. I do not have time right not to look it up, but if I have time I will post it later. I think its in my bookmarks.
According to the court document the doctor they called to the stand only quoted the studies done that far which was about 1980-81. It proved that it caused kids to be club footed..... nothing about anything else, but it stated there was proof Bendectin caused with its combinations of mixtures of B6 ect, it caused....... club footed babies.
Today, I want to see the statistics and the studies that was made from too, but it was or it wouldn't have been accepted into court. Until I do see the proof with my own eyes, I cannot see that it has been proven other wise.
I will get over blaming my self or carry it with me the rest of my life, but I can't get over the fact what my daughter has went through. Depression etc I've went through is just a part of life for everyone.

You are quoting medical opinions and articles, not actual studies done of others (real people), not the exact backing of the proof per persons claim or situations. I believe that there are hundreds of people that have been effected by this drug, for what ever reason the pharmaceuticals gives it has not taken a toll of each persons circumstances and made studies from that, or else people would have said so. I see nothing that anyone that has been effected ever mentioned they were part of a study.
And if I was, I could give them what proof I have. Hundreds of people have the proof if someone would just look beyond the previous studies to make new studies. This is not all about whether I blame my self or not. Its about the countless kids that suffered from it. The pregnant women that when they took this drug the believed it was safe and would not harm their babies Sure many women didn't have many choices but to take it to keep from being dehydrated, as I did too. But there are other was. Had I known that ginger relieved nausea I might have tried that, as would other women had they not believed Bendectin was safe. You can write a million articles, so can a zillions of other Pharmaceutical companies, and lawyers on Bendectin, but from the ones I have seen online that were affected, and the people I have chatted with online show problems of kids (some have even posted their own photos of their deformities) that suffered from it.... (real people). And it is obvious to hundreds online, not just a bunch of jurors that may have been drunk the night before and thought their verdict just wasn't important to them and wanted to get it over with. Or for whatever reason they came to the conclusions. But many people see they had problems. Hundreds of mothers that rocked their babies and felt the same self blame I felt, that something was wrong, never knowing where to turn or maybe some continually asked themselves "WHY". No doctor would admit it was the medication, as doctors see it as a bigger help than a hindrance. Doctors get kick backs from prescriptions companies. I know that is a fact. So why would they disagree. So presently, there are no answers. There are no ways of any other proof than what they did years ago, if there is then why isn't it public of links to go to on this site, or the other sites like this one, even other court documents anywhere. All any of us really want is honest proof!!!! And I feel the proof is hidden, just as many mothers feel there is a reason they can't reach out and touch it but they feel it is what caused their kids disabilities. Like reaching for a hidden light switch in the dark, and its not there. I don't mean to make this a discussion or such, just an explanation of why I too feel like it caused my daughter to be in the shape she is. When we spent out hundreds of dollars on leg braces, corrective shoes, bone doctors for her feet, our insurance paid for it. We kept wondering "WHY" she had this problem. No other ancestors had flat feet, club feet etc. I was athletic her dad was athletic, we couldn't see why, so we grasped for every reason because we had (no documented true proof). We blamed ourselves and each other because (we had no proof). We felt it but we couldn't prove it, and many affected still can't. Over the last few months I have researched it online, in seeing other photos of kids with mis-formed feet, and legs. I feel my daughter got of lucky to what some I've seen. But still she suffered too. My other child has too but not as much. There are millions of kids with deformities born weekly, and have been since millions of years ago. That we can also take into consideration, but I just pray there was a way to see some (real proof) in black and white, besides the simple stuff on the internet... to see actual names and faces that have been through it too, and each name be provide to the pharmaceutical company to re consider it. That is what I feel needs to be done. But will it?

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My friend and I both took Bendectin in the 1980's. We are amazed that both of our sons have the same problems with ADD, moodiness, disorganization, impulsivity, can't keep a job, can't focus enough to take college courses. Is there any research about this

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Christine and Linda join us on the facebook page Victims of Bendectin as we are working on getting a petition together for those of us affected by Bendectin. You will find genuine support there. These 2 have been arguing with people about this for years. They must not have much to do than to try to aggravate people affected by this drug. Please join us!

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There is a well-documented article about Benedictin on the Birth Defects for Children website.
The address is: birthdefects.org/research/bendectin_1.php
They also maintain a registry of birth defects that are caused by medications.

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I took it in 1979 when pregnant with my daughter. She has always had stomach problems. Her first two years her father and I took turns staying up til the vomited. She had crazy bad projectile vomiting as infant. Then we noticed if she was woke up shed hallucinate and freak out. Babysitters always had to be at home or I'd have to pay for overnights. She's 33 now and has lost all her beautiful teeth. She has terrible panic attacks and what's bothering me now is her memory. She remembers things that NEVER happened. She has 2 children they both have super sensitive hearing, can't go to see movie at theaters cuz it's too loud.
I remember when she was three we were moving and I picked up news paper the wrap a glass in and an article said that Benedictine was taken off market cuz it was causing stomach valve development problems in unborn babies. But in 80's no one listened to me about what was happening. I'd like to see if we can all get a list of our children's symptoms and then talk to class action attorneys. This is not only affecting our children but grands. How many generations will this hurt? I made a rule after this happened and then when my so. Was almost given a deadl med for epilepsy to never take a med that is younger than me. No new meds!!! If I get replies or requests ill set up email for the lists first then see where we can go. If someone already has done this let us know where we can go for help.

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melva and fred, thank you for posting concerns regarding your children.

For quite some time now I have held suspicions that 'pyridoxine' [more commonly known as vitamin B6], which is one of the ingredients of Bendectin/Debendox/Diclectin, could be responsible for some people being born with health problems. I have also mentioned before on this Bendectine page that I seriously think that some mothers' [and perhaps their babies' too] lack of certain enzymes may be responsible in some way for some of their, and their babies', problems. I have found an article which clearly explains that some people are unable to properly metabolize Vitamin B12 [also called 'Cobalamin'].

If someone simply cannot properly metabolize something, like Vitamin B12 [or even the pyridoxine (Vitamin B6) in Bendectin] but are still given [prescribed] it, then it could cause some harm to varying degrees, just like when those who are allergic to peanuts are accidently given some 'Goobers'.

The researchers in this article [link provided below] were able to study no less than several hundred patients, all of whom had similar symptoms, so it can't be said to be a rare disease, on the contrary, and some of these patients did not have the genetic mutation that was common among to the 'cblC' [Cobalamin C deficiency] patients.

Here's the link:

eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-09/uocd-pig090513.php

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The spelling is bendectin. My son was born with lobar holoprosencephaly caused by bendectin. Dow chemical sold the company marion merill dow to a german company with a $250 million insurance policy to protect them from bendectin legal suits.

Regards,
Fred

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My baby in 1979 was born with a cleft lip from this drug

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My son was born with a malformed brain lobar holoprosencephaly. My wife took bendectin for all four children. My oldest son died at 47 from a heart attack. doctors said something unusual about heart. My oldest daughter died at 48 cancer. My youngest son brain malformation is quadriplegic deaf on the right side. Animal tests on bendectin included cancer and heart malformations. For more info contact 'Birth Defect Research for Children'.

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Do you recall the year they sold to the German company? With Insurance no less. My daughter was born with "by lateral radius hand defect". Bone missing in both the lower arm and only four fingers...very sad to watch your child go though life this way and no one is held accountable. It's madness. I took Benedictine in 1977-78 prescribed by my family doctor for morning sickness. We reside in Canada. I was seventeen and told it was a vitamin and so I felt very confident about taking it all the way through as prescribed. No blame for the family doctors as they are just doing their job with drugs that have to their knowledge passed the evaluation requirements. Went back to get my medical records and they have all been destroyed. This is common practice back when records were paper files. This drug needs to be reevaluated with an objective agency. My son was born completely normal because I did not ingest Benedictine.

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Hi Rebecca & Rebekkah. Rebecca, your second daughter with deformed ears, does she also have 'aural atresia' like I have? Only my right ear ['pinna'] is deformed, which is called 'microtia' [and is also called 'phocomelia' which is what thalidomide caused], and I have no opening through to my inner ear as well, which is called 'aural atresia'. My right side inner ear does function inside, but because there's no opening I'm as deaf as a post on that side except for bone conduction etc., and my right inner ear is only 3/4 the size what it should be. My left ear works normally and has no deformity.

In several of my earlier posts I spoke about 'microchimerism', and because researchers have discovered male fetal cells still in a mother's blood many years after she had given birth, I'm wondering that if when these fetal cells from her boy baby crossed into her bloodstream and remained there for many years, and if she had taken Bendectin [she may not have of course] with the pregnancy of this boy baby who swapped with her some of his fetal cells, and she some of her cells in turn with him, then his cells remaining in her body, if they had been unnaturally altered in some way before being given to her for the last time where they remained, may have in some way caused some deformities in some [or all] of her subsequent pregnancies. The mother that the 'microchimerism' researchers studied may not have had any such problems, but that doesn't necessarily rule out every other mother's pregnancies not ever having any such problems.

Some things in the body can lie dormant for a long time before reappearing, like the cold sore virus etc. With all of this 'microchimeric' cell-swapping going on repeatedly during pregnancies, even if there is no Bendectin involved, it's possible for the cells to alter abnormally just on their own, but if the cells are additionally altered in some indeterminable way via an unnatural substance, like Bendectin/Diclectin/Debendox, or even an excess of a natural substance, like B6/B12 etc., then extra abnormalities can easily come in to effect, and in fact probably do and have done, many times. This is similar to when you have an A4 sheet of text that you wish to copy many times, say 20 times. If you only copy from the original A4 sheet once at a time then the 20 copies copied from it will be an almost exact replica, but if you make each copy from the previous copy each time, like for example, if after you have made your first copy from the original, you then use your first copy to make the second copy, then the second copy to make the third copy, and the third copy to make the fourth etc., and continue thusly to the finish then the final copy will likely be quite unlike the original copy, and probably completely illegible. Try it on an el cheapo photocopier and you'll see what I mean. Now if when you're doing all this copying someone sprinkles a bit of dust on say the third copy, or even the 10th copy, and then a bit more dust on the 15 the copy etc., then this will quickly hasten the deformities produced on the 20th copy all the more, just like the addition of something to a pregnant mother's diet that could alter the 'microchimeric' cells unnaturally when they are being swapped back and forth countless times, and no-one yet knows just how many times this 'microchimeric' cell-swapping takes place, and I'll bet that not every expectant mother has exactly the same amount of cell-swapping as every other expectant mother, or even just the same expectant mother having the same amount of cell-swaps with every pregnancy of hers, even when all of them have never taken any Bendectin at any time. But if they HAVE taken something like Bendectin during any of their pregnancies, then doing so could have drastically altered the amount of 'microchimeric' cell-swaps needed to have babies without any deformities. So, not only could Bendectin have unnaturally altered the cells themselves that are being repeatedly swapped in some pregnancies but it could have decreased or increased the amount of vitally required cell-swaps as well. There are so many possible pernicious permutations involved here that no-one at all would be able to say with absolute certainty what actually occurs, or has occurred, with each and every pregnancy.

It's good to see that people are still posting their concerns about Bendectin per se and other very important 'issues' [also known as 'children'] in their life. Bravo.

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I took Bendictine when pregnant with with my 1st child, 1971. She is legally blind in one eye. The doctor told me "the brain does not send a message for the eye to see" She was patched for one year and I had to take her to the eye doctor for eye exercises for 1 year, every week. She has a learning disability and Adhd. When she had her first child, the pregnancy caused peripartum cardiomyopathy. She is also bi-polar. I have been supporting my grandchild and her for 5 years and has been in the disability process for that long. Hopefully, she will get it at her next hearing. I am single and close to retirement. I can deal with everything, except the financial. I now have health issues and I am tired. But they are a blessing in my life. Just thought I should document this for others.

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I also took this pill. My son is 35. He had cancer at the age of 13 and had his leg amputated, but also has other syptoms. He is depressed among one of the them. Is there anything that can be done about this

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That is such a good point -- that you were never counted -- neither was I. And I did miss the blip in the paper -- a neighbor mentioned it when my daughter was two years old (she's now 35) and my heart stopped beating. But now she herself has four children -- all with tongue tie, making it next to impossible to nurse them. I don't think there will ever be a way to hold the pharmaceutical companies accountable but it is very important that pregnant women in this day and age know about the dangers of this drug -- because the doctors still want to prescribe it.

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Hi Dee. I suspect that you may have a weak or deformed *lower esophageal sphincter* like I have, and it is likely this that is allowing your stomach acid to travel back up to your mouth. Apart from having small meals regularly I suggest that you try chewing some gum when you can. Doing this [chewing gum] is called *sham feeding* because you are not actually eating anything, but your body is fooled into thinking that it is about to eat [swallow] some food and the chewing creates plenty of saliva which has calcium [and enzymes] in it, and the swallowed saliva's calcium will help to neutralize your stomach acid. Every time you swallow some saliva, apart from it helping to neutralize any acid that it encounters, it helps to wash any acid or food back down that is trying to work its way upward. You may also like to try eating some cold yoghurt blended with apple and no added sugar. I have suffered from *silent reflux* for many years [about 45 years] due to my having a very lazy [weak or deformed] *lower esophageal sphincter* and the acid reflux is far worse when lying down or swimming etc., which usually causes my nasal passages to soon become blocked/irritated as well. Long term *silent reflux* [which is what I have] can be fatal because it can cause a very nasty thing called *Barrett's esophagus*. I stopped taking *proton pump inhibitor* medication about 12 months ago and I've recently read that it is not good to take *proton pump inhibitors* long term, so I just take antacid tablets when necessary and chew gum quite regularly. You may also like to Google the *LYNX reflux management system* which is available in the U.S., but not yet I think here in Australia. It is a small device like a child's bracelet and it is made from titanium. Each bracelet bead has a small magnet inside and this clever little bracelet device is surgically [using laparoscopy] placed around the weak or deformed *lower esophageal sphincter* to help it close shut correctly. Trying chewing some gum to see if it helps [let me know if it does help] you as it does me. If you happen to run out of chewing gum then just a small soft pebble placed in the mouth and chewed carefully will help create some saliva. All the best to you from 'Down Under'.

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I agree. I have warned many of the drug and we should all keep warning women of its horrible side effects on them and especially of what the birth defects could hold.

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