Hi lyn_kolb,
Well, I’ve done a great deal of research on your question, and now I’m
going to go out on a limb and say, No there don’t appear to by any
studies (either past or ongoing) that address a link between the
administration of Terbutaline (the correct spelling) and learning
disabilities.
Here’s what I did find out:
Terbutaline is one of several Tocolytics; medicines that attempt to
stop labor. They are used if labor begins before term. Tocolytics can
stop labor or delay labor to give the baby's lungs time to mature.
Terbutaline, also known as Brethine, can be taken as a pill, through
an IV (through a catheter directly into your vein), as an injection,
or through a controlled infusion pump.
Effects on the baby include: fast heart rate and high or low blood
sugar after birth.
http://www.spensershope.org/Tocolytic%20Medications.htm
Now, a key point regarding the use of Terbutaline is that it is NOT
approved by the FDA for use in pregnant women.
FDA 1997:
Terbutaline sulfate, in various dosage forms, has been approved by FDA
for the treatment of asthma. Adequate data establishing the safety and
effectiveness of the use of terbutaline as a tocolytic agent have not
been submitted to FDA. Thus, the use of terbutaline sulfate to treat
preterm labor is an unapproved or "off-label" use.
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/1997/terbut.htm
FDA 1999:
FDA reaffirms the position stated in the ‘Dear Colleague” letter that
there is no evidence of the effectiveness of prolonged treatment with
subcutaneous terbutaline to manage preterm labor and that there are
significant safety concerns associated with unmonitored, long-term
administration of the drug.
http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/102999/pdn0001.pdf
Of course, as with any drug administered during pregnancy, there are
concerns over its effect on the development of the fetus. And any
change in brain development could possibly lead to a learning
disability.
“Dr. Joseph Altman, neurobiologist, University of Indiana pointed out
at a Washington Conference on the Precursor of Learning Disability
that the development of the human brain appears to be programmed so
that certain cells and nerve fibers must develop in synchrony, in
order to make appropriate connections within the central nervous
system. He expressed concern that drug-induced alterations of the
chemical components within the brain may interfere with the growth of
the cells and nerve fibers, causing subtle or substantial
misconnections within the developing brain.”
http://www.aimsusa.org/rothdrug.htm
To that end, there are animal studies being done on the effects of
Terbutaline on brain development:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11718842&dopt=Abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2590837&dopt=Abstract
The types of medical research that most people volunteer for are
clinical trials and longitudinal studies.
“A clinical trial is a study that tries to improve current treatment
or find new treatments for diseases. They are the only reliable way
that we have to prove the effectiveness of treatments. During a
clinical trial, information is carefully collected to assess
improvement in outcomes, and risks that may be associated with new
treatments.”
http://www.rhabdo.org/rhabdo/clintrial.htm
To be involved in a clinical trial you would volunteer yourself to be
given an experimental drug (or placebo – you would not know which) and
your outcome would be monitored. Cancer treatments, for example, are
tested this way.
A longitudinal study collects and tracks data about certain
populations over time. To volunteer for a study like this you would be
screened to meet certain criteria and then monitored over time. For
example, if a University were doing a study of the effects of prenatal
Terbutaline on children’s development, they might advertise in the
newspaper or online for volunteers with children of a certain age or
demographic.
I have been unable to find any listings of longitudinal studies or
clinical trials involving Terbutaline and its possible correlation
with learning disabilities.
In fact, I can’t find any reference at all linking the drug with
learning disabilities or with mental impairment.
Now a caveat – just because I can’t find a study, doesn’t mean it
doesn’t exist. Universities are always doing longitudinal studies but
they don’t always advertise widely. Often they want volunteers who
live nearby so they advertise locally. One approach you might take if
you are really interested is to contact the medical school or large
hospital nearest to you and find out if anyone is researching the
correlation that you mention.
Finally, one small hope here – This woman appears to have a research
interest in both Terbutaline and in child development. It’s a stretch,
but maybe an email to her would get you somewhere –
Dr. Susan C. Hupp
http://education.umn.edu/EdPsych/Faculty/Hupp.html
I hope this information and the links I provided have been useful to
you. Please let me know if you need clarification on any of the
points.
--K~
Sites searched:
Pubmed
FDA
American Medical Association
Search terms used (via Google and via the above sites):
Terbutaline “FDA approval”
Terbutaline “clinical trials”
Terbutaline “longitudinal study”
Terbutaline “learning disability”
Terbutaline “learning disabled”
Terbutaline “mental impairment”
Terbutaline “brain development”
Terbutaline “effect on infants” |
