Acamprosate

Date: October 2024, Version 1.0

Quick read

Acamprosate may be recommended during pregnancy to help a heavy drinker avoid alcohol.

What is it?

Acamprosate (Campral®) is a medicine that helps reduce craving for alcohol. People taking it are usually offered counselling at the same time to help them avoid drinking.

Benefits

What are the benefits of taking acamprosate in pregnancy?

Acamprosate can help to prevent harmful alcohol consumption.

Risks

Are there any risks of taking acamprosate in pregnancy?

There is very little information on women who took acamprosate during pregnancy, so it is not possible to confirm that it is safe. However, heavy drinking during pregnancy can cause birth defects in the baby as well as life-long effects on behaviour, thinking, and learning. The risk of taking acamprosate is therefore likely to be lower than the risks from heavy drinking.

Alternatives

Are there any alternatives to taking acamprosate in pregnancy?

Possibly. Please speak to your doctor or specialist about the best way for you to avoid heavy drinking in pregnancy.

No treatment

What if I prefer not to take acamprosate during pregnancy?

It is important to avoid heavy drinking during in pregnancy to keep you and your baby safe. Your doctor will help you decide on the best way to avoid alcohol and will only prescribe acamprosate during pregnancy when necessary.

Will my baby need extra monitoring during pregnancy?

Women in the UK will be offered a detailed scan at around 20 weeks of pregnancy to look for birth defects as part of their routine antenatal care. Taking acamprosate would not normally require extra monitoring of your baby for birth defects. Extra monitoring of the baby might be recommended if there have been extended periods of heavy drinking during pregnancy.

Are there any risks to my baby if the father has taken acamprosate?

We would not expect any increased risk to your baby if the father took acamprosate before or around the time your baby was conceived.

Who can I talk to if I have questions?

If you have any questions regarding the information in this leaflet, please discuss them with your healthcare provider. They can access more detailed medical and scientific information from www.uktis.org.

How can I help to improve drug safety information for pregnant women in the future?

Our online reporting system (MyBump Portal) allows women who are currently pregnant to create a secure record of their pregnancy, collected through a series of questionnaires. You will be asked to enter information about your health, whether or not you take any medicines, your pregnancy outcome and your child's development. You can update your details at any time during pregnancy or afterwards. This information will help us better understand how medicines affect the health of pregnant women and their babies. Please visit the MyBump Portal to register.

General information
Sadly, miscarriage and birth defects can occur in any pregnancy.

Miscarriage occurs in about 1 in every 5 pregnancies, and 1 in every 40 babies are born with a birth defect. This is called the ‘background risk’ and happens whether medication is taken or not.

Most medicines cross the placenta and reach the baby. For many medications this is not a problem. However, some medicines can affect a baby’s growth and development.

If you take regular medication and are planning to conceive, you should discuss whether your medicine is safe to continue with your doctor/health care team before becoming pregnant. If you have an unplanned pregnancy while taking a medicine, you should tell your doctor as soon as possible.

If a new medicine is suggested for you during pregnancy, please make sure that the person prescribing it knows that you are pregnant. If you have any concerns about a medicine, you can check with your doctor, midwife or pharmacist.

Our Bumps information leaflets provide information about the effects of medicines in pregnancy so that you can decide, together with your healthcare provider, what is best for you and your baby.