The Deadly Morning Sickness Medication Thalidomide – Still In Use Today?
Available to the general public in 1957, thalidomide1 was initially prescribed as a sedative or hypnotic medication. A sedative, we know, is intended to "calm the nerves". What is an hypnotic? A number of online definitions suggest an hypnotic is a drug, likened to hypnotism, tending to produce sleep. A little later, it was given to fight nausea, and was prescribed to expectant mothers who experienced morning sickness. Who knew the morning sickness medication thalidomide would cause devastation to the babies? Search the web by entering the word thalidomide, and choosing the category images, and you will see quite a few photos of former "thalidomiders". A full-term pregnancy lasts nine months. While expectant mothers may have been calmed and their nausea lessened, it didn't take long for thalidomide to produce…