LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Cytotec
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In Seattle, Wash., Christine Malone and her husband won a $2 million lawsuit against midwives who administered Cytotec in September 1999 and failed to take her to the nearby hospital before irreparable damage was done to her child. Initially a stillborn, her son Ian is severely brain damaged and needs 24-hour care. They are now suing her doctor, who gave her a handful of Cytotec to take at the midwife's birth center without him. "The fact that doctors used Cytotec outside a hospital setting is criminal," says Joel Cunningham, who represented the Malones in their suit against the midwives. "We've learned that there are worse things than actually losing a child to death, which of course is ... terribly difficult to deal with," says Malone. "If a child dies, you can go through the grieving process.
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Cytotec, otherwise known as Misoprostol, is a medicine that is used to prevent or treat ulcers. It is FDA-approved for this use only, but caregivers have discovered that in doses of 25 to 50 micrograms, Cytotec can bring on labor. The pill is often obtained in doses of 100 micrograms and cut in half or quarters to obtain a smaller dosage. The pill is either taken orally or inserted vaginally to start labor.
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While it is unknown why Cytotec has such adverse affects on women with prior uterine scarring, perhaps what is even more baffling is why this drug is still being used. From the financial standpoint, doctors find this drug much cheaper than other labor induction methods such as Pitocin which can run hundreds of dollars after the use of an IV for constant administering, continuos Fetal Monitoring, and if the cervix isn’t ripe, a cervix softening gel such as Prepidil or Cervidil. The rapidness in which Cytotec induces labor and softens as well as dilates the cervix is ... an appealing factor of the drug, promising delivery usually within the time span of ten to twelve hours after first being administered.
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Although approved for oral use, Cytotec has somewhat the same action on the cervix when administered vaginally as "prostin gel," "Prepidil," and "Cervidil" in that the prostaglandin action causes cervical ripening and induction of labor. The FDA has not established protocols for Cytotec usage nor has there been any controlled trial studies to provide information about the indications and contraindications surrounding use. Yet many care providers are using this gastrointestinal drug to begin inductions. Instead of printed protocols backed up by evidence from random controlled trials, protocols are shared by word of mouth and vary greatly.
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Cytotec uses: Misoprostol is a synthetic prostaglandin. Prostaglandins are natural substances found in the stomach as well as in other organs of the human body. In the stomach, prostaglandins are believed to protect the inner stomach lining from the ulcer producing effects of acid, aspirin, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), commonly used in the treatment of arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. Scientists now believe that aspirin and NSAIDs produce stomach ulceration mostly by inhibiting the production of prostaglandins in the stomach. Synthetic prostaglandin such as misoprostol given orally has been shown to protect the stomach lining from ulcerating effects of NSAIDs. Misoprostol (Cytotec) is prescribed for the prevention of stomach ulceration and related ulcer complications (such as ulcer bleeding, obstruction, and perforation) in patients on aspirin and other NSAIDs medications.
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The practice of using Cytotec or Misoprostol privately by women to end pregnancy has been prevalent in Latin America countries for a number of years. Its popularity there is well known, as abortion in these countries is often illegal. In the United States, this is a growing problem as well. Many immigrant and low-income women have limited means and lack or do not have healthcare available to them. This drug is easily obtained thru underground sources and is very inexpensive to purchase.
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