"Keeping Up With The Kardashians" star Kim Kardashian posted a photo of herself in Instagram holding a bottle of Diclegis, a morning sickness drug. The move has triggered an outrage online.
The 34-year-old reality TV celebrity is currently in the early stages of her second pregnancy and because of this, she said she's had ugly bouts of morning sickness.
"OMG. Have you heard about this? As you guys know my #morningsickness has been pretty bad. I tried changing things about my lifestyle, like my diet, but nothing helped, so I talked to my doctor," Kim wrote on Instagram. "He prescribed me #Diclegis, I felt a lot better and most importantly, it's been studied and there was no increased risk to the baby. I'm so excited and happy with my results that I'm partnering with Duchesnay USA to raise awareness about treating morning sickness."
The post received over 10,000 comments, with some saying Kim was being a hypocrite for using her Instagram to endorse products when she claimed this was off-limits to advertisements and promotions.
"Every deal I do I never include my Instagram. I've been really strict about that. My Instagram is off limits. It is my personal world. I know a lot of my brands get frustrated that I don't promote as much as they would like," Kim said, according to Mirror.
Some comments also questioned the medication she was prescribed, as it once was associated with a controversial lawsuit. So, is Diclegis safe for pregnant mothers with morning sickness?
Back in the '80s, Diclegis was sold under the brand name Bendectin. However, the drug was pulled off the market due to lawsuits linking this to birth defects. But this was not proven, according to New York Daily News. Despite this, Bendectin was eventually phased out.
But in 2013, Diclegis, which is made of the same formula as Bendectin, was approved by the FDA, according to ABC News. It was rated under Pregnancy Category A, which indicates that it has no health risk to the fetus, and it is of the safest level.
"She did people a very big favor - Diclegis is quite safe," Dr. Jill Maura Rabin told New York Daily News in reference to Kim's Instagram endorsement. "It is the only anti-nausea medication approved for use in pregnancy by the FDA," she added.
Side effects associated with the drug include drowsiness, the most common, according to its website, as well as constipation, anxiety, vertigo, visual problems, and, sometimes, abdominal pain.
