It affects both the taker and -in cases of pregnant women- the unborn child. Side-effects for the taker include: neuropathy, which leads to pain, tingling and numbness, fatigue or tiredness, constipation, refractory hypotension, which is a severe and permanent drop in the takers blood pressure, deep vein thrombosis - when thalidomide is mixed with certain other drugs (usually dexamethasone, used in the treating of multiple myeloma), dizziness, confusion, vertigo, lightheadedness, anxiety, depression, mood swings, insomnia, bone, muscle, joint or back pain; dry, itchy skin, and swelling in the hands, ankles, and / or feet (Thalidomide Side Effects). Women who took thalidomide while pregnant also risked their children. These children faced the risk of missing or abnormal limbs, feet or hands, missing or abnormal ears, heart and kidney problems, cleft palate, spinal cord defects, and digestive disorders (Thalidomide Side