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MedHelp Member's Question

Pregnant and Addicted to Lortabs

by Desperatetimes, Dec 10, 2002 12:00AM
I Have been addicted to Vicoden and now Lortabs for about 2 1/2 years. I consume about 25 to 30 a day. I recenctly found out that I am PREGNANT with my 1st child. I am about a month and a week along. I need information on what damage I may have already done to my baby and the best way to get off this nasty addiction without affecting my unborn baby. Any suggestions on the easiest way to deal with the withdrawal symptoms? Please help me and my child!
Member Comments (29)

by theGolden1, Dec 10, 2002 12:00AM
To: vicojen
That was so nice of you to share. I know methadone is safe during pregnancy. (used in the right amounts of coarse) I was wondering about ultram. I think it is also safe .... but I would trust methadone or the opiates before trusting ultram, because it's relatively new. I like to stick with the tried and true. Gee .... it's really great to see all the help and support here. I wish I was having a baby (smile) .... Goldie

by Bodymechanic, Dec 10, 2002 12:00AM
To: Desperate
The tylenol alone at that dosage is toxic to the fetus. The opiates are not good either but the tylenol is the worst of the problem right now. You are definately someone that needs to level with your doctor. Some people cannot or will not tell their doctor about their problem. In your case, for the sake of the baby, you have no choice. If you must stay on an opiate choose a long acting one.  The continually fluxuating opiate levels in your body using lortab are very stressful to the fetus.

by groovygirl, Dec 10, 2002 12:00AM
I was in the same predicament last year...I had an abortion.  The first 3 months are crucial to the developement of the baby, so after talking with my doctor even though it went completely against my beliefs, I went through with it.  I am not a pro-lifer.  I really wanted another child, so this was not an easy decision.  I hate myself for what I've done.  I look at the child I already have, and I think I could have had another beautiful baby...I'm crying as I write this.  I have screwed up so badly in the past couple years...I've compromised every moral I've practically ever had.



You need to ask yourself can you quit right now?  You also need to find out if going into full-blown withdrawal right now could make you have a miscarriage...you could have major complications with that one.  What does your doctor think?  You may be able to detox with the use of something like, and I HATE to say this, Methadone for a couple days...that is what they generally use for pregnant women.  Buprenex is a drug that has proven to cause birth defects, so I think that would be out.



You have the hardest choices in front of you.  You are going to struggle with any decision you make, but please know you are not alone.

by groovygirl, Dec 10, 2002 12:00AM
To: P.S. desperatetimes
I have seen with my own eyes opiate addicted babies...it is the most horrendous thing I've ever witnessed...crying non-stop with nothing to comfort them.

by FINISHED?, Dec 10, 2002 12:00AM
Mariposa, again, is right. Please do yourself & more importantly, your baby a favor...swallow your pride & talk to your doc. It's going to be a hard thing to do but your doctor should find this very commendable as would I. The time to get clean is now! You have somebody elses life depending on it besides your own. No pills or "high" are worth the future quality of life or the lack there of...of your unborn baby.

I'll be thinking of you & wishing you all of the strength in the world to help you through this.

by theGolden1, Dec 10, 2002 12:00AM
To: Desperatetimes
Alot of babies are born addicted ..... they use phenobarbitol (or at least they used to) and watch baby very carefully. They do not want the newborn to be uncomfortable, or the new Mom. Definately work this out with your doctor. Also call a few other doctors or clinic's to help with this. Your doctor needs to be totally supportive and non judgemental. This is a big blessing .... let them take care of you and baby. Do your own reseach over the internet so you will be informed, but you need medical attention. Also .... doctor patient information is private. He can't tell anyone without your consent. Good luck to you and baby .... Goldie

by PainKilla, Dec 10, 2002 12:00AM
Hello



I am sorry to hear of your situation.  I know how scared you must be.  I have been told by many doctors that when you are pregnant you can use Darvocet???  Maybe you can ask your doctor about this.  If you are taking these meds to control your pain then you should discuss this with a doctor.  If you are using mainly to get high I think you should try to quit for your baby's sake.  



Ultram can do wonders for withdrawal.  I am not sure how it effects a fetus though.  



Good Luck hun.  Keep us posted!

by Desperatetimes, Dec 10, 2002 12:00AM
To: Everyone who cared to answer!
Thank you so much for your advice, all of you! I have every intention in discussing this matter with my Doctor. My pride has no importance compared to the unborn miracle I am carring in body right now. I am married to a wonderful man and have 2 step sons, and you would think these 3 special boys in my life would be enough to get off the pills. I have never gone through anything of the sort ever in my life. All I want is to make sure what ever the Dr. suggests and the research I have found is the best thing for my baby. Most of the advise on this sight suggest one to three things; to get medical attention and try a methadone treatment, or Continue taking the pills and safetly detox the baby after birth, or wean myself off of them. I guess I want to hear from someone that has done one of the above and tell me there side. I am afraid to keep taking them while pregnant because I don't want to permantly damage the baby, But the doctor said there is little known of any long term damage. Is this true? The other was Methadone, I have heard you get just as addicted to this, is this true? And Finally I am afraid that if I wean myself off of them I won't do it right and I may still have withdraws and possible miscarriage. Please, your advice truely depends on a life.

Thank you so much for your time. God Bless and my this help others.

SAT

by itsadogslife, Dec 10, 2002 12:00AM
This is a situation many women addicts find themselves in and it's not a good one. As the doc pointed out, the baby will be born addicted. I'm sure the hospital staff will try to make it as comfortable as possible but how much has phenobarbital helped anyone else who has tried to CT? I, too, have seen addicted babies and it is heart wrenching.



There is another reality to face. I worked in a hospital and there is, unfortunately, a very negative attitude toward women who are addicts and deliver addicted babies. Most people, including medical personnel, don't understand addiction to begin with, and having a baby while addicted is seen as the height of irresponsibility.



I don't know if wd could cause a miscarriage but it is definitely something to discuss with your OB/Gyn. Perhaps a taper schedule could be worked out to minimize the risk if it exists. The bottom line is that you need to get off for your baby.



This is from rxlist.com:

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Teratogenic Effects: Hydrocodone has been shown to be teratogenic in hamsters when given in doses 700 times the human dose. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Hydrocodone bitartrate and acetaminophen tablets should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.



Nonteratogenic Effects: Babies born to mothers who have been taking opioids regularly prior to delivery will be physically dependent. The withdrawal signs include irritability and excessive crying, tremors, hyperactive reflexes, increased respiratory rate, increased stools, sneezing, yawning, vomiting, and fever. The intensity of the syndrome does not always correlate with the duration of maternal opioid use or dose. There is no consensus on the best method of managing withdrawal. Chlorpromazine 0.7 to 1 mg/kg every 6 hours, and paregoric 2 to 4 drops/kg every 4 hours, have been used to treat withdrawal symptoms in infants. The duration of therapy is 4 to 28 days, with the dosage decreased as tolerated.



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This should be a very joyous time of life for you. I am sorry that you have to go through this. Don't panic or despair. The odds are you will be able to kick your habit for the sake of your baby, and it doesn't sound to me as if there is any evidence that you are harming your fetus at this point.



itsadogslife

by Jennibean, Dec 10, 2002 12:00AM
To: desperatetimes
I have done one of the following. This was before I was addicted but I was on a pretty hefty amount of oxycontin and percocet due to an accident and I was waiting for back surgery when I found out I was pregnant. I already saw the best perinatologists in my area due to pregnancy complications in the past so I consulted them as well as any specialists I could find. The most important thing I was told is that baby's inutero DO NOT handle withdrawal well. There is a significant risk of miscarriage or preterm labor depending on when you are planning to detox. I swear to you I consulted poeple in my state people out of my state and they all agreed that it was far more dangerous to detox completely while pregannt than to continue therapy, plus in my situation the surgery I needed was also a risk to my baby so there was no way at that time that I could of gone completely off because I couldn't function well on them due to pain if I would have gone off it would have been unbearable although I would have done it for my baby. However NOBODY was willing to detox me. My choice was to stay on the narcotics and take as little as possible without going into withdrawal until the baby was big enough that should I go into labor it would be safe or switch to methadone. This is the only time I think methadone maintenance is the best option. They have been using it for years on pregnant women who were addcited to heroin so I know they know more about the safety of methadone during pregnancy than other narcotics. I found an addictionologist who had been specializing in this for 25 years. I went in patient for 6 days to switch from my pain meds to methadone. I was able to take a pretty low dose without having ANY withdrawal symptoms and enough to at least take the edge off of my pain, afterall methadone is one of the best pain medications available. Anyway I was determined to stay at a low dose and I did. I never exceeded more than 20mg a day and mostly stayed at 10-15 then when I was 34 weeks pregnant I started to wean slowly, when my baby was born I was taking nothing for a week before and because I did it slowly I had slight withdrawal symptoms but nothing that caused me to go into labor. My Madison was born healthy and in no withdrawal at all! She did great and it was because I had alot of help from Doctors who knew what they were doing. After she was born I had my back surgery and that is when I got addicted to all this ****! Methadone helps alot as far as not craving your vicodin. You should consult perinatologists in your area and addicitonologists, Get more than one opinion, I had one person who said he would detox me in 5 days and I am very glad I did not let him, he was a psychiatrist and knew nothing about the danger to my baby in doing this. As far as the tylenol my perinatologists told me that the baby gets a fraction of the amount I was taking but it is best to get off all that tylenol as soon as you can. My best advice to you is find help soon, be honest and if you should decide to go the same route I did, I can tell you it is best for you as well as your baby to get on the lowest possible dose of methadone, it will make it easier for you to wean before you deliver and methadone is really hard to get off of, My addicitonologist told me that if I had gone to a regular clinic they would have kept increasing my dose up to about 80mg and that would have been catastrophic! The thing is that because I had legitimate pain I was able to get scripts of methadone from the pharmacy instead of going the clinic route! I am not sure if we are allowed to post our e-mail address here can someone tell me if that is ok so that I can e-mail you privately and help you find some resources. Good Luck to you, don't beat yourself up or think you need an abortion because you have ruined your baby, I was taking almost as much tylenol as you for 16 weeks before I knew I was pregnant. Good Luck to you, you can do this and yoru baby will be fine if you can find the right resources!