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weaning hydrocodone while preg and with two year old

Ok I'm 26 Weeks pregnant and taking 4-5 7.5 mg hydrocodone a day. My ob knows that I take it she's the one that prescribes it to me and monitors my dose. I also have a two year old daughter and I stay at home with her. My husband works 12 hours a day and he takes our only car to work with him so I'm stuck at home EVERYDAY. I also have no friends and very few family. I started taking hydrocodone when my daughter was 3 months old. So I've been taking it for two years. I was taking 6 10mg hydros a day for two years for pain. All was prescribed by my Dr.  when I found out I was pregnant I told my ob about my medication first visit. We both decided it would be best if I tapered my dose with her help. she now writes me 7.5 mg 3x day. But I always end up taking 4-5. I feel like absolute crap if I only take 3. I feel tired, sore, fatigue, lazy, nervous,ill etc. I can barely function. And I have to be able to function to be able to take care of my two year old.  My husband doesn't understand because he's never had to deal with addiction, pain, or withdrawals. He tries to be supportive as he can but he still don't get it. I  have no one to talk to and its making me depressed. My Dr told me that if I don't completely stop taking  the medicine before the baby is born that the baby will be born addicted to the medicine. I don'T want that to happen. I really do want off the medicine but how can I without feeling like crap.
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Avatar universal
My ob prescribes me my medicine,
So  I'm not worried one bit about getting my child taken or any of that BS. I've had RA since I was 7 years old and was doing fine with Advil and prescript meds like mobic until after I had my first child 2 years ago and my body shifted. After delivery my pain got out of control. That's when my rheumatology Dr prescribed me hydrocodone. I was prescribed 4-6 a day of 10mg. So that's where, when, and how the hydrocodone got started. I've never bought them from other people or got them illegally before. (thought about it lol) my ob knows I'm not like a (junkie) I hate that word. But when I found out I was pregnant I was nervous about stopping the pain med after taking them for 2 years. And my ob wants to wean me down to 2 5mg a day 2 Weeks before I'm due.  I've gone down from 6 10mg a day to anywhere from 3-5 7.5mg a day. My ob wants me to take only 3 7'5mg a day. But somedays the pain is just to bad and I feel like crap. I'm going to keep trying I've tapered down this much and I'm not stopping now. I really want off these things it makes me sick that a little pill can cause so much more pain that it helps. Once the baby is born I plan on going completely off just can't do ct now cause risk of harming the baby. My ob said the CT Withdrawls would be way more harmful for the baby in my womb than me taking the medicine. Having a newborn and a two year old will be hard. But I want to wake up one morning and get out of bed and not have to take a narcotic pain pill. I would have rathered deal with my pain with Advil then have EVER started taking these things. Any suggestions on how to get my energy up and feel better while tapering?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am sorry in my above post it was meant for elanie Not caregiver I apologize I am new at this Good luck and Many (((((HUGS)))) elannie I understand what is like when you have little to no support system after my son was born I was far from all my family and my mom lived an hour away new to area and had really no support from hunnys family He also worked nights and had to sleep most days
It got reaaly hard when I would get hospitalized with my daughter due to kidney stones and pylonephritis I had to take the pain meds with her for that but when I found out I was pregnant with my daughte I was in a pain clinic for chronic pain also so my ob took over both I wish you lots of luck And I can not repeat this enough but please do not fill like a bad person You cared enough to come here and get advice I am sure you are a great mother who loves her babies with all of your heart soul and with all your being keep us informed ok (((((((HUGS)))))
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Please as I said before and viki said ask your Dr for a slower Taper.  Can I ask if you have chronic pain problems why a complete taper and not just a slow reduction to the lowest does possible? ((((HUGS)))) please let us know how things are going.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Let me start by saying I am trying to get off percs myself. But...as far as the pregnancy goes, I had kidney stones the entire last 3 months of my pregnancy. My ob had me on hydros and ambien bc my blood pressure was getting dangerously high bc of the pain. I wonder if some of ur wd's are mental. You can do this!  I took 5 mg hydros 3x's a day during my pregnancy. When my daughter was born, she had some addiction problems and was more fussy than a normal baby for about 3 weeks. She also had liver issues and wouldn't eat. Lost an entire pound in 3 days. Being born only 7 lbs even, it was substantial. I think she wouldn't eat bc of wd's.  back then I had no addiction issues and cld do without them easily but we were concerned about early labor bc of the pain I was in with stones. I am no dr, but try ur best to follow her advise. Tell her the issues you are having trying to taper down. If you follow her rules, are honest without her about ur situation it will help you so much in dealing with the guilt if God forbid your sweet baby does have any issues. Like I said, I followed all my dr orders and had zero addiction issues back then and yet the guilt was all consuming at time. However- let me say now my daughter is a very healthy 9 year old!  Good luck to you. I'm very new to this site and may not have any business posting advise but just thought I'd share my experience which was similar to yours. God Bless ya!!!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi there- I agree with Angel...you'll be fine but you need to follow your doctor's taper plan. Please go in and speak with her and ask her to slow the taper a little.

There's no danger of any services getting involved here. Many, many women take opiates during pregnancy, for various reasons and your doctor is fully aware. Not a problem.  

Do your best and stay in touch here!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I had to take opiate pain medication while pregnant with both of my daughters you are on a very low dose of narcotic medication and as long as they are prescribed By your Doctor to you you are not on the RADAR or BEING watched Withdrawl can be Dangerous TO YOU UNBORN BABY I fill for you I hoinestly do I felt like the worst mopther in the worl when I had to take opiates while pregnant and my doses were much Higher then yours Neather one of my daughters were born with withdrawl symptoms and are fine healthy 5 aqnd 8 year olds Please do not listen to the above poster and let them scare you about your child being tooken from you. I sugest you make an appointment with your OB and tell them the taper is to fast and that you are getting sick Good Luck (((((HUGS))))
Helpful - 0
144586 tn?1284666164
Well, you are not a bad or evil person. The addiction is very real. The need is real. It is very hard to get off this stuff. I was prescribed it for level ten pain years ago and I know what you are going through. Nevertheless, you are going to have to resign yourself to following your physician's protocol for withdrawal. If you have problems, ask for a referral to a psychiatrist or counselor. If the baby is born addicted there are many possible legal consequences, including a state appointed guardian and separation, as well as possibly ending up under court supervision. They test all newborns for opiates. Right now, you are off the radar screen.  You are going to end up ground-up in the wheel of the system.  It is going to take all of your willpower to do this, but you must. The period of "feeling like crap" will eventually end if you can make yourself go through this.
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