HELP...Having to take Hydrocodone in early pregnancy - need advice....

I apologize up front...my question is long, but I need to explain my situation to get to my questions....I am 34 years old and we are pregnant with our first child (only about 5 wks. along right now). I have been prescribed hydrocodone for a couple of years (prescribed by my pain management dr.) due to chronic pain. Basically I need a knee replacement due to years and years of hard athletics...I've had 10 tough knee surgeries including one to break my leg & realign the knee joint, 2 cartiledge transplants, and bone grafting. At this point the doctors cannot do a knee replacement on me...so I have to cope by going thru pain management.

Anyway....I am prescribed and take 8 10/325 Hydrocodones a day. I just cut back from Oxycodone to Hydrocodone after finding out we were pregnant...and plan to keep work on tapering down to hopeofully be OFF this stuff by the time we deliver. All doctors are well aware of my situation...and that I take this medication. It's not the prime conditions...we know...but I have renal artery stenosis too and elevated BP because of this (and I take meds for the Blood Pressure because of this stenosis situation too).

So, of course we all want me taking as little of hydrocodone as I can get by with...but they also are warning that if I try to come off now, my Blood Pressure could really drastically increase....which of course could cause problems of it's own...since it's already monitored with medication.

The pain management doctor and my OB/GYN's all say that I'm probably best off taking the meds (as few as I can of course) than trying to come off them at this point...especially with the fact that I'll be having more and more stress on my knee as I get further and further along.

I've been told the baby may be born addicted and may go thru withdrawal. Here are the questions I'm hoping someone can offer me some insight on:

1) Has ANYONE out there had any experience with this (needing to take hydrocodone on a daily basis throughout pregnancy?
2) How did things turn out when you had your baby? Was your little one addicted? Any other issues?
3) How do they deal with withdrawal for a newborn?

I am SO SCARED! I don't want my baby to suffer in any way, shape, or form because of my pain. I hope no one will judge me...this knee situation is a medical condition I've been unfortunate to experience...and I'm trying my very best to cope. I don't want to be on this kind of medication and hope some day soon they can do something for me so I won't have to be. But in the meantime, I have to take the medication....and I am newly pregnant....and I want THE BEST for my baby and need so help as I have so many questions. I'm new here to MedHelp...and I pray that someone out there can offer some advice or some background on their experience in such a situation.

I thank you so much for reading about my situation and for your guidance and advice. God is good and I know he will see us thru! Thank you!!! Hope you are having a GREAT day!

[peekawho]

If you can taper down a bit, you and the baby will be in better shape.   Even if you aren't completely off when you deliver, you will no doubt be taking less, and I don't think you'll have much of an issue with the baby having withdrawals.

I don't think they will do much about it anyway.  The baby may be fussier and hard to calm, but unless the ped believes there will be very, very severe problems such as seizures,  I'm thinking they won't have to do anything at all.

One caveat:  Be COMPLETELY honest about how much you are taking.  I have no reason to doubt you...don't even know you at all....but sometimes people understate how much they are taking.   Just sayin'...if you are taking more, be sure your doctor knows exactly how much you are taking.  

I worry much more about the renal artery stenosis and hypertension.  What meds will the doc have you on during the pregnancy?  How do they plan to follow you for this?   This is the situation to be much more attentive to...the hydrocodone issue is way down the list of worries.  

[91004]

My friend has had a simuliar situation to yours she has bone degenerative disorder and has now for 9 years. She was on hydrocodone for her 1st pregancy. She had lots of problems her baby was born at 6mnths and weighed I believe about 3 pounds. She is a healthy child now. Her 2nd child which is 3 months now she was on Symbalta(I mite be sayin that wrong anyway it is a drug to help with withdrawels from all the hydrocodone) and they couldnt ween her off of it because she went into labor before the docs had a chance to. Her baby was born 1-2 months premature and weighed 4 pounds had to stay in the hospital for 2 weeks and they had to ween him off the drug by giveing him small doses of the med(cannot remember what they gave him. He has a lot of stomach problems right now.(colic, acid reflux)

[edrn2003]

Let me start by saying you talking about this issue and asking for advise shows your intrest is in the health of your child. I was taking vicodin for chronic back pain due to spinal stenosis, arthritis, and multiple worn discs and protusions when I was pregnant. That was three years ago and my son is in wonderful health. I did delivery about six weeks early but that was due to pre-eclampsia. I am a nurse educator and follow these issues closely. You do need to take vicodin only as directed, and if you don't have severe pain don't take it!! I am currently trying to have another baby and if I need the medication to control my pain, I will take it as my doctor suggests. Good Luck and God Bless!

[RAWINA]

I have Crohn's disease, I was taking it all the time during my both pregnancies, and sometimes through IV.
I hve two healthy boys,4 and 1 year old.
Good luck