Hydrocodone and Pregnancy...

[finallypregnant23]

I really hope that noone thinks bad of me....but I've been taking hydrocodone for about a year now. I've just recently found out that I'm pregnant, and I'm worried because I want to stop taking it, but I'm finding it hard to do cold turkey. I'm doing good tho, I went from 3-4 a day to sometimes 1 or just a half a day. I've recently cut down to a half of a half a day, but sometimes I need more because of back pain. I'm now 13 weeks pregnant, I just want to know is this hurting my baby? And does anyone have ANY advice on how to stop taking this medicine? I want to so bad. I've been trying for this for so long (4 years) and now that I am pregnant, I feel selfish because I can't stop taking a...well...a drug. Am I wrong?

[AndiJ78]

Consult your doctor, no one on the Internet should be giving you advice on this topic.

Good luck.

[hanacabana]

Definitely just talk to your doctor ASAP. Be COMPLETELY honest with him. Before you have got real, medical advise i would strongly advise against quiting 'cold turkey' by yourself. Because you have been using for such a long time your body (and the babies body) may have beome reliant on it so a quick pull away can risk your body not adapting. Your doctor should be able to recomand a safe or atleast a safer path.

[jenstam]

Your name indicates that you were trying to get pregnant. Obviously, you should have planned ahead for this. The doctor that is prescribing this medication should no longer be writing the prescription but instead writing a better alternative for you during pregnancy for your back pain. No, it's not a good thing to be addicted to any drug, legal or not during pregnancy or any other time. Please be honest with your doctor and have a plan to discontinue the drug. This is your child. Being a parent is a selfless thing. It's not about just you anymore, it's about your child. Good luck.

[spade22]

I agree with the others - consult with your doctor for an appropriate tapering regime.

Hydrocodone is a class D drug which means positive evidence exists to show that it can cause fetal damage.  For this reason hydrocodone should NOT be taken during pregnancy unless absolutely necessary.

[AndiJ78]

Actually it is a Class C, but it is still not something you should be taking daily during pregnancy.

[kellym]

Hmmm but isn't that what they gave me after my c-section and nursing??  Anyhow, shouldn't be a problem talking to your dr. if it was for back pain it was prescribed right?

[ImmortalOne]

Yes you want to talk to your doctor.  It can cause a lot of complications with the baby and the baby will need to be monitored.