10wks preg & docs dnt know wat2do about my pain meds

[scaredMAMA602]

I am LOST!!!
I am 10 weeks pregnant & have been in pain management for 3yrs due to a dislocated hip 10 yrs ago that went untreated for a year,had surgery,i have a screw in my hip&horrible arthritis at 22 years young. which has also caused my whole skeletal structure to be twisted&unalligned.. also causes extreme pain in my cervical spine,which has no inward curvature,all due to my untreated hip yrs ago..anyways,the reason I am on here,is im hopeless!!!!! apparently neither my obgyn nor PM doc have ever dealt with "my situation" before!i have called other PM docs,other obgyn's, detoxing clinics,hospitals, &still,nobody that is covered by my insurance(i live in AZ &have Phoenix Health Plan thru AHCCCS) knows a thing about what I should do&what is best for baby?!?! I am not a drug addict, im genuinely concerned about my precious little bean,i have been on the same meds,same doses(60-75 mg of oxycode a day)for over 3 yrs,i do not abuse them,but of course,after all these yrs,i am dependant&go thru HORRIBLE withdraws without my meds... I have heard all different things,from many different sources, "baby can miscarry from the detox" "no birth defects from oxys" "baby will go thru withdaws when born" "baby is not effected at all" "go on methadon or suboxone" taper&wean off my meds" ............ I just want what is best for bean and will do ANYTHING I need to do, to make sure my baby is safe and healthy....but I just dont know exactly what that is!!!!! someone please help me!  if anyone knows of an obgyn that takes ahcccs and is familiar with my situation, or a pain management doc that deals with pregnancies and also takes my insurance...just SOMEWHERE to start, I was due for my meds last wk, luckily I tried to cut down a little &had a few left over but im starting to go thru the withdraws, and if I feel how I do, I can only imagine how my little helpless bean is feeling!...sorry this post was so long winded,i just had to vent also! thank u in advance for your time and help! please keep me & my little growing family in your prayers!


---- jennifer j.

[sandee1818]

http://www.preferredpaincenter.com/

This clinic treats pregnancy pain management patients.
Also call your insurance company and have them refer you:)

[sandee1818]

There are 90 PMP's in your area. Get on the phone first thing in the morning and start calling them. If they say they do not treat pregnant women ask them for a PMP that does.
I am still searching.....


http://local.webmd.com/local/arizona/phoenix/pain-management-physicians.htm

[sandee1818]

Hi,
  Just take a breath and relax. I know you feeling scared and unsure about what to do. There are many women who take pain medications and give birth to normal babies. I myself had two beautiful daughters and was in pain management. I chose to go off of my meds while pregnant but that was my choice and you need to make the choice that is right for you. I had help and I will not lie to you it was really tough.
First off you need to find a PMP or a OB that has dealt with this before. Check in your area for high risk Ob gyn's. they normally will have some referrals or may take you.
It is very important that you do NOT stop your medications cold turkey as it can cause a miscarriage especially at the stage your at at ten weeks.
Did your PMP drop you? Why didn't he refill your medications. He knows at this stage in your pregnancy it would be harmful to stop them cold turkey.
You need to act fast and find a Doctor. Call your local hospitals for their referral lines and even ask your Pharmacist. They know Doctors who deal with this situation.
I do not want to scare you I just want to help all I can. Try and make the meds you have last as long as possible.
I will help you all I can to try and locate a Doctor. There are foundations such as the American pain foundation and many others that have referrals. I will get all the info up for you and send it to you.
Please try and relax:)

[mellie4]

Please don't panic!  There are many people who have pregnancies while on narcotics and end up having healthy babies.  We have a member here who has gone through this and had a beaufiul baby girl with no health issues and who was not born addicted.  Her screen name is Ashelen, and if you look up her profile, you can read what she went through with her pregnancy.  I will PM her and let her know about your post and I'm sure she'll have some suggestions.

You definitely do not want to stop taking your medications cold turkey as that can cause miscarriage.  

[jillbee7]

I'm a pharmacy student and I just looked it up in our pharmacy "bible" on the subject: Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation (Briggs, 2008). Based on case reports, they are saying that there is probably a risk in the 3rd trimester for your baby, and developmental delays or problems could occur. No one can say for sure if this would or would not happen to your baby, because there have been women who give birth to perfectly healthy babies after using oxycodone all throughout the pregnancy. This book rates the use of oxycodone in pregnancy as a 'D' when being used in the long term, which means that there is a risk of harm to the baby, but you need to weigh that potential harm with the benefit that you get from being on your meds.

I know that probably didn't help much at all. I know if it was me I'd just want someone to tell me yes or no, but unfortunately we just don't know enough about it to be able to really do that. Tylenol is safe to use in pregnancy, but that's about the only painkiller that we can absolutely say won't harm your baby at normal doses. Again, it's a balancing act between managing your pain effectively, but considering the possible risk to your baby. Your pain sounds really severe so weaning off of the oxy in the next few months and just taking Tylenol probably isn't gonna work for you, right?

I know that you're having insurance issues and so maybe can't find an appropriate doctor to help, but maybe try going to a pharmacy and talking to the pharmacist about it? I work in a pharmacy and we have ladies come ask us about this sort of stuff a lot. The pharmacists that I work with know lots, and are always willing to look things up and give their advice. Maybe try that? It's a free option, at least.

Best of luck to you! I'm really sorry that I couldn't be more help. Take care!

Jill