36 weeks and addicted

[almostthere3712]

Hi Dr.,

If any of you can give some good advice I would appreciate it.  I don't know what to do anymore.  I've been taking oxycodone 6x's a day 10mg ea pill. If I stop will the w/d hurt the baby.  If I continue will the baby suffer w/d and dyfs get invovled.  Do percocets cause mental problems in the baby?

[almostthere3712]

thanks...My dr. set up an appt. for me to see the Specialist re this issue on Monday.  I'm so anxious n nervous as to what they might say..i will def let you kno...Thank you so much for ur kindness...

[adgal]

Addiction can sneak up on you.  Please do not attempt a cold turkey withdrawal.  It is never a good idea when pregnant.  Your Dr. can help you with this and you can work through it.  So many women continue to be prescribed pain pills during pregnancy.  It's always risk vs. benefit, and if managed correctly it typically fine.  These meds rarely have any long term impact on the fetus, but it will need to be weaned medically.  This can be done safely.  No cold turkey ok?  And talk to your Dr. today.

[almostthere3712]

My dr. knew I was on pain meds since the begining of my pregnancy. I was told by my dr. that it was safe and that I should get off by 6mnths.  Unfortunately, I became addicted and I can't get off. Some dr.s say it is safe and causes NO Problems except W/D if taken at the end of pregnancy...The problem is Idk if i should stop cold Turkey or not.  

[Azwoman]

So youre 36 weeks along and just now deciding to quit pain meds?? Sorry but to me this is not the sign of a responsible mother.. you should have sought help as soon as you knew you were pregnant. I dont know if your baby has suffered any problems due to your use of pain meds and this baby will likely be addicted when its born. Yes CPS may be involved when the child is born-you need to tell the hospital everything so that the baby doesnt go into withdrawals.  Sorry to sound mean but yuo also can't stop cold turkey. You need to tell your OBGYN immediately what you have been doing.  

[adgal]

I'm so happy to hear that.  The sign of a good mother is one who puts her babies well being first, and that it is exactly what you are doing with this decision.  Thinking of you.

[almostthere3712]

thank you to all.  I am going to tell my dr...and c what happens.  ty

[Omacastrop]

As a person who just quit oxy after 7 yrs. I thought I was going to die! Please don't stop this cold turkey. It truly was the worst week of my life! Talk to ur dr. if they are prescribed for u then DHS/CPS won't get involved. If they aren't, then they might very into ur business.

[adgal]

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Addiction-Substance-Abuse/show/77

THis is another MH forum and there are some pretty fantastic people here.  They do a great job of supporting each other on their journey's to sobriety.  Again, I wish you all the best, and hope you follow up with us.  

[adgal]

Hi there and welcome to our community.  Unfortunately this is not an expert community, so we do not have a Dr. here.  We are strictly peer to peer.  I do have some experience with this issue as I work for a non profit agency and we serve many people with addiction issues.  So I am going to share with you what I know on the subject.

Quitting an addictive substance like oxy during pregnancy is a potentially dangerous thing to do.  Yes, your baby would suffer w/d's and this can lead to issues like preterm labor or even fetal demise.  So you don't want to just quit on your own cold turkey.  The absolute best thing you can do is to admit this to your Dr.  Trust me when I say they have all dealt with this, and they can often set you up with a specialist to help wean you safely and without harming your child.  It is also important to know because the medical staff at your child's birth needs to be prepared so that they can help your baby not suffer the effects of detox.  They can do this with medication, etc. and ensure your child does not suffer.

As for your question about dyfs.  Yes, chances are there will be some involvement and follow up.  Remember that their primary goal is the safety and well being of your child.  Using drugs during pregnancy does not in itself mean that your child will be taken from you.  More often then not what they do is home visits and try to work with the family to be clean, sober and healthy.  And trust me, it is far better to admit this now and have the medical staff be prepared then to try to cover it up.  Dyfs will look far more favorably on a pregnant women who is honest about the situation.

Look, addiction is a medical issue, and I know this is very scary.  You can overcome this and there is help available for you.  No one chooses to become an addict, and this is far more common then you think.  So try not to worry too much about dyfs right now.  What is most important right now is to make sure your baby is born healthy, and to ensure you get the help you need.  It seems to me that you love this baby and want what is best for it.  And that is a clean and healthy mom.  You can do this.  In addition to talking to your Dr., I highly recommend you visit the addictions forum on MH.  Also, seek counseling or narcotics annonymous.  Help is out there honey, and I know you can do this.  I wish you and your child all the best and please let us know how you are doing.