I'm 8 weeks pregnant, and I take 10 Norco's a day, I need help getting off?

[iluvbeingamama3]

Hi, I'm Sara and I am 7-8 weeks pregnant.  I am not able to get into my doctor, until the 20th of June.  I have been perscribed Norco 10/325, for the past two years.  I take ten of them a day because I have so much pain from my endometriosis.  After taking my meds for so long...they don't even help my pain, they are mainly keeping the withdrawals away.  I recently became pregnant, and I want off of my pills...NOW!  I have one healthy two in a half year old daughter who is just the love of my life, and while I was pregnant with her, I was absolutley perfect, and very healthy.  I want to give this child in my tummy the same as my previous.  I feel so sad, depressed, guilty...I have the hardest time not taking my meds because over the last two years I have become very dependent upon them.  My Husband is so angry with me, he expects me to just stop...  He gets so angry with me, and basically treats me like I am some junky, who doesn't care about my baby...which couldn't be farther from the truth.  All of his unsupportive and abusive behavior just makes me despise him.  I can't handle the withdrawals.  I don't want to be on Methadone through out my whole pregnancy...  I don't want to be on anything, besides healthy food, and vitamins.  Has anyone got any advice for me.  I wish I was able to take xanax or vallium to help me get off, but I read that causes birth defects.  I tried taking methadone for five days, then taking nothing but it didn't work.  I can't try to withdrawal with my daughter around, and unless I go cold turkey, my husband refuses to watch her.  He's an *******...I know.  But, I also know he is just worried about his baby, and me.  I am worried my doctor is going to try to keep me on the meds.  Please help!  Do you think this has caused birthdefects?

[stacymama]

Hi. My names Stacy and I am 6 wks pregnant and addicted to opiates. I am not prescribed them. I have been thro the entire, having a baby on methadone situation and refuse to go thro it again! I'd rather just find a Dr. To taper off slowly..but I've called a ton and none of them want to prescribe me anything being pregnant! I can't afford them everyday and everyday that I don't find a doctor I am risking withdrawal and doing the wrong things..can someone tell me what Dr to call who will help me! What Dr. Tapered u off? I don't mind traveling if I have too..but I live near Allentown, Pa..so if there is any close, that would help so much!! Thanx!

[joeshmoe839]

down syndrom

[Babynum2G]

Hi Sara,
How is your baby, I am about 7 weeks pregnant and am very concerned because I have been taking about 3 norco a day (10mg) for about a year.  I am tapering down to 2 a day but am concerned about any damage that may have already been done to my baby.  Please let me know how things worked out for you.

[dezi714]

HI EVERY ONE :) MY NAME IS NESREEN.. AND OMG I THINK IM PREGGO... I PISSED MY PERIOD and i have been taking norrco pain pills since 08.. i take about 3-4 a day... I'm so scared that i could be pregnant and hurt the child... or he/she will have a birth defect... it kills me.. and stresses me out... i cut it off cold turkey.. i did have some withdrawals and cave in... i had minimized it to 1-2 a day.. ohh I'm just soo scared that this bby will be unhealthy ... any one can help me plz.. thanks <3

[Alison83]

Hey everyone!! im taking hydrocodone an i was taking well over 10 but found out i was pregnant an have cut back alot to about 6 a day and still trying. when i went to my p/m doc and she told me that the baby could be missing a leg or arm but then kep me on the dros. im sooo worried about birth defects an i have my ob app on the 23. i have 2 other children helthy an smart as they want to be.  im 6 weeks along now and just dont want to do wrong by this baby if anything happends i will never forgive myself. any input from anyone will help or put my mind to rest.

[joyagain]

I am a norco addict percocet vicodin.  Trying to recover of course.  I work with newborns and Labor and delivery.  I want to give you a heads up that if you are in to natural (no pain medication) child birth, great!  But, if you want help with your labor pain, the drugs we give to people who have taken high doses of narcatics do not work for them well.  I believe the epidurals are the same way,  If you are having a c-section it is harder to get you numb and you may end up with a general if they cannot get your pain under control, and generals for c-sections are harder on babies.  Also, babies will go through w/d if you continue to take the medications still at the end of your pregnancy, depending on the amount you are taking.  High pitched cry, hard to console, poor feedings are signs that your baby may have been affected by the continued narcotic use by the mother during last trimester.   So my point is to please taper, your baby may not have physical defects, but may have to go through w/d and that makes it harder for them to adapt to the outside world readily.  Then your pain control after delivery can be an issue as well.  We do not give 10 norco a day especially for vaginal deliveries.  Taper, Taper, Taper for sooo many reasons.  Take care and just make a plan with your md that you want to taper and stick to the program.   I, myself am taking less, and less and it is hard, and you are going to need something for anxiety once and a while when tapering.  Ask you rdoctor about Klonopine for anxiety.  It is apparently the least addictive, but I dont' know if or how it could affect your baby so definitely dont' take my advice on the meds.  Just a bug in you ear.  Good luck to both of you

[Aleenas_Mommy2010]

You have nothing to worry about. I have a beautiful and perfectly healthy 9 month old baby girl who actually is a very chunky big girl (wears 18 month clothes and weighs about 25 lbs) and the entire pregnancy with her my pcp had me on hydrocodone apap 5/500 mg and I know that that isn't the 10/325 (which I am on now) but its hydrocodone in general that doesn't need to be worried about. The ob/gyn is ALWAYS going to tell you to take nothing but tylenol, but my pcp knew I was pregnant before she even put me on them and my daughter is fine. I myself was so worried and felt like such a bad mother but my dr told me it was fine, its actually the ONLY thing pretty much you can take. I had a severe cough/cold 2 weeks before I delivered her and went to the emergency room in hopes they would give me something other than hydrocodone because I was weaning off because I didn't want the withdrawls after birth but they put me on a liquid hydrocodone because it is a cough suppressant and it was the only thing I could take. I am now in my second pregnancy and 7 weeks 4 days and am on norco 10/325. The best thing is too cut back but you are fine :)

[SerenB]

Sara so sorry you are going through this.  My PC told me not to feel bad about having withdrawals. Its not me, it the nature of the drug.  I too am in a similar situation.  I was taking between 10 and 14 Norco 10/325 a day for the last year.  When I found out at three weeks pregnant I also freaked out.  My PC wanted me to cold turkey and use Benadryl and Ambien to get through the withdrawals.  I felt like I was going crazy, I also went cold turkey on Lexepro and Soma. I went from th 10-14 down to 6 within a few days of finding out. I simply could not cold turkey. I then called an OBGYN (my husbands family has said he is great).  He really is, the first thing he told me was to not go through any withdrawals and referred me to pain management, who also said do not go cold turkey. Its like a double wammy, there is a reason we started Norco PAIN. Now there are withdrawals and pain.  I am now 9 weeks pregnant and have tapered down to 2 1/2 Norco per day.  The pain doctor said to take 4 but I want off so my OBGYN said if I can make it without going crazy and having withdrawals I can taper even more. It is so hard. My husband was also weird about the whole thing until he went with me and heard the doctor say do not go through withdrawals.  The Pain Management dr. said the only thing Norco could do is cause respratory distress in the baby, but not to worry because I am on such a low does and there are lots of women that take pain meds while pregnant and their baby are healthy. Trust me I am no hero and struggle everyday especially when I am in pain and my 5 year old wants me to play. It is common sense that these things are bad but we are doing the best we can to take back our lives and have a healthy baby. Sara - please know that you are not alone and you have tremendous courage to come forward and ask for help.  It will be hard but you have to taper at your own speed and try not to stress. Being stressed is hard on your entire family. You will lose your self in guilt and its just not healthy. This is about you and your baby, its very easy for people to judge if they have never been through it. Good Luck!

[iluvbeingamama3]

Thank you so much.  I only did take them (Valuim) one time.  I have been so scared.  My mom just lectures me every single day thinking that this baby will be born all messed up.  If it is, I can't live with myself.  You seriously helped to give me some piece of mind.  I just hope you are right.  I pray constantly for everything to be okay.  Thank you for being so kind.  About my doctor, I was told he was the very best OB doc around my area.  However, my doctor from my previous baby was really kind and I liked how everything went with the pregnancy, and delivery.  Take care.  I hope all is well with you.  Peace~

[troubleinohio]

id suggest finding a different OB if this one is telling you that your baby wilL PROBABLY have birth defects!! my god, hydrocodone does not cause defects! xanax can, but you said you just took a few valium ONE TIME right? I absolutely would not be worrying about that honey. It takes long time use in first trimester to cause b/d with certain benzos.  You only took some one night. Your baby will be fine! Keep tapering down on the hydro's to avoid severe WD and all should go just fine. Try to relax and not worry so much and congrats to you on this new precious baby!

[MeganDowney]

Hi there,

I completely understand your fear. I was in similar situation with my 2nd and 3rd children. I freaked out and agonized probably like you.  Admittedly my prescription was smaller (approx 1 or 2 vicodin/day most days as needed), but the fear is the same! Good for you for talking to your dr. A couple things I was thinking as I read your message.

1) Was it your primary care or your OBGYN? I found that my primary care doctor was infinitely more comfortable continuing my pain medicine during my pregnancy, for obvious reasons. An OBGYN is mainly focused on delivering a healthy baby and that’s why we love them.
2) Perhaps your Dr. said defects are probable/possible. But I also remember being pregnant and if the Dr. didn’t say that absolutely, positively there was NO chance anything was wrong with my baby I obsessed about that .0001% chance. I think it’s natural as a mom. Do your best though to really hear what they said and why they said it. All I’m hearing is that tapering/quitting is the best thing you can do and you clearly already know that.
3) Most of us had an “oops” moment or two before we knew we were pregnant with no problems whatsoever!
4) My 2nd and 3rd were huge babies, healthy and perfect. I knew that my back condition meant that my pregnancies would likely be more painful than most (and they were!) but I was extremely conscious about pain medicine and everything was perfect.  

That’s just my experience. Do your best to cut down and try not to stress. If you feel like your body is adjusting well to the taper schedule perhaps discuss whether or not you need to go the entire 10-11 weeks with your Dr. You may be surprised. :)

Congratulations!

Megan

[iluvbeingamama3]

I was curious, how did you taper???  By how many did your reduce, and by how often?  My doctor wants me to reduce by 1 every 7 days.  I just started tapering.  I feel okay so far.  If I am able to follow his plan, I will be clean by 10-11 weeks from now.  That would make me very happy.  I'm scared constantly that maybe I am making a mistake by keeping the baby because I may have screwed the baby up by my meds, by the few valuim I took one night during the first month before I knew I was pregnant.  I'm just blue about it all.  However, I don't think I would be able to live with myself if I had an abortion though, after seeing my little peanut at the doctors and hearing the babies heart beat I already love it so much.  

[iluvbeingamama3]

THanks guys, you are all very kind.  I went to my doctors appt. on the 20th.  He sudgested that I taper down.  I'm still just freaked out that my baby will be born with birth defects.   My doctor told me that it's very possible, and possibly likely.  He really scared me.  I started crying really badly and I've just been scared ever since.  I started tapering.  He wants me to try to taper down one every seven days.  I'm not quite sure how easy that will be...but I am going to go for it.  Also, the first month that I was pregnant, I took 3 in a half valuim one night because I was having a really bad panic attack after an unexpected passing in the family.  I know that those are guaranteed to cause birthdefects.  Has anyone had a perfectly healthy baby under these circumstances?  WIsh you all well.

Sara

[dominosarah]

When you get to the doctor tell him/her that you want off these pills and they will help you taper.  You dont want to go cold turkey off them.  You are a good person and momma as you have the babies best interest here.  That is so refreshing to see.  Try and calm down as you will get off these pills with your doctors help~~~sara

[jamajessie]

You need to tell your husband that you can't go cold turkey because the withdrawals can cause a miscarriage. Withdrawals are very bad for a pregnancy so please don't go cold turkey. Talk to your Dr about this asap. Tell him about your concerns. See if there is any possible way they you can get an appointment before the 20th. Tell them it is an emergency. Keep taking your meds till you see the Dr you do not need to withdrawal at all.Don't worry about the methadone you took a lot of women are put on that at low doses for cronic pain during pregnancy and for withdrawals. Dr's would rather use that because it doesn't contain all the tylenol that norco and narcotics like that do.
You can have a healthy baby while being prescribed narcotics .Your Dr may change your medicine or he may not. He will probably change the amount you take.  Your Dr will know what to do. Don't worry your baby is fine.

Jessica

[leeisgettingclean]

you really need tro try to get to the doctor as soon as you can. I am pretty sure that i once read that it is bettter for your unborn baby for you to taper off them instead of going c/t. I delieve that with a doctors supervision you could continue to be comfortable and not take to many pills and have the less risk of harming your child. You are rite, methadone is not the answer--please dont take that anymore--thats even more risky for your baby. You are doing the right thing be being worried and asking questions, however remember that we are not doctorsd and none of us truely know the risk of the questions that you are asking--we are only going to be ablbe to give opotions, your doctor is going to know the best--but again, i think that slowing down on them and takin as few as possible during your pregancy is the best thing to do but idk--thats just what i think

[want2bme]

I was in the same boat as you when I was pregnant...with my 5 baby!  The first four were perfect pregnancies and I was totally healthy..quit smoking immediatly however once I was preg with my last baby I was already addicted to Norco and was taking about 10 daily.  I was ashamed and my husband was aslo harsh on me but looking back it gave me a push to want it better.  You really do need to tapper down and try hard to get clean for the baby and your health as well.  I am blessed with a healthy baby and never did talk to my Dr about it due to the embarressment.  I wish people to talk to thier Dr about it but understand if they cant.  Try hard to cut back and use this site as a tool to help support you.  You can do it..it is very overwhelming being where you are but try hard and be determined.