Pregnant and addicted to snorting dilaudid

[GirlyPete]

Hi, i am a well educated mother of 2 boys.  I am a well respected social worker with a huge secret! I was prescribed every pain med u can think of over the last 5 years.  I have been waiting for back surgery because of degenerative disc disease, with bulging and collapsed discs in my lower back.  Extremely painful. My husband does not believe In the use of pain meds therefore I have kept it a secret since the beginning.  The big problem is that I just found out I am 8 weeks pregnant. Have been to my doctor, he wants me to be off the hydromorph contin (18 mg 3 times a day) I believe it's the same as dilaudid in Canada.  He wants me to wean so I am completely off at least 2 months before baby is to arrive.  My biggest concern is the damage I may have already caused? I understand that I am going to be somewhat sick from withdrawal coming off but I will do anything I possible can for my unborn baby! If I completely quit all pain meds by 10 weeks will baby be okay?? I really don't need judgement, my husband and I were trying for over 7 yrs to become pregnant so I had finally accepted that I was unable to have any more and was already blessed with my 2 boys! It was definitely a surprise! Like I had mentioned I am a well educated woman with a good job, I am not some broke welfare mom who is an addict.. Yes, I am the first to admit I am an addict! But addicts don't always mean the same!  If your purpose is to write to make me feel bad, don't bother! I mostly want and need support and would love to hear from anyone who has also been through this! Thanks so much, from one caring mother to another..I'm not a very religious person, but will accept and use all the pray I can get! Thanks!

[Krissy_123]

Hey girlypete. Congrats on the birth of your son and for letting us know. Are you clean now??

[GirlyPete]

Hi- this is 'GirlyPete', the lady who wrote the original message ;) My son is now over a year old and I am so happy to report also very healthy.  The first thing I would like to say is that I apologize for my choice of very Poor words in my original messages. This seems to upset a number of people and I understand why. My intention with the statement I wrote about not being a 'poor welfare mom' was to say that I am not what often 'society' deems to be the addicted mother. I by no means tried to demean the mother who happens to need assistance from the gov't or try to say I was better than those people. I was trying to say that addiction can happen to absolutely anyone, no matter what their social status is, no matter what their background or education is. Addiction happens to  Everyone & not just the 'poor welfare mom'- I think majority of society has the belief that this is who is typically an addict and as we know that is just not at all the case. This was the point I was in fact trying to make. I think many people are very uneducated when it comes to understanding addictions. I thought it was Important that I try to redeem myself and apologize to anyone I may have offended as it was most definitely not my intention. My best friend since childhood who is the coolest, smartest, best person I know is at the moment receiving assistance after losing her job and husband and needing some extra support at this time.. No one should feel any shame if this is a position they may find themselves in.. I never intended to give off the idea that I thought I was in anyway better. I will press send and my next post will focus on the birth of my son. From the reaction of others (including nurses, family members and of upmost importance to me-my husband who I had kept in the dark for all this time that I had a decade long addiction issue) ,to watching my newborn baby go through a difficult time at only a few hours old because of severe withdrawal, and the shame and guilt that goes along with being  an addict and a mother.

[MaKailynsmama]

Hey, i was addicted to opiates when i found out i was pregnant, and you most definitely should follow what your dr has told you. Although when i found out i was pregnant i called my local health dept and they reffered me to another dr that would give me another drug called subutex so that niether myself or the baby would not go through any withdrawls. My ob and subutex dr both told me that especially in the beginning of pregnancy you need to be so careful that niether you or baby have ANY withdrawal symptoms because if you feel ANY withdrawal symptoms, baby feels them double what you feel, and have a like 80 something % chance that you could have a miscarriage if you detox off undirected. So make sure you are careful and only do what your dr tells you is safe and nothing more or nothing faster because you would be putting yourself and baby in a unsafe situation. I know being on the subutex has helped a lot, and i didnt go through any withdrawal when i switched over. Good luck!! And congratulations!  :)

[littlegirlinbigworld]

I agree with all the post above to please follow the instructions from your doctor. Pregnant women are prescribed pain medication during their pregnancy so your baby should be fine.

I am also a professional, single mother of 2 who happens to be an addict. You are asking to not be judged so please give all others the same respect as you are judging the "drug addicted welfare mom". We all share the same common bond - addiction. You never know, the one person who could give you the best advise could be the one that you are judging!  Everyone on this forum is caring, nurturing, honest and compassionate and we are all from different walks of life!  Sending prayers your way!  Congratulations on your pregnancy!

[vicki595]

Hi there- I agree with everyone; follow the taper plan outlined by the doctor. Don't alter it in any way. If you begin to have uncomfortable wd's, speak with your doctor right away. A slow taper should diminish wd's greatly...don't stop cold turkey. It's dangerous...

Please don't worry. There is no judgement here; the folks here will treat and respect you just as much as they would a poor, addicted Mom.

[ActingBrandNew]

Hello...conratulations on getting pregnant! Thats great news. Ive been addicted to many things over the years and at one time was snorting Dilaudid like you. I tried to quit cold turkey and found myself in some serious withdrawals....so I had to taper and it worked successfully. Your situation is different than mine though because you are pregnant. Nursegirl is right in all aspects of her post. You need to be honest and formulate a plan with your doc and I strongly recommend following her advice about recovery and aftercare...etc. You can do it and I wish you the best.

One more thing...and this isnt criticism so please dont take it that way...but one big step in recovery is not tryng to separate yourself from other addicts. What I mean is when you say:

"Like I had mentioned I am a well educated woman with a good job, I am not some broke welfare mom who is an addict.."

It doesnt matter what you do for a living or the fact that your not broke....you got addicted just the same as that "broke welfare mom" you talk about. A key to recovery is being HUMBLE. And keep in mind...many broke welfare moms started with great careers but ended up in that position because they couldnt stop using drugs.

I really wish you the best in your recovery and pray that your baby is born strong and healthy.

[Ben727]

To answer the question you asked: You should talk to a medical professional about any potential affects of using hydromorphone on an unborn baby. Using deductive reasoning and the information you provided, my guess that there will be no developmental affect (or else he would want you off it immediately) if you taper off it successfully.

I feel compelled to note that I've know a few single moms that require government assistance and who also happen to battle addiction. One of them is one of the finest people I've ever known.

[nursegirl6572]

I agree with sarah completely.  The important thing right now is that you're honest with your doctor.  Don't minimize your use to him, IF you're taking more than he thinks you are.  It's very important that he knows the whole truth.  Stay close to your doctor, and if w/d symptoms are getting worse, you need to let him know right away.  Dilaudid is one of the most powerful opiates, so it's important that you do a taper that will cause as minimal w/ds as possible.

Also, I strongly encourage you to start seeking some help for the addiction.  STAYING clean is much harder than GETTING clean, and with a new baby and the stress it brings, there will be a higher risk for relapse.

You need to learn how to identify triggers, learn how to recognize when you're in early stages of relapse, and then of course, learn how to handle it.  Relapse starts LONG before you have a pill in your hand.  

It will no doubt be a little weird to seek professional help considering your profession, but you have to stay open minded, and transition into the patient role, verus the caregiver.  Aftercare is so important, and on top of any private therapy you could do, with someone experienced in treating addiction, you should look into NA/AA meetings as well.  You can never do too much, but you can definitely NOT do enough.

Lastly, one of the very first things you should do is start taking the medication orally, like it is prescribed.  The snorting in and of itself is an addict behavior, so even just changing THAT will be a big step toward getting your recovery started.

VERY best to you, congrats on the baby!  I know this is stressful, but things should be just fine if you keep in close contact with your doctor.  The medication itself isn't harmful to the fetus, in the way you're worried about, the risk with an opiate during pregnancy is the w/ds after delivery, which will not be an issue after you've tapered off.  So, in that regard, you can rest easy.

Keep in touch!

[dominosarah]

You need to follow your doctors tapering plan as the baby feels what you feel.  Doing it to fast or cold turkey can cause premature labor.  Let the doctor help you thru this.  You are one step ahead already by the doctor knowing about your pill addiction.

Addiction doesnt care who it gets it's hands on.  It affects all walks of life.  Hopefully at some point you will be able to tell your secret to your husband.