Withdrawl

[Xanxious212x]

Okay I'm pregnant I have been taking hydrocodone for over 5 years and I'm up to about 10/ 10mg per day I am quitting cold turkey today I am getting too far along and I don't want my baby addicted when he is born please help me I am prone to anxiety attacks and such and I'm scared to death of the withdrawals but I am doing it I'm more scared of the effect it will have on my son if I don't. I have not taken any today and so far just my normal pain is there I need someone I can talk to going through this I have no one and I honestly don't want to talk to a doctor or therapist and I don't want drugs to wean me off I want to this now today is day 1

[Pat1956100]

I totally agree with all of the posters.  You came here, asked for advice and then didn't listen to any of it.
Then you tell us that your sister in law is an RN on an obstetrics floor so she gave you different advice.  So why ask us?

I just want to tell all the other pregnant mothers who are reading this, DO NOT GO COLD TURKEY.  We have seen too many mothers lose their babies or have complications if they do.  
OB GYN's have heard it all before and almost all of them were more than happy to help a pregnant mother who was honest with them.  The one thing that is frowned upon is dishonesty.

I wish all the pregnant Moms and babies the best of luck.

[Amandag78]

Hello, as women we want to see any child born without complications.
You have been very, very lucky so far, i prey luck stays on your side for your unborn childs sake.
The advice you have been given is exceptional, loving and caring.
May god bless your child.

[Xanxious212x]

I am thankful that I have been able to do this without complications... I was given a script from my obgyn for the hydrocodone... I did get them filled however I am not taking them I am simply taking a lot of tylenol and I filled the script to ensure that my doctor knew that the hydrocodone was in the baby's system when and if the placenta or maconium are tested at birth... I took them to the police station removed the label and dropped them into the bin to discard unwanted medication so I am very proud of me

[Xanxious212x]

I don't want another pregnancy with as sick as I am and I cannot afford to put my body through another pregnancy with as terrible as this one has been... I have already informed my doctor of my decision so it shall be done... I am now 26 days clean and I'm really proud of myself I am doing this for my baby even though it's doing it against advice... But he is a very active baby the doctor keeps saying and I go weekly to have nst and bpp done at the hospital since I have been high risk through out the pregnancy due to placenta previa major and a still born back in 2008 so yes I am still continuing to do well and thank you to those who have been supportive of me :)

[Merri123]

Well I can't wait to hear all about yours on after he isborn and I am so happy you were able to quit like you did and you and your baby are doing great!!  It is not easy. You have fine well.

Believe me, we are all supporting you here. We just get concerned about others especially in the first trimester. I think a slow slow taper is much better at that time than cold turkey as the baby is so fragile at that stage. Slow and steady.

You said you are getting to get your tubes tied to take steroids. Why? I know many who take them without that measure. It is a big step. Maybe an iUD Is an option? They are safer now. Or the shots? If you are afraid of another pregnancy. The future holds so many things.

[Xanxious212x]

Therefore I have made my choice and I will stick by it yes I made the mistake of not quitting due to my lack of self control but I have regained it and no I'm not getting ahead of myself I know I still have a long road to recovery but at least I know that with my medical problems now I am not taking the chances to get pregnant again I am going to have a tubal ligation done so I can have the steroids and be healthy although it's not 100% that I will feel fine all the time it's more 50/50 but at least I won't be debilitated to the point that I cannot walk anymore

[Xanxious212x]

July 1st is my scheduled date for my c-section and I'm going to make it... However I have had actual medical issues going on with me and yes I may have been selfish to keep my secret and talk to those who will keep my confidence but I am here for support with my choices and I will offer my support to others for their choices I am not here to judge or to give advice I am here to keep myself clean for my child and yes I was told that it is better for him to withdrawl inside me by a medical professional I was told the hospital staff would not allow me to nurse if he had withdrawls which I was also told that he would be given phenobarbital to cope and that it was a natural more healthy progression for him to nurse to wean off if I could not fully stop 2 weeks before birth

[Xanxious212x]

I have my support and my sister in law is a registered nurse so I have been talking to her and she works on the obstetrics floor I am in no way a medical professional but I do feel that I have to make my decisions based on gut instinct and no I have not been stressed out over quitting I am now 8 days in and we are fine I go weekly to the labor and delivery to put the baby on monitors now and they do bi weekly growth ultrasounds to check on him so I am not trying to be irresponsible in any way

[Xanxious212x]

I wasn't going to give her advise I was going to be support for her through it if she needed it that's all

[VICourageous]

YOU have not told the DR..Shoot I missed that..Please do tell your DR for SURE!!!! Your Baby's furture should be your TOP priority right now!

[lulu747]

Yes I am agreeing with Vicki, Clean in Ks, and Nursegirl.  Vicki and nurse girl are in the medical field.  We have all been on this forum for a long time.  We have seen women lose babies that could have been happy and healthy because they went against medical and forum advice and stopped cold turkey.  It is irresponsible to advise someone who is pregnant to stop cold turkey.
Listen, I'm happy your baby is okay so far.  But this is playing with fire.  Please do not advise a woman in her first trimester to quit.  The people on this forum are VERY knowledgeable.  Abner if you are reading this PLEASE talk to your doctor before you do anything.  Taking opiates in pregnancy is common and as long as it is monitored, healthy slow tapers can be put in place and baby and mom will not suffer consequences.  Doing the opposite of this can put both of you at great risk.  Please heed our warnings.
Lu

[clean_in_ks]

While many of the things you have shared are admirable....those decisions don't just affect YOU.......they affect the life of your child and other people reading this on the forum.  And while you have made it a week and feel like you are "fine".....it is REALLY REALLY not wise to counsel another woman that is only 9 WEEKS pregnant.

Abner is NOT you.....she is in her first trimester.....and if she stops cold turkey without seeking the counsel of her OB.....and if she miscarries and loses her baby as some other women on this forum did in their first trimester.....you will have that to live with.

While this is not a medical forum....it IS a place where people share their experiences with opiates while pregnant.

Just because you have chosen to go against all the advise give to you and have not had any contractions or negative consequences yet.....you truly should NOT be advising Abner as to what she should do based upon what you chose to do.  

[Xanxious212x]

I am now on day 7 and I am feeling better about being me today I don't feel so anxious about doing normal things and yes I decided cold turkey was best for me against advice because I know my circumstance and how the outcomes will effect me I came on here for support and yes I found it most in here are willing to support me for doing the right thing and that's quitting ASAP but some are afraid of me doing it wrong I did a short short taper but that's because I made my mind up that I will not be controlled by pain or by medicine and yes the pain is unbearable but I'm going to my doctor today and vitamins melatonin and tylenol have recently become my best friends. It is nice to have that one person I can be completely honest with which is my absolute best friend in this world and she has helped me through a lot of obstacles and Abner I will give you my phone number if you need someone you can spill to when you're alone and feeling week and yes I am still telling myself no out loud most just ask me what I said but I don't bother repeating it wasn't for them and yes I understood the risk of going cold turkey but I refuse to risk my son having withdrawls over going through withdrawls inside me at least there he will still get what he needs and able to thrive better than if he were completely dependent on his own body to work it for him that and I did do the short taper very short but that was for my own mindset to help myself better understand that I am making a life changing decision to never again depend on prescription medication to do everyday things and instead of focusing on how I felt I stayed busy whether it was walking or doing dishes yes it's finally been a week!! And yes I am proud of that! I have not gone a week without them ever and here I am! Still not sleeping great but I don't try to focus on sleep I will get up and occupy my time until I can fall back asleep and it helps to not stress out over not sleeping I am okay he is okay and we are going to get through this

[nursegirl6572]

I second what vicki said 100%.  You should not be stopping cold turkey.  PLEASE talk to your OB!

[vicki595]

I really disagree with stopping cold turkey. It's dangerous and could cause a miscarriage. Even tapering should be done slowly and only under the guidance of an obstetrician.    Please do the right thing and speak to your doctor about this.

The OP decided to go cold turkey but it was not advised by forum members.

[Abner5877]

THANK YOU so much for responding, I have posted on other boards and no one ever responds.  I am cutting myself off, tomorrow, I took Friday off of work, my boyfriend doesn't know a thing, we went through a really hard time end of last year (after I had quit pills for a while) and while he was out of the house I started again.  I am lucky in one sense, that if I feel bad, I can chalk it up to my first trimester.  I am 9 weeks, almost 10, I am just praying I dont miscarry.  In the past I had used Kratom the first 3 days to get through adn then stopped, but everything I have read said not to use that.  It helped me so much I am dreading doing it without.  I guess it is the "unknown" that they are unsure of.  I really really appreciate reading your journey. I am not a religious person but keep praying that I make it through and my baby does too.  I am just so so angry at myself for letting myself get this far once again.  I hope if I take my last tomorrow, get through work, and day one on Friday that by Sunday I will feel alright because we are having our families over to tell everyone about the baby.  I am just feeling like a mess.  But I told my friend not to answer my calls anymore, and I know he will.  That was the big step for me.  

[VICourageous]

WOW! Girl I just read your post from the start until now..YOU have come SO far and that I am SO proud of..It does get better, but always keep that Guard Up..Life can for sure have it's ups and downs, but WE are not going to let it get to us RIGHT??
Wishing you all the Best for You & the New Baby..Yahooooo!!! We just Love our MH Baby's..Keep on Peddling that Bike forward and not backwards.

PS..As long as I have been on here, I have never read anybody describing it as Peddling Backwards..I just Love it!!!

Bless

[Xanxious212x]

I find that since I have stopped worrying about pills I can and have become excited so excited about giving birth to my son I go for an ultrasound and blood work up again on Thursday and I have to say that the stress if doing routine visits to my doc no longer exists

[Xanxious212x]

There have been nights I couldn't sleep and I contracted my best friend since birth to be my go to girl so if I felt like caving I would call her in the middle of the night and cry it out with her on the phone... When the pain gets at it's worse I talk to my boyfriend... Sometimes he is no help he tells me just one won't hurt and I get so angry with him for saying that because that is the excuse I was giving myself for so long but face it one turns into 3 or 4 then 5 or 6 and so on I would suggest cold turkey to everyone because right now I am feeling better than I have normally and I take my vitamins now daily I take melatonin on restless nights I drink lots if water and I even pay closer attention to my children

[Xanxious212x]

My biggest fear was the anxiety attacks that came when I quit my heart rate would jump to 140 bpm and my blood pressure would go sky high but I have learned how to cope for now... My actual pain is debilitating right now I can't walk on my left leg it feels like someone is cutting it off I have severe fybromyalgia however I too was taking more than prescribed and even kept taking them when the doctor changed my scripts

[Xanxious212x]

My baby is fine he is making normal movements daily I am proud of myself for actually holding to my conviction this time it's not easy by far when I am alone like right now and I start thinking about it I get on here and I read or I write on this... Everyone said it couldn't be done but guess what? It's being done :)

[Xanxious212x]

Well I am now on day 6 and I'm okay the key is to keep yourself busy and when I think about taking one or even think about how to get one I say no out loud people are starting to think I am crazy but the physical effects of it have subsided and Abner please quit by 20 weeks you can do it!! The sooner the better I just wish I had found this forum before now and could have realized I had a problem before now

[keith600]

Your parents shouldn't be an issue,this is about you and your baby and hopefully your Dr. Of course I don't know your parents but maybe you"ll be suprised by their reaction. Being truthfull can be very hard when it comes to something like this but however it turns out its done and over, keeping it a secret can last a lifetime and absolutely impair your recovery. Like they say "you cant save face and your azz". Stick around, it could be the best move you make right now.

[Abner5877]

How are you doing so far?  I am so glad I found this group.  I just found out I am 9 weeks pregnant, and was using Norco 10/325 more than prescribed, and I have a few left and trying to stretch them out so I can minimize withdrawl, but I have a feeling its not going to help much.  I am so upset and worried that something horrible will happen to my baby that it will be born with defects or something worse.  Is anyone still checking this?  I would love to have people to chat with, I plan on making these last few go over the next few days so hopefully I can make it through Mother's Day, then be done.  But I am scared to death.  I am so glad that you are having luck going cold turkey!  Good for you!!!