Newborn Percocet Withdrawals

[aw513]

How long would a newborn have needed to be exposed to percocet during a pregnancy to cause withdrawals after birth? I have a family member who swears up and down she only took the small amount that was prescribed to her for back pain in the last few weeks of her pregnancy. There has been a lot of suspicion about what was really going on with her throughout the pregnancy and she was known to take opiods before getting pregnant. Now the baby has been born and is experiencing withdrawals. They are keeping him in the hospital for an estimated 2-3 weeks while they medicate him with morphine to help him through and ween him off safely.

[martikadragoon]

To be honest, I was on Oxycodone during my last pregnancy for severe back pain. Treated by pain management and they worked closely with my OBGYN. The last 8 weeks or so of my pregnancy they lowered my doseage to about 30-40mg a day I believe.....I got lucky though.
My son did not have withdrawals.

BUT~~BABIES CAN HAVE WITHDRAWALS IF THE MOTHER TAKES ANY AMT OF OPIATE PAIN MEDICATION REGULARLY THROUGHOUT THEIR PREGNANCY ESPECIALLY THEIR THIRD TRIMESTER. by regularly I mean every day or so..not just every few days.

There is no way to know for sure if a baby will be sensative to even small doses of opiates.

[alaysha]

Oh my gosh. That is HORRIBLE! I don't get why people take them especially during pregnancy. My husband got his ankle ripped off in a dirt bike accident 2 years ago and had to have massive survey to reattach it and now 2 years later he is prescribed oxycontin 30's for the pain and they make him so sick he barely ever even takes them. He as an adult gets horrible side effects from them. I can't even imagine a baby.

[aw513]

The truth finally came out she was taking 30mg tabs of oxycontin, not sure how frequently but, for pretty much the entire pregnancy.  

[aw513]

The baby is obviously having withdrawals, body tremors and what not. They are trying to keep him comfortable with morphine and VERY slowly weening him off of that. Aside from the withdrawals he is not breathing correctly when eating, his heart rate will drop and he will hold his breath. It is important to keep him alert and awake during feedings. He was born May 9th and is expected to be in the hospital another 2-3 weeks.

[bayybeecakes]

With my first child (i was 16) my doc. gave me a script for darvocet and loratab 10 i had major headaches and was taking one each every 4 hours like he suggested. My son never had any with drawl symptoms. so she would have to have been taking way more than what most would consider "a little bit"

[babynoises]

It's possible if Percocet is taken during the end of a pregnancy - oxycodone is a narcotic, and using this drug during the end of a pregnancy may cause narcotic withdrawal symptoms in the infant after delivery. Such symptoms may include:


    Irritability and excessive crying
    Shakiness (tremors)
    Hyperactive reflexes
    Fast breathing
    Increased stools
    Sneezing
    Yawning
    Vomiting
    Fever.
    

However, pregnancy Category C medicines, including Percocet, may be given to a pregnant woman if her healthcare provider believes that the benefits to the woman outweigh any possible risks to the unborn child.

_________________

[alaysha]

can you tell me all that is wrong with the baby? The girl I know is due to give birth in a month and I am super concerned about her baby. Other than the baby having withdrawals are there any other problems?

[aw513]

Thank you for your input! Her story wasn't adding up, this helps to confirm my suspicions.

[alaysha]

I know a girl that took at least 30 mg of percocet (oxycontin) a day during her pregnancy (probably more) and her doctor said to expect the baby to be in the nicu for at least 2-3 weeks after birth.

[LosingMyMindInGA]

I agree it would have to an amount substantial enough to be considered "abusing" the drug.  I took percocet and vicodin during a couple of my pregnancies but it truly was on an as-need basis and my babies never had any issues!

[bebe2011]

To just take a "small amount" would not cause the baby to withdraw, she would have to been using large amount through out the whole pregnancy.