Ultram and Pregnancy

[gracej]

I have been taking 200 mg of  Ultram for 6 months for herniated discs and leg pain. I was under the impression that they were a non-narcotic pain reliever and weren't addictive.  However, I found out I'm pregnant last week so I discontinued the medication.  This caused me to experience severe withdrawal symptoms along with the back pain.  I was concerned the withdrawal would cause a miscarriage so I continued to take them at half the usual dose.  Because of the pregnancy, I have several concerns.  Will the Ultram harm the fetus?  Will the withdrawal from Ultram harm the fetus?  I don't understand why this is labeled as a non-addictive drug when it obviously is.  How can I successfully wean myself off without experiencing withdrawal symptoms and jeopardizing my pregnancy?  I have my first OB appointment in 2 weeks, but I don't want to wait that long to get off the Ultram if it is causing harm.

[gracej]

Thank you for taking the time to respond!

[jade_and_janessas_mommy]

I looked Ultram up and it says it is a pregnancy category C.  That means the medicine could be harmful to your baby.  But, I have some past experience with pain medication and pregnancy, so I will tell you what my doctor told me.  Withdrawl is the absolute worst for your baby at the moment.  I would get with your doctor and they can probably give you a monitored dose of your medication, or switch you to a different medicaiton that will still treat your pain but not harm the baby.  It is possible to have a successful pregnancy while taking medication, but it needs to be carefully supervised by your doctor.

On another note, I know that Ultram is supposed to be non narcotic and you would think therefore non addictive, but I used to know a girl that lost her house, her car, and eventually her two children because she was spending all her money buying Ultram from people illegally.  She was absolutely addicted to it.  I guess you can become addicted to just about anything.