Doctors are terrified of methadone and prescribing it, and normally associate it only with addiction, therefore with pre-conceived judgment. The truth is it's one of the safest pain medications a pregnant woman can be on, with data begin reported since the 1950's. Even pain management doctors would rather prescribe proven-addictive amounts of oxy-and-roxy and hydro-codones in the 80-120 mg range, or 6 pills a day at lower doses, instead of one pill every 24 hours in the 10-40 mg range. 40 being, by the way, an extraordinarily high dose for someone without an addiction problem.
Intense pain, acute or chronic, cause stress and, well, intense pain, which increase miscarriages and fetal complications. A doctor allowing someone to suffer mentally or physically violates their Hippocratic Oath.
If you would like to know the truth about the safety of methadone, and pain management, especially if you are facing a life-long pain problem, contact a methadone clinic. You don't have to go there, but they have plenty of documentation, and often a pre-made pregnancy folder/pamphlet, plus information for other health care providers. For the one nearest you, contact samhsa.org. They are much more well informed on the safety of use during pregnancy, and do not have pre-conceived judgments regarding pain control, it's potential ramifications, and the pregnant patient. And their patients are at dosages usually 8-12x the dosage prescribed for pain management (or what any doctor would tell you is safe for you or a baby.) If a pregnant woman on methadone maintenance can have a healthy birth and a baby who doesn't suffer withdrawals at 120mg a day, why on earth would a pregnant woman with a pain condition taking 10mg 2xday expect any problems?
By the way, phenergan, which they prescribe during pregnancy for nausea, usually without you even asking for it, is a category C medicine. I think that's proof doctor's are terrified of understanding and controlling pain properly in a pregnant woman if the medicines have the same risk.
I wish you all the best. Please utilize the internet as the tool it is, and inform yourself. You deserve it, and well as your future baby(ies). I know mine hiding in there at 6 weeks does.
I am so glad to see this site. We are currently trying to get pregnant and have almost all the same questions that all of you do. I was given tylox while pregnant with my first and it just barely helped. The pain for me is so bad I can barely move at times. I have been told that percocet is okay.
I have a very similar scenario...had my son Jan 2006...the entire pregnancy I was on 10mg percocet, 3 * a day. He was born a few weeks early via c-section because he herniated 3 discs while I was pregnant and I couldn't go through a vaginal delivery and risk him pushing out the discs further....
I am now pregnant again, about 8 weeks...I am on 7.5 mg percocet * 4 times a day. I am also on Lyrica, 2 times a day for nerve pain.
My son did not have too much of a withdrawal symptom, because the c-section was scheduled, so for the last few days, I limited my percocet intake...so it wouldnt be as bad for him when he was born. He did sneeze alot and was a little irritable, but other than that, you wouldnt be able to tell. My doctor also worked with me...he said that if my son had too much of a withdrawal symptom(s), they can gradually wean the child off the drug as well...they simply give the baby a LITTLE bit of percocet, to wean him. There is a special log they keep and they watch the baby and they symptoms when they are born.
Both your pain management doctor and your OB should be working together to make you comfortable during your pregnancy. I agree that too much of the medication can cause more of a withdrawal and make the baby extremely symptomatic when born, but there has to be a way to make you comfortable.
What about trigger point injections? have you had them? they worked incredibly for me when I was having alot of pain, and because the needles arent guided by x-ray, but simply where you tell your pain mngt doctor where the pain is...
Hopefully, they can find something to work for you. Lyrica and trigger point injections, with percocet as my regular medication worked incredibly for me, and I was having a tremendous amount of pain with my son.
Good Luck!
I am 27 years old and was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia about two years ago. For those of you who do not know what that is, it is a widespread, chronic pain condition, for which there is no cure and medical professionals aren't really sure what causes it. I am currently on several different medications to lessen the levels of pain in my body. These medications include, oxycontin, percocet, and Lyrica.
My husband I would like to get pregnant and have been trying off and on for the last two years, to no avail. We want more than anything to have a child.
I have done research on taking these meds while pregnant but the reviews are mixed. I would like to know if there is anyone out there, who has FMS and has been on these medications or similar type medications and has gotten pregnant. I would like to know what, if any, meds you can take while pregnant. I do not want to harm my baby if I were to get pregnant but am also concerned that if I am in a tremendous amount of pain that I will be bedridden for 9 months and crying all day. The pain is just too much to deal with.
I did do some research on FMS and pregnancy and here is what I have found from the studies that have been done:
-Studies show that with female, pregnant FMS patients, the FMS symptoms/pain levels increase drastically while pregnant, especially during the third trimester.
-FMS also makes breast feeding more difficult as there is an increased amount of pain in the woman's body.
-There is also a greater chance and increased cases of women with FMS having postpartum depression after their pregnancy.
-The pain levels for the FMS after pregnancy continue to be greatly increased until about three months after the baby is born.
If anyone has any information that might be helpful to me and has experienced what I have written above, please post a response and let me know. There is not much information or studies on pregnancy, FMS, and the types of medications that can be used while you are pregnant. I am also very concerned because someone mentioned in another post that a mother with chronic pain who continued to take these meds while pregnant, had her baby taken from her after the baby was born because doctor's tested the baby for the medications mentioned above and showed the baby was positive for them.
I appreciate any information anyone has to offer that might be helpful for me.
Thank You!
i was able to take tylenol w/codeine (3) when i was preg...good luck
I'm a 22 yo female and I have been suffering with severe hip/leg/lower lumbar pain since I fell down our porch steps while I was pregnant with my daughter a year ago and the only thing my doc could do was send me to a chiropracter(which makes it worse) and put me on soma's that made me way too sleepy to care for my child, I had to stop taking it all together. I'm pregnant again and I just know that the pain is only going to get worse....what should I do? I don't want to sound like a narcotics addict (due to my age) if I ask a doc for it, I just need some relief....Any suggestions? Thank You In Advance!!