I am 34 years old and we are pregnant with our first child (only about 5-6 wks. along right now). I have been prescribed hydrocodone for a couple of years (prescribed by my pain management dr.) due to chronic pain. Basically I need a knee replacement due to years and years of hard athletics...I've had 10 tough knee surgeries including one to break my leg & realign the knee joint, 2 cartiledge transplants, and bone grafting. At this point the doctors cannot do a knee replacement on me...so I have to cope by going thru pain management.
Anyway....I am prescribed and take 8 10/325 Hydrocodones a day. I just cut back from Oxycodone to Hydrocodone after finding out we were pregnant. All doctors are well aware of my situation...and that I take this medication. It's not the prime conditions...we know...but I have renal artery stenosis too and elevated BP because of the (and I take meds for the Blood Pressure because of this stenosis situation too).
So, of course we all want me taking as little of hydrocodone as I can get by with...but they also are warning that if I try to come off now, my Blood Pressure could really drastically increase....which of course could cause problems of it's own...since it's already monitored with medication.
The pain management doctor and my OB/GYN's all say that I'm probably best off taking the meds (as few as I can of course) than trying to come off them at this point...especially with the fact that I'll be having more and more stress on my knee as I get further and further along.
I've been told the baby may be born addicted and may go thru withdrawal. Here are the questions I'm hoping someone can offer me some insight on:
1) Has ANYONE out there had any experience with this (needing to take hydrocodone on a daily basis throughout pregnancy?
2) How did things turn out when you had your baby? Was your little one addicted? Any other issues?
3) How do they deal with withdrawal for a newborn?
I am SO SCARED! I don't want my baby to suffer in any way, shape, or form because of my pain. I hope no one will judge me...this knee situation is a medical condition I've been unfortunate to experience...and I'm trying my very best to cope. I don't want to be on this kind of medication and hope some day soon they can do something for me so I won't have to be. But in the meantime, I have to take the medication....and I am newly pregnant....and I want THE BEST for my baby and need so help as I have so many questions. I'm new here to Mamasource...and I pray that someone out there can offer some advice or some background on their experience in such a situation.
I thank you so much for reading about my situation and for your guidance and advice. God is good and I know he will see us thru! Thank you!!! Hope you are having a GREAT day!
Sorry, no advise or insight as I have'nt had to take
hydrocodone till after birth, but wanted to ditto what you said......God is good and will see you thru! There's a reason you got pregnant now, and you have to believe God will take care of both of you. God bless!
I don't have any advice to you give you but my gut feeling is that the doctors are probably right about you needing to take enough meds to keep you in minimal pain and keep you as active as you can be. If you are in too much pain you won't be able to get the exercise that you and the baby need. You need to be able to be comfortable enough to keep your spirits up. Try not to worry about being judged by other people; people will think what they are going to think. Let them see your joy and do what seems right to you and your doctor.
L. - this is the not the advice you are seeking, but I just heard a medical doctor talk about grape seed extract and vitamins and minerals and how they can help people with pain management.
Let me know if you want to know more about more natural thoughts instead of medications.
Good luck
D.
Most of the time hydrocodone/apap is harmless if used occasionally. Since you are on it chronically..there are risk to the baby. The first is respiratory depression..this is a big concern during labor and delivery for the baby. The other is the possiblity of the baby having withdrawal symptoms...Keep in mind the baby will also being taking 8/day for 9 months, then stopping cold turkey. I would start by talking to your OB about the situation. I would also try to cut back as much as possible, especailly close to the end of the pregnancy. But, if you need to take a pill...don't feel guilty about it. Being in a lot of pain also causes health risk to you and the baby.
L.~
I also suffered from chronic pain as a result of my pregnancy. I began taking Tylenol #3 with codeine when I was 6 months along and then the pain got so great I was forced to switch to Hydrocodone. I took as small of a dose as I could and my daughter was born extremely healthy. My doctor told me that if the risk outweighed the end result it was worth it. My girlfriend also had the same condition as me and she also was prescribed hydrocodone and she also delivered a perfectly healthy little girl who is now almost 7 years old.
There are risks on either side and to be honest it is going to end up being your personal choice. I have to admit I was wracked with guilt and extremly nervous about taking the pills but I could not function day to day without them. My personal choice was to continue taking them for the duration of my pregnancy and I do not plan on having anymore children because of this fact. Hope this helps. E.
L., Your question is a long one.
If you must be on the meds for pain, can I encourage you to get the best supplement out there for your newborn. The best protection against free radical damage.
We have the only supplement in the world that we are aware of, that is proven to be more bio-available. None. Period, end of story. If you are looking at GNC, Centrum, Pharmaceutical grades, we found that taking multi=viatmins & mineral supplements other than Melaleuca's may be destroying most of the antioxidants in the small intestines! That is before it is absorbed into the bloodstream! WoW! I have a lot of medical problems, I didn't know what was so different about their supplements when I first tried them (and trust me, I have wasted a lot of money on vistamins!). But with melaleuca's, I just knew they worked and have helped not only me but my family & friends.
I lived with pain all my life. I can completely feel for you, but if you have to be on meds for pain, than do you & your baby a favor and try our pre-natals. They are specifical designed for pregnant moms. At least your baby will receive the proper nutrition to fight off what ever your pain releivers are bringing into your body.
It's worth a shot.
I have been shopping with them for over 8 years and my pain is next to nothing. They have a Replenex that is great for joint pain. I have a friend of mine who was suppose to go in for back surgery due to a herniated disk and within a week she started feeling great again. Needless to say, she didn't need the surgery.
If you would like to know more, feel free to contact me.
Many blessings, there are things you can try,
J.
Hi,
I had a similar pain management issue during pregnancy, and after learning the facts about what this drug could do to the baby and even me, I decided to tough it out and go cold turkey...no pain meds until my c-section when I had a saddle block.
What happened to me was I fell down two flights of steps and broke my pelvis in a couple of places, right in the middle of my pregnancy. I was told that there was nothing they could do for a broken pelvis...you can't set this in a cast. The only thing they could do was give me similar drugs you have been prescribed for pain management until the scheduled c-section (couldn't deliver vaginally because of the broken pelvis).
The pain was excruciating. I had already delivered one child, and I can tell you the pain from the broken pelvis superceded the pain of childbirth!! I was bedridden for many months and when I needed to move or walk it hurt so bad I'd vomit or almost black out. I couldn't function. But I also was able to stay home during pregnancy..so while I was miserable, I didn't have to worry about going to work or other obligations.
I was very tempted to take the pain killers, but learned that while there have been no formal studies on the effects of this drug on fetuses, it has been observed that not only was there a risk the baby would be born addicted, but some theorize the baby may be more likely to acquire a lifelong predisposition toward addiction that goes beyond withdrawl and addiction at birth!
I also learned that as with any drug use during pregnancy, there was a risk of possible complications for the baby such as breathing problems immediately after delivery, and in some reports, babies born addicted have been observed as having adverse behavioral problems.
If you are going to breastfeed the baby, the effects of the drug are intensified including suppressed breathing and related complications.
This drug also has abortive properties which means it may cause miscarriage, especially if combined with aspirin, which is common in pain management, the combined use can cause bleeding and complications for both mother and child during delivery.
I know when you suffer with serious pain it's a tough call, but in the big picture there is too much at stake for your little one. Especially since even the medical industry warns that while no formal studies have been done on its effects on fetuses, the drug is indeed considered unsafe for the unborn and should only be used in extreme circumstances under careful guidance of a physician.
I decided it wasn't worth it. I truly almost lost my mind a few times, but when it came time to deliver, and the baby was born perfectly healthy and I was finally able to take something for my pain, I felt it was well worth the sacrifice. And I do it all over again knowing that it would mean a delivery with no complications, and a safe and perfectly healthy baby.
Here are some of the sources I used to present my findings about this drug and pregnancy. The sites are very long and detailed, alot to go through, if you don't find what you're looking for, I just did a general search on yahoo for "hyrocondone and effects on fetus, and hydrocondone and pregnancy" oxycondone comes up for these searches, probably because these are in the same family of drugs;
http://headaches.about.com/library/meds/bl-drug-prof-op.htm
