Answers ASAP on Addiction while pregnant!!

[ashalina]

Hey everyone If someone could PLEASE help me with the questions I have! So I am about 23 weeks pregnant now and I have an addiction to percocets, It started when I got in2 an accident and I was prescribed them, when I was done with the script, I had gotten more from friends, street etc, and took long enough to actually see how i was without it. I didnt mean to get addicted and I wish so much that I never would have =( Now I didnt find out I was pregnant till the begging of my 2nd trimester and I told my obgyn as soon as I had my 1st appt with him. At that time I had heard from friends 2 wien myself off my taking suboxene , so thats what I did, I bought those of the street and was told how 2 do it by somebody who has actually been 2 a rehap b4 so i figured it would def have helped me, but when i finally got off the suboxene and weined myself off about 2 weeks later, I still felt like wen they wore off I was feeling just miserable & body was achin n withdrawls were back , so i gave in again! My doctor in the meantime knew  everything because i was completely honest w him and he had made me an appt with a psychiatrist or therapist? one of those, well i waited 2weeks 4 the appt and waited 2 hrs in the waiting room, 2 get there to have the lady tell me she doesn't even see or treat preggo women!! All I could do is cry! I tried 2 explain to her bout the suboxen n she was just saying there was nothing she could do! So i got some numbers for the methadone clinic and other places that help ppl who r addicted but yet again noone will help a pregnant women, So I told my doctor and he was still trying 2 figure out what 2 do. In the meantime he still knows what I am going through. Not to mention I do not get a script so I have 2 constantly get the percocets and be in the fear of knowing Idk what could happen to my baby, this baby is going to be my world and all I want is to be off and have a health baby!  At this point I feel like i am lost and stuck I feel like I have no options??? Can somebody please give me any advice or any information that they know of ! I am so scared !! Thank You so much!!!

[sudie58]

its very quiet on here at the weekends, you will get more answers and advice soon,so are you just taking the percocets? why does suboxone come into it?, or a methadone clinic, ? thats going on even stronger meds.and sub should only be taken under a drs. supervision, stay calm and help will come.

[Melissaa2tx4]

All I can say is GOOD for you. You are on your way by asking for help. Please stop, let your OBGYN find another source for you. Does your home town have a health center or WIC office? Treatment center? You you could always call DCFS and ask, you don't have to tell how you are. Did you know that under law Dr. are required to notify social services of things like this? Wanted to give you the heads up. It would be a way of getting help? If you do what is required, they won't take the baby. In the mean time ,remember everything you take goes to the baby through your blood. I wish you luck and hope you have a healthy baby.

[GMcp]

wow first off you really should have stoped all together when you found out, i was a heroin addict when i found out i was pregnant with my first i was 8 weeks in to my pregnancy, i was in the worst shock of my life, my doctor told me to wean off and i said no way i quit! my ex hubby and me decided to go pick up one last time, we waited at the bus stop for that bus to get to hastings where we met our guys, and the bus came, mike got up and on the bus i couldnt even get off the bench i looked at him and shook my head, he got off the bus i broke down in tears begging him to not go, we didnt go, i couldnt hurt my baby, i have never used heroin since and never will, but you are further into it so idk, i had 3 friends after i found out that i was pregnant that were also pregnant 2 got clean with me, and had a healthy baby but started using after it was born and my one good friend didn quit, she spent the last month of her pregnancy in the hospital, her boy friend would bring her the dope every day and she gave birth to a very sick very unhealthy little baby and that baby was taken from her, and she didnt care and now shes dead, you have to do it for you and that poor baby, i was addicted for years very heavily and quit cold turkey just like that! and i had a healthy baby girl beautiful, nothing is or was wrong with her she is almost 8 and she saved my life, thought ill never tell her that but it is the truth, i am currently getting clean again off oxy's wich is the same withdrawal and is hard but you have to do it you have no choice you will be so lost when that baby's blood test is done and takin form you please please stop for you and that lovey baby

[GMcp]

i dont want you to think im judging you i know it sounds like that, that is not my intention at all, just trying to give you hope to quit and let you know there will be bad consequences if you dont and that it is doable! you can do it, please im not hating on you at all, its so good you came here and wrote this :) so please take my words with all the respect and hope they were intended to be for <3

[tgtiffany]

I think that you should stop immediately!  The previous posts are well said.  They could take your baby away from you if you continue to harm him/her while knowing that you are pregnant!  I know that you can do this!  You just have to do it and don't turn back, delete all the contacts you know for getting pills and don't go looking.  I know it's so much harder said than done, but it will be worth it when you're laying in the hospital holding your baby and knowing that he/she is healthy!!!  If you couldn't find a reason to quit before, this is your reason!  I know that you have been looking for help elsewhere and that is good, but don't wait for someone else.  You can do it!!!!!  Just keep telling yourself that.  Repeat to yourself over and over that you can stop taking them, that you don't need them and that they don't control you.  Good luck and keep us updated, this is a great site for support and to keep you going in the right direction :)

[carson1975]

Hello there I'm very sorry for what u r going though I'm glad u have a dr on your side u need to listen to him! I think stopping ct can be dangerous when your pregnant so maybe u should want to get more info on that ! Remember you are not a bad person at all your trying to get help, it takes lots of guts to tell your dr ! I know u want the best for your baby good luck to u and god bless u

[ashalina]

Yes I'm just taking the percocets, not suboxens or anything else. I did try the subs and my doctor knew and everything & it was actually weird to me because he said going through the withdrawals and quitting cold turkey is worse for the baby and is very dangerous. Subs are basically what they give u for withdrawal and to ween u off, just like methadone but I did not want 2 be on methadone at all , they have this one clinic that treats pregnant ppl but they put u on methadone & I just cant see putting me on something else?? I feel like its all just substituting one for another & thats NOT what i want, although I kno the doctors im sure know best, its just a personal feeling. & yes I do know everything that they do and i absolutly do not want my babygirl taken from me, which is why from day 1 i have been trying to get help but it seems I have no options!!? I cant seem to understand why its so hard to find help when your pregnant, I would think that would be more important, and that's the same thing my doctor said, he didn't understand why the appt I had for the therapist wouldn't see me or help just bcus i was pregnant. I am so honest with my doctor he really is a great doctor, He knows I am not a bad person at all, I am stable,  &  I just want the best for my baby! I am not only so excited for her to be here I just want to get the right help asap!
- As for quitting cold turkey, I mean that's good for u more power 2 u but I honestly have tried and it hasn't worked out for me, not only that but my doctor actually told me he does not want me 2 quit cold turkey, when I was actually off everything I had told him and he was like telling me that wasn't good, which I didn't see why that was bad?? Everything is just very messed up right now, I mean I just want and need the right help!!

I appreciate everyone's input and I thank u all for giving me the advice - I really appreciate it, im just hoping that the right help will come along !! I love my life and my family, this is the ONLY thing holding me back !! ;[

[Ashelen]

whatever you do, do not stop cold turkey it IS dangerous. it can cause fetal seizures or miscarriage....so definitely stick with your doctor's advice.

I had to take pain meds during both of my pregnancies, but I did it with scripts from my OBs and without any sort of an issue...honesty is always your best policy with pregnancy., just be open with your OB and let them help you...do whatever they tell you to do...and you and baby should be just fine.

good luck hon

[tgtiffany]

How many are you taking a day?  I don't remember you mentioning that in the beginning.  If it's crazy a lot I would at least try to taper down to a safe prescribed amount while your still pregnant.  Like Ashelen said, there are lots of people who have to take pain meds through their pregnancy and everything comes out fine.  And there are some who do and things don't come out fine, but who knows if it's because of the pills.  I have never taken anything like that while I was pregnant with my son and he has ptosis of his left eyelid (he can't open it all the way).  Just the way God made my handsome little boy :)  But at least at a safe dosage you know it's less likely something will happen.  And if you're already on a low enough dosage perhaps you'll be able to taper down enough to quit before the baby.  You know what you want to do, and you don't seem to be hesitating whatsoever, that's rare and wonderful :)   You will be fine :)

[Iwant2Bclean]

I can't believe a medical professional would sit back and continue to let a pregnant woman self medicate with any drug especially narcotics. The reason you might not be able to find a place that will treat you is due to how far along you are and the risk of harm to your child that could be viable outside of the womb. The place I did my Suboxone therapy would not take anybody that was in the 2nd trimester. 4 years ago I  found out I was 12 days pregnant and I quit cold turkey without any withdraws. I had a normal pregnancy, delivered a beautiful baby boy at 38 weeks.I did have a very hard delivery and my son got stuck for 3 hrs and the Dr didn't do anything to get him out sooner, but up to that point everything was normal.  He was 18 months old when he was finally diagnosed with having Cerebral Palsy. I have to live with the guilt of not knowing whether quitting cold turkey or the drug use for the 12 days of my pregnancy was the cause of it or was it the Dr's mistake during delivery. Something can always go wrong during a pregnancy or delivery whether you use drugs or not, but knowing that drug use could be the cause of something my child is gonna have to live with and battle for the rest of his life is a guilt I wouldn't wish upon any mother. If you can't find anybody that is willing to help you the best thing you can do for you and your child is to be on the lowest dose you can possibly take. I wish you all the best and hope that if you don't quit completely you are at least on a small small dose when you give birth. There is no way to avoid withdraws for you or the baby but if you are using at the time of birth the Dr's can help the baby detox as safe as possible.
Best Wishes
Krissy

[vicki595]

I think your best bet here is to stay with your OB and have him/her support you through this. It's actually much safer to stay on a small amount than to taper or abruptly withdraw.
Talk it over with him. He's all you've got. Also,Suboxone is a very powerful opiate. That's why it helps withdrawl so much.

Be assured,if your OB knows everything,there's no way anyone is going to take your baby. It's when you don't tell the truth that the problems arise. Give the doctor a call today and talk this through.

How many are you currently taking?

[GMcp]

if you are not going to quit ct and you are not trying to taper or save your babys life that could be y no ones helping you....just a thought

here where im from if you are pregnant while addicted to this ****, they hospitalize you as long as needed !

your baby is not going to be ok

[vicki595]

GM--   The standard of care may be different in Canada,I don't know. But,the fact is: it's dangerous to the fetus for the mother to abruptly stop. She can taper but she needs to do it under a doctor's care,we cannot tell her how to do that.  Many times,doctors will keep
a woman on low dose opiates because it keeps her body stable. Once she begins withdrawl,even from a taper,it stresses the fetus and that fetus feels everything and may go into shock.

You have no way of knowing whether that fetus is going to be okay or not. Come on now...

[GMcp]

ya your right im sorry

[Mom4Peace]

Hello, and sorry to hear about your predicament. From what I have experienced working on a maternity unit, you will definitely have a situation dealing with social workers and your addiction will complicate you getting custody while still addicted. Being honest here.
What do you think the drugs are doing to your fetus? Being realistic here.
You cannot stop taking a drug abruptly. You need to start detoxing at a HOSPITAL where they can monitor the fetal heart.
Listen up....my cousin was addicted to methadone back in '76 and had to stay in the hospital and start detoxing for a month or more before the baby was born. The baby still went through withdrawal after birth, but with less drugs in her mother's system.
You need to bebopen and honest if you want to have a live birth and survive.

[Mom4Peace]

Hi GMcp
Thank you for sharing your experiences with addiction. Addiction definitely affects the fetus in utero and out of utero.
Have you read the laws concerning addiction and pregnancy?  
What does the law say?
Currently there is only one state, South Carolina, that holds prenatal substance abuse as a criminal act of child abuse and neglect. Other states have laws that address prenatal substance abuse:

Iowa, Minnesota, and North Dakota's health care providers are required to test for and report prenatal drug exposure. Virginia health care providers are only required to test.
Arizona, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Utah, and Rhode Island's health care providers are required to report prenatal drug exposure. Reporting and testing can be evidence used in child welfare proceedings.
Some states consider prenatal substance abuse as part of their child welfare laws. Therefore prenatal drug exposure can provide grounds for terminating parental rights because of child abuse or neglect. These states include: Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Some states have policies that enforce admission to an inpatient treatment program for pregnant women who use drugs. These states include: Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
In 2004, Texas made it a felony to smoke marijuana while pregnant, resulting in a prison sentence of 2-20 years.
How can I get help?
You can get help from counseling, support groups, and treatment programs. Popular groups include the 12 step program. Numbers that can help you locate a treatment center include:

National Drug Help Hotline [phone]
National Alcohol and Drug Dependence Hopeline 1-800-622-2255

[ashalina]

Oviously I do want to get help and do want to stop which is the reason I posted this in the first place. Being that its also so dangerous to just stop cold turkey, & being its dangerous to be on them in the first place - this is all the reason why I am trying to get help, Ive told my doctor everything,& as of now I am trying to get advice as to what options I have??? How do I get off, where can I go? Like is my ob supposed 2 handle it? Because if that's the case I will make sure something is done by him when I go back for my next appointment, ya know? Thats what im trying to get here is not judged or criticized and i appreciate u all who see that I am trying!!! But these posts are to see if anybody knows exactly as of now what I am to do?

- Now I love my doctor, dont get my wrong, But I cannot also see how he is not getting me help or doing things at more of a pace, I know regardless it happend to me, but I thought it would be more of an issue and he would have figured out something by now, Seems like when I go into the appointments he just kinda asks if im ok, and not so much as , Now what are we gonna do to get u off? ya kno? So im still question as to get a new ob or if i just need to tell him straight up like you need to do something for me asap, because I seem to be more worried!!

As for how many, Well sometimes ill have perc 10s and sometimes 30s. If its a 30 I will break it in half.  So its when i wake up in the am and sometimes earlier than usual and i will need something 2 help me get back 2 sleep. then during the day a couple and night tme. Its really hard 2 say exactly how much. But if its needed to get help I will sit n figure out the exact mg

& again THANKS to everyone who is helping , it is really appreciated !!

[GMcp]

all i know is that my gf had her baby takin from her right after birth and i was warrend of it too she never got hers back and then she died but i quit the seccond i found out ct and my baby is now 7 and the smartest most beautiful kid in her class, that is what her teacher told me last week :)

again ashalina im sorry for bein harsh, i take it back, wish there was a delete button you shouldnt have to read that boo :( i just really care about this situation, so please dont hate me

[GMcp]

ps thats still to much for a pregnant woman can u just taper really slowly till u get help like i cant tell u n e kinda plan cuz im not a doctor but i think u should call a hotline and ask them hunny

[dominosarah]

Please, lets leave out the horror stories.  Ashalina is very aware of what can happen.  She is here for support.  None of us have the right to be judgemental.

Ashalina, i would sit down and have a heart to heart talk with your OB at your next visit.  Tell him straight up what you want to do here.  You will want to taper for sure as that is the safe way to do this.  I am very happy that your doctor knows about this as that is something that many moms dont do right away.  Keep talking with us as i know this is hard on you.  We are here for you~~~~~~~sara

[ashalina]

^ thank you!!

So he is the one who is supposed to taper me down? Like can he do that? I will defiantly talk to him at my next visit, just not sure if he will be able to do that but from what I hear he is supposed to or is able to at least..But other than him helping me I don't know what other options I even have? I am trying hard 2 find out what I have to do and I will do it ! What help I can get and I will get it ! Just need to know what I am able to do, or what Im supposed to do, ya kno? As of now I am feeling completely lost..

[vicki595]

Ash-   Yes!  Have a serious talk with your OB. He is the one who has to help you and the one who needs to know everything.  Addiction in pregnancy needs to be handled carefully
and only your OB knows what to do for you.

Try to get in before your next appt. time. Why don't you call now?  I think it's important enough to get in to the office right away.

Good luck!

[tgtiffany]

I think that you should figure out exactly what you are taking.  If you tell someone "oh I don't know, some of this and some of that"  They are more likely to not ....I don't even know how to explain this, but majoring in social work, and if I heard someone tell me that I'd feel as if they didn't really care how much they were taking, as if it didn't matter much to them.  And it obviously does matter to you enough to ask for help at least.  Also, it will be helpful in knowing how to taper down.  Figure out the amount though.  What state do you live in?  Haven't been to your profile yet, I will try to look up some things tomorrow for you.  I think you should try to start taking a little less each day, even if you take like 1/4 less of ONE pill that you are taking it will help.  Again, not a doctor, so I can't tell you exactly, just as GMcp said.  I will try to find you some helpful information tomorrow though, as I used to work online finding stuff like that.  Are you taking your pre-natal vitamins?  Make sure you take those, because they will help the baby a lot more than you think.  And make sure that you are eating super healthy and not a lot of junk food.  The baby will have a hard enough time as it is that he/she doesn't need other junk and stuff in their system too.  Even if you don't feel like eating, eat anyway!  I'll message you or post tomorrow hopefully, perhaps the next day with any info I've found.  (Would look it up right now but gotta take care of the little ones at the moment)  In the meantime I would call whatever is equivelent to information in your state, here for helpful numbers and stuff it's 211, but that's Texas.  I'm sure you can get help from someone somewhere, they can't just not treat you because you are too far along, if so it's like they are just ignoring the situation and letting the baby get hurt anyway.  I know some places have those policies though for liability reasons.  Good luck

[ashalina]

Its not that I dont care what im taking but some days are different then others ya kno? So some days can be 90 mg in total other days can b more or less, and honestly I am only takin somethng when withdrawls start to happen. Its just all making me so overwhelmed because I am jsut getting scared, I want nothing but the best for my babygirl and I feel like when I go to the docs even after I told him EVERYTHING like I said in my previous posts he just doesnt seem to bring it up & just tells me eerything is perfect, which of course I am happy w/ that - but like idk if ppl usually dont want help but I DO! My last appt was so quick & busy and had 2 rush so my next appt is going to be an hr, I have said I really need to get some extra time to talk to him - Wen i had first told him in the beggining he had also askd if i was gonna breastfeed & I said no, bcus of the pills I didnt think it would b a good idea and he was like yes u can u will be off them by then! So that had gave me hope, but its like how does he expect me to be off if he isent makin any effort to help me? I thought he was supposed 2 , it kinda feels like its no big deal , idk maybe im wrong, but the one thing he did tell me was to NOT go cold turkey because putting the baby through withdrawals is worse!! I hate living my life this way, I have to constantly spend money to buy them, always worried bout the next day and hoping im gonna be able 2 get them, so its like theres so many negative things, i just want HELP ASAP. I just want to get the hell off of them & feel NORMAL & FREE again! I dont understand why its so hard and so much to ask for?? I dont know what I can do!? I am 24weeks now and i feel liek time is closer I WANT to be off so that god for bid my child goes thro it, or they try to take her. I feel like I have been doing everything I am supposed to, i know i have a problem, ive been asking for help, I want help, I want to better myself for myself & my babygirl !! But I feel like im getting Nowhere, its just such a hopeless feeling!! =( Thank u all though

Also I live in Maryland! & yes im takin my vitamins! & you are so right, its like nowhere helps pregnant woman. I couldnt believe it though! Like wouldnt it be more important to help and treat a pregnant woman? Even my doctor said that, bcus he had sent me to this psychiatrist in the beginning and I waited for my appt forever then waited for 2hrs in waiting room & I get there & she says she doesn't even see pregnant women so she doesn't know y he sent me there? So I'm like WTF like all that waste of time we coulda been looking somewhere else - ya know?

Well, If any one can tell me what my options are? And if there is somewhere that will help me in the right way? I sure hope there is, I been praying every night I will be able to find something!