Pregnacy drug addiction

[Marilyn_Monroe13]

So I rencently found out im four months pregnat with my first child..
But I am also a addict..
My drug of choice is heroin I have been smoking for about 2 years ive been having a difficult time quiting does anyone have any advise?

[ActingBrandNew]

Hello. Detoxing right now can be harmful to the baby who will feel everything the mother is feeling....especially cold turkey. Make an appointment with a doctor to discuss the different possibilities. One possibility is methadone as it is relatively is safe for the baby. Then, after you have the baby you can address your addiction and get off the methadone.

Standard Protocol

When a pregnant woman wants to detoxify from opiates or other opioids, the recognized standard of care, according to the National Health Institute, is methadone treatment while under a doctor's supervision. Methadone is not known to cause birth defects nor have any long-term affects on a baby. There are other medications available for opiate detoxification such, as Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone), or Subutex, (buprenorphine), but because they are "Pregnancy Category C" medications, meaning they are known to cause harmful and possibly fatal birth defects on a fetus, the are not recommended for use in detoxifying pregnant women.

http://www.ehow.com/way_5634991_recommended-detox-procotols-during-pregnancy.html  
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"If a mother stops using the drug "cold turkey," the fetus will then experience withdrawal symptoms in the womb, with may cause wide swings in the baby's blood level from intoxication to withdrawal, which often times leads to death and spontaneous abortion, premature birth, and other negative effects. (Bashmore, 508, http://www.nida.nih.gov/Diagnosis-Treatment/diagnosis3.html). The best thing for the mother to do would be to consult a health care provider or drug treatment center about a methadone program, which will be less harmful for the baby."

http://heroinbabies.pbworks.com/w/page/17918342/FrontPage
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Good luck and God bless!

[Kbusymom]

Welcome to the forum.  You have to be honest with your dr. so he/she can help you through this.  Good luck and keep posting; you will get lots of support and advice here.

[dominosarah]

Please talk with your OB and tell him/her what is going on.  They will be able to help you thru this and monitor the baby.