Pregnant & taking pain meds...

[wishinfonstars]

I just found out I'm expecting. I'm elated! And also very scared. I'm taking about 4 10mg Norco a day. I don't know how to from my Dr...I was prescribed this med, long story short, my Dr prescribed these meds & when she wouldn't help me get off them I lost my trust in the whole process. I'm overwhelmed and don't want go lose my baby. I need ways to tell my Dr. Please help! Thank you.

[Julia M Aharonov, DO]

First of all, congratulations, what wonderful way to start a new year and a new clean life. Second, you must realize that you are not the only one in this predicament. We get this question on this forum over and over again from wonderful caring women who want to have healthy babies. Third, you must talk to your OB/GYN. if you don't have one, find one.  A midwife group is fine as well.  I can not promise you that they will not report you,  but they should not, especially  if they see that you are concerned and are cooperating and working with them, everything is confidential. However, I do believe, that every pregnant mom gets a routine drug screen and HIV/Hep testing at one of their first visits anyway, so it is much better to be upfront with you physician and develop a trusting relationship.  They treat many women in exactly the same situation and will be able to refer you to a physician who will most likely put you on a medication called Suboxone or Subutex and will over a few months taper you if you will need it. However you are not on such a high dose of Norco that you should not be able to just slowly taper it off by yourself. Your baby will withdraw slowly with you without any problems.  Hopefully before your third trimester you will be drug free and happily looking forward to a birth a healthy baby.  You need to quit smoking as well (if you do), because it leads to decreased baby weight and higher incidence of early labor.  Please see you doctor or midwife ASAP.  Good luck to you and your growing family. You must take care of yourself for your baby.
P.S. Please do not loose your trust in the whole medical profession because of one unthinking physician. We are there to help (on the whole).

[wishinfonstars]

Thank you, Sheri! You bring my heart comfort. Blessings to you & congratulations.

[sheri641]

I used to take percocet 6x a day for 5 years . My first pregnancy was terrible. I was beyond sick and ended up losing the baby at 16 wks. I even had an obgyn tell me it was safe!  I am now 9 weeks and it was a struggle but I'm clean. I still have dependency but I am able to control it with breathing and a heating pad for comfort. Just the want to be clean is enough for a physician to help you. Take it day by day. Its very hard but you will feel better in the long run and you wont lose the baby due to stress.

[wishinfonstars]

Thank you for the information. I do not smoke...thank goodness. Where I live they don't do an HIV or drug screen at the first appt. So that's not a concern for me at all. My midwife is a very loving, caring woman and I just needed the right words to tell her what's going on with me. I see you post this exact response minus, the p.s., on other women's questions. Very generic! I will venture into other forums and ask people their experience.