Can Taking Vicodin While Pregnant Harm the Baby

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Cardinal POINTS

• Prescription opioids are painkillers oftentimes used for pain after an injury, surgery or dental piece of work. They include codeine, morphine and oxycodone.

• If you lot take opioids during pregnancy, they can cause serious problems for your babe, like premature nascence and drug withdrawal chosen NAS.

• Even if you use an opioid exactly similar your health care provider says to, it still may cause NAS in your baby.

• Don't end taking an opioid without talking to your provider first. Quitting suddenly can cause severe problems for your baby.

• If you're not meaning and taking an opioid, use constructive birth control until you're no longer taking the medicine.

What are prescription opioids?

Prescription opioids are painkillers (medicine used to relieve pain) your health care provider may prescribe if yous've been injured or had surgery or dental work. They're sometimes used to treat a cough or diarrhea. A prescription medicine is ane your provider says you can have to treat a health status. You need a prescription (society for medicine) from your health care provider to get the medicine.

Taking opioids during pregnancy can cause serious problems for your baby. If yous're pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant and taking an opioid, tell your wellness care provider. Yous may be able to change to a medicine that'southward safer for your infant. You and your provider can weigh the benefits and risks of medicine yous take, like opioids, to give y'all the healthiest possible pregnancy.

These are prescription opioids and some of their common brand names. A brand name is the proper noun given to a production past the company that makes it.

• Buprenorphine (Belbuca^®, Buprenex^®, Butrans^®, Probuphine^®)
• Codeine
• Fentanyl (Actiq^®, Duragesic^®, Sublimaze^®)
• Hydrocodone (Lorcet^®, Lortab^®, Norco^®, Vicodin^®)
• Hydromorphone (Dalaudid^®, Exalgo^®)
• Meperidine (Demerol^®)
• Methadone (Dolophine^®, Methadose^®)
• Morphine (Astramorph^®, Avinza^®, Duramorph^®, Roxanol^®)
• Oxycodone (OxyContin^®, Percodan^®, Percocet^®)
• Oxymorphone (Opana^®)
• Tramadol (ConZip^®, Ryzolt^®, Ultram^®)

There are many other brands of opioids, so if you're taking any medicine you think may be an opioid or combined with an opioid, tell your provider. For instance, some coughing medicines contain the opioid codeine.

The illegal drug heroin is an opioid. Fentanyl and other prescription opioids are being made and sold illegally. When used illegally, fentanyl sold on the street oftentimes is mixed with heroin or cocaine, which makes information technology extremely dangerous.

Why are opioids dangerous?

Information technology may be hard for some people to stop using opioids because forth with relieving pain, they release chemicals in the brain that can make yous feel calm and intensely happy (also chosen euphoria). Drug addiction is a brain condition that makes you lot use drugs, even if they're harmful to yous. Addiction affects your self-control and your ability to stop taking a drug. Nigh people who accept prescription opioids can end using them without getting addicted to them. But using them regularly can make you dependent on them, fifty-fifty if you use them every bit directed past your provider.

At a preconception checkup before pregnancy or at your outset prenatal care checkup, your provider asks you questions almost your health. Tell your provider near any wellness weather you have and any medicines yous accept. This includes prescription medicine, over-the-counter (too chosen OTC) medicines, herbal products and supplements. If you accept medicine to treat a medical condition, you may need to switch to medicine that's safer for your baby. Or your provider may recommend different kinds of treatment that don't utilise medicine. And if you need help to quit using addictive drugs, your provider tin aid you lot find a treatment programme.

When your wellness care provider gives yous a prescription for medicine, he tells you exactly how much to take, how frequently to take it and how long to accept it. If you're meaning and using prescription opioids, take them exactly as your provider tells you to. Tell your provider about whatsoever opioid or other drug you accept, even if information technology's prescribed by some other provider. If you lot go to a provider who prescribes you an opioid, make sure she knows you're pregnant.

When you have any prescription medicine:

• Don't have more than your provider says y'all can take.
• Don't take information technology with booze or other drugs.
• Don't utilize someone else'south prescription drugs.

What is opioid utilize disorder?

Addiction to opioids is called an opioid use disorder. You may have an opioid use disorder if:

• You take more opioids than your provider says you lot tin take.
• Yous have cravings (a strong desire) for an opioid.
• You feel like yous can't finish taking opioids or reduce the amount yous take.
• Yous demand more opioids to go the aforementioned effect.
• You have problems at abode, work or school acquired by taking opioids.
• You lot spend fourth dimension getting and using opioids.
• You feel sick when yous stop using opioids or reduce the amount you lot take.

If you have opioid use disorder, you're at risk for overdose. This is when you take too much of a drug. Overdose can slow or stop your breathing. It can cause you to pass out and fifty-fifty die. If you're using opioids and have whatsoever of these signs and symptoms of overdose, call your provider or 911:

• Blurred vision
• Cold, clammy skin
• Feeling dizzy, faint or very sleepy
• Feeling sick to your stomach
• Loose, floppy muscles
• Slowed or problem breathing or a slow heartbeat

If you have opioid use disorder and yous share needles with other drug users, you lot're at adventure for infections like hepatitis and HIV. Hepatitis is a virus that attacks the liver. HIV stands for homo immunodeficiency virus. HIV attacks the body's immune organization that ordinarily helps protect y'all from infections. You lot tin laissez passer infections like these to your baby during pregnancy.

If you accept opioid use disorder, y'all may have trouble taking care of yourself during pregnancy. For example, yous may miss your prenatal care checkups and not make healthy choices for you and your baby. Yous're also at risk for overdose and for mental health conditions, like depression. Depression is a medical condition that causes feelings of sadness and a loss of interest in things yous like to exercise. Information technology can bear on how you feel, call up and act and can interfere with your daily life. It needs treatment to become better.

Can opioids cause bug for your baby during pregnancy and subsequently birth?

Yes. Using opioids during pregnancy can affect your wellness and your baby'due south health. If yous're not pregnant and you're using opioids, use constructive birth control until y'all're set up to get pregnant. This tin help prevent complications when you practise become pregnant. Possible complications linked to opioid utilize during pregnancy may include:

Nascency defects. Nativity defects are health weather condition that are present at nascence. They modify the shape or function of ane or more parts of the body. Birth defects tin can cause problems in overall health, how the body develops or how the trunk works. Birth defects associated with opioid utilise during pregnancy include:

• Built heart defects. These weather can affect the shape of a baby's heart, how information technology works or both.
• Gastroschisis. This is a nascency defect of a baby'due south belly in which the intestines stick outside the torso through a hole beside the belly button.
• Glaucoma. This is a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve. If untreated, glaucoma tin crusade blindness.
• Neural tube defects (as well called NTDs). These are nascence defects of the brain, spine and spinal cord. Spina bifida is the about common NTD.

Miscarriage or stillbirth. Miscarriage is the death of a baby in the womb earlier xx weeks of pregnancy. Stillbirth is the death of a baby in the womb after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Neonatal abstinence syndrome (too called NAS). NAS is when a baby is exposed to a drug in the womb before birth and goes through withdrawal from the drug subsequently nativity. NAS is most often caused when a woman takes opioids during pregnancy. NAS tin can cause serious problems for a baby, like beingness born also small and having breathing problems. Even if you use an opioid exactly as your health intendance provider tells you to, it may cause NAS in your babe. And so tell your prenatal care provider nigh any opioid you accept, even if it'due south prescribed to you by some other health care provider. If another wellness care provider prescribes you lot an opioid, make sure she knows you're pregnant.

Placental abruption. This is a serious status in which the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus (womb) before birth. If this happens, your infant may non get plenty oxygen and nutrients in the womb. And you may accept serious bleeding. The placenta grows in your uterus and supplies the baby with food and oxygen through the umbilical string.

Preeclampsia. This is a serious condition that can happen after the 20th week of pregnancy or right subsequently pregnancy. It's when a pregnant adult female has high blood pressure and signs that some of her organs, like her kidneys and liver, may non exist working properly. Signs and symptoms of preeclampsia include having protein in the urine, changes in vision and severe headaches. High claret pressure (also called hypertension) is when the force of blood confronting the walls of the claret vessels is also high. It tin stress your middle and cause problems during pregnancy.

Preterm labor and premature nascency. This is labor and birth that happen too early, earlier 37 weeks of pregnancy. Babies born this early may accept more than wellness bug at birth and later in life than babies born full term. Opioids likewise tin can cause premature rupture of membranes (likewise called PROM). This is when the sac around a baby breaks earlier a adult female goes into labor.

Problems with your baby's growth. These include:

• Fetal growth restriction (also chosen growth-restricted, small for gestational historic period and small for appointment). This is when a infant doesn't gain the weight she should before birth.
• Depression birthweight. This is when a baby is built-in weighing less than 5 pounds, viii ounces.

Sudden infant death syndrome (likewise chosen SIDS). This is the unexplained decease of a babe younger than ane year old. SIDS usually happens when a baby is sleeping. Babies born to mothers who employ opioids are at increased risk for SIDS.

How is opioid use disorder treated during pregnancy?

Treatment for opioid use disorder during pregnancy may include:

Opioid replacement therapy, including medication-assisted therapy (too called MAT) or opioid-assisted therapy (too called OAT). For these treatments, your provider prescribes you long-acting opioids, similar methadone or buprenorphine, that yous have during pregnancy and after your babe is born. Long-acting means the opioids stay in your body for a long fourth dimension. Methadone and buprenorphine help reduce your need for opioids in a way that'south prophylactic for you and your babe. They don't make y'all feel happy or calm the way some opioids do. These medicines assist reduce your baby's take chances for premature birth and growth problems. Your baby may take some withdrawal symptoms after birth.

If y'all're in MAT, talk to your provider about a medicine called naloxone (brand proper noun Narcan®). Naloxone helps stop the harmful effects of opioids, and it can relieve your life if you have an opioid overdose. With your provider'southward OK, it'due south safe to utilize during pregnancy in small doses. Your provider may prescribe it equally a nasal spray or a shot. If you're using naloxone, continue it with you at all times. Your provider can show you and your family how to use it if you have signs or symptoms of an overdose.

Behavioral therapy (also called counseling). Your provider may recommend that you meet with a drug counselor past yourself, with a grouping or both. Counseling tin can assist you alter your feelings nearly drugs and assist y'all develop salubrious life skills. It likewise helps you learn how to avoid or manage situations that may make you likely to relapse. Relapse is when you lot go dorsum to using a drug subsequently trying to quit using information technology. People who become drug counseling are less likely to relapse than people who don't get counseling.

Is it rubber to suddenly quit taking opioids during pregnancy?

No. Quitting all of a sudden (also chosen going cold turkey) during pregnancy can cause astringent issues for your baby, including expiry. If you're pregnant and taking opioids, don't get cold turkey without talking to your health care provider. Talk to your provider about safe means to stop taking opioids.

If y'all're breastfeeding, is it safety to take opioids?

Breastfeeding is adept for both yous and your baby. It helps you lot bail with your baby, and your breast milk helps build your baby'south immunity to protect her from infections. If you baby has NAS, breastfeeding may assist make her withdrawal less severe so she needs less medicine and tin can get out the hospital sooner.

If you're using prescription opioids for hurting relief with your provider'southward supervision, y'all can breastfeed depending on the medicine y'all take. Some opioids can crusade life-threatening bug for your infant. Make sure the provider who prescribes you the opioid knows you're breastfeeding, and take the medicine exactly as our provider tells y'all to. Talk to your provider most switching to a safer pain reliever if you have:

• Codeine or medicines that comprise codeine
• Hydrocodone
• Meperidine
• Oxycodone
• Tramadol

Pain relievers like ibuprofen (Advil^®) or acetaminophen (Tylenol^®) are safe to utilize when breastfeeding.

If y'all're in MAT or OAT, you tin breastfeed your babe if:

• Your wellness is stable and you're no longer abusing opioids or using street drugs, like cocaine or marijuana.
• You don't take HIV.
• Your MAT or OAT program is supervised and your treatment is closely monitored.
• Y'all have social support from friends and family throughout your handling.
• Your baby continues to proceeds weight as you breastfeed.

Are yous at risk for having issues with opioids?

We don't know why some people have problems when they try to terminate opioids and others can stop using them without bug. Nosotros practice know that some things make you more likely than others to have problems with opioids. These are called risk factors. Having a risk factor doesn't mean for sure that you'll have these problems. But it may increase your chances. Gamble factors for addiction include:

• A family unit history of issues with drugs. These problems are more mutual in some families. Tell your provider if you accept a parent, brother or sis who's had a problem with drugs or alcohol. Make full out the March of Dimes family unit health history form to tape wellness data near your family and share the grade with your provider.
• A mental wellness condition. Pregnant women with opioid use disorder often have a mental wellness condition, like anxiety, depression or postal service-traumatic stress disorder (also called PTSD). Anxiety is potent feelings of worry or fearfulness, and depression is strong feelings of sadness. These feelings last for a long time and interfere with your daily life. PTSD can happen if y'all've experienced a shocking, scary or unsafe event, like a disaster, rape, abuse or the sudden death of a loved one. People with PTSD may take serious anxiety, flashbacks, nightmares or physical responses (similar sweating or a racing heartbeat) when reminded of the event. Tell your provider if you have or recall you lot accept a mental health condition, like anxiety, depression or PTSD.
• Peer pressure. If your friends or people around you use drugs, you're more likely to use drugs and have bug with them.
• Taking a drug that's highly addictive, like opioids

Where can you get help to cease abusing prescription drugs, including opioids?

If you need help to terminate abusing prescription drugs, talk to your health care provider, utilize the Substance Abuse Handling Services Facility Locator or call (800) 662-4357.

More than data

• Food and Drug Administration
• Mother to Baby
• Treating for Two

Last reviewed: June, 2019

Meet besides:Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), Preventing NAS in your infant infographic, Caring for a baby with NAS infographic

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Source: https://www.marchofdimes.org/pregnancy/prescription-opioids-during-pregnancy.aspx

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