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If you’re pregnant, using heroin and want to stop using then don’t despair, for there is still much hope for you. However, there is no easy way out. If it were just you then you could attempt to quit heroin cold turkey or warm turkey without physically and psychologically affecting anyone else. The only person who would suffer the consequences would be you.
And most likely, you will continue to live the same careless, irresponsible and unclean lifestyle which presents a life and death threat to your baby. Your child’s life is already in danger and he or she hasn’t even done anything yet. And if you continue to use heroin while being pregnant, then essentially, you’re setting your baby up for a life of misery. This has to stop now, before it’s too late. What do you do? The first thing you’ll need to do for your baby and yourself, is to go see your doctor and get an examination right away to assess both yours and your baby's' health. Don't worry, you won’t get in trouble for coming clean and seeking help from a doctor. All they want to do is help you to quit heroin, stay clean, and turn your life around – not only for your sake, but even more so for the sake of your unborn child. However, you can, and most likely, will run into trouble if you continue to use heroin and not reach out for help. Sooner or later, someone is going to find out. You can get in serious trouble and bring grave consequences upon your baby when you continue to use heroin and endanger the life of your unborn child. If you arrive at the hospital, ready to give birth while still using heroin then after the birth is when most likely, they'll try to help and get you on a program and/or bring Child Protective Services into the picture. And if you have not made any attempts to reach out for help during your pregnancy then life can become very complicated for you. But if you come clean and seek help now, then you will not get in trouble. Instead, you will be favored and helped by your doctors and anyone else involved. Here's what one girl said: "Hi Jorge, I'm writing to tell you that I finally did go to my doctor yesterday and came completely clean with her and she was so supportive! I wanted to thank you for your advice to go and tell her because I'm not sure I'd of had the guts without your encouragement and the support of my family. Thanks,..." SR (pregnant female) So… don’t wait any longer. Don’t let another day go by. The time to reach out and seek medical attention is now! No matter where you are in your pregnancy, the time to reach out for help is now. However, as a pregnant heroin addict, you have few choices to ensure both yours and your baby's health. Even if you wanted to quit heroin cold turkey or even warm turkey, the effects of the withdrawals can and most likely will endanger the life of your baby. You can end up having a miscarriage and lose your baby – all because of heroin.
However, don’t lose hope yet. For it is still possible for you to end your heroin addiction safely with limited withdrawals and little danger to your unborn child. There is a way for you to begin and continue to have a safe and somewhat healthy pregnancy through a procedure known as Methadone Maintenance Treatment.
The National Institute of Health recommended methadone maintenance for pregnancy. "Not only is pregnancy loss prevented by methadone, but by ensuring a safe source of narcotics for the mother, the fetus is protected from acquiring blood-borne diseases through needle sharing, a common practice among addicts.” NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) has reported that methadone maintenance while pregnant is "strongly advised" over any attempt to go through heroin withdrawal cold turkey. Methadone maintenance treatment allows you to conduct yourself with clarity and without a compulsion to use heroin or other opiate drugs. One dose of methadone suppresses heroin cravings and withdrawal symptoms for about 24 to 36 hours. It will also help you to stop using needles, which is a primary source of infection for heroin users. Methadone is a synthetic opioid and a controlled pharmaceutical drug. At least you know what’s in it for sure. You never know what's been cut into your heroin in order to give it more volume and give the drug dealers more profit. Street heroin is sometimes cut with impurities such as coffee, quinine, talc powder, sleeping pills, lactose, brick dust, and sometimes even glass particles which can be deadly. Sometimes, drug dealers cut bleach into their heroin as well. Even the most reputable dope dealers generally cut their heroin with substances such as powdered milk, sugar, starch, or coffee. So no matter how you look at it, you'll be far better off getting off of the heroin and onto a safe, low-dose, short-term methadone program than to continue to live the risky and dangerous life style of using heroin day in and day out.
Make sure that you have the means for transportation available. If not, then let your doctor know that you have no transportation available and they will make arrangements for free or state funded transportation. And in time, many clinics will allow you to take home your methadone supply for the week once you've proven to them that you're going to stick to your methadone treatment program. Right now, your main goal is to get off of the heroin immediately and then get onto a supervised methadone program right away. 1st Trimester: Your first trimester of your pregnancy is the most delicate time for your unborn child as this is a time for major development. Quitting heroin or methadone during this time can result in spontaneous abortion of pregnancy. 2nd Trimester: Your second trimester can become a window of opportunity for your doctor or clinic to reduce your intake since this is the time when heroin or methadone withdrawal can become least harmful to you and your baby. However, most doctors and clinics will not recommend nor consider reducing your dosage, for your sake, and even more so for the baby's' sake as well. 3rd Trimester: Your third and last trimester can very well become the most dangerous time for your baby’s health and birth, as going through withdrawal during the last few months of pregnancy is when the risk of premature birth is at its highest. As is the case with all matters concerning your health, you need to do what you feel is best for you or whatever your doctor or nurse instructs you to do. Yet if you're a pregnant heroin addict, and in your first, second or third trimester, then you should go see a doctor or someone in social services right away. You can come clean and ask for help, not only for your baby’s sake, but for your sake as well. You can quickly stop taking heroin and switch over to 40mg’s to 60mg's of methadone daily and remain stable on that dosage for the remainder of your pregnancy. It's important for you to be able to decipher the difference between discomfort and withdrawal. If you feel any discomfort which feels like withdrawal then you need to have your dosage adjusted in order to feel normal again and then proceed accordingly. You need to be able to feel comfortable and remain stable on that dosage level and not high and drowsy all the time.
And as you'll soon see, most clinics and doctors will not reduce your dosage during your pregnancy in order to avoid risk and complications. If you're working closely with your doctor then you can request that they taper you down 1-2mg's per week, and there's always a chance that they may give in to your request, yet this too is highly unlikely. They prefer not to take any chances with you or the baby. And although your body can easily go through the reduction of methadone at 1-2mg's per week, there's no telling the level of stress the baby would endure during this time of dosing reduction. And the last thing you want to do is to take chances with the health of your unborn child. But don't worry, you don't need the stress and complications of tapering down from the methadone during the rest of your pregnancy, and neither does your baby. Tapering can cause stress and right now, your baby needs to go through the development stages with the least stress possible in order for your baby to grow and develop as best as it can under the present circumstances. So for now, just do what the doctors tell you to do and let the doctors worry about tapering and reducing your methadone intake for you and the baby after the baby is born. Will there be side effects from the methadone? In most cases, yes. But after the baby is born the doctors will give your baby other medications to reduce withdrawals and wean your baby safely from the methadone completely. Then your baby can continue to develop like a normal baby should. Side Effects of Methadone in Pregnancy: Unfortunately, very few pharmaceutical drugs come without the risk of side effects. And methadone is no exception. There are few guarantees that both you and your child will emerge unaffected. Although tapering down is possible with frequent observation for distress signals on the baby, quick or extreme reductions in dosages are associated with miscarriage inducing withdrawal and a higher risk of relapse back to heroin. Professional medical supervision is advised. Side effects of methadone for pregnant women can include nausea, vomiting and severe constipation. Also, the Drugs Information Online website lists the following ‘potential side effects’ of methadone use while pregnant: 1.Offspring of methadone users are at increased risk for mortality, sudden infant death syndrome, jaundice, and thrombocytosis. 2.Reproductive function in male baby’s may be decreased by methadone treatment. 3.Abnormalities in sperm morphology and reductions in both serum testosterone levels and sperm motility have been reported, yet not in all cases. Opiate antagonists drugs are sometimes administered for pain in labor but can also cause a methadone-dependent mother to have symptoms of withdrawal, making you more uncomfortable and endangering your newborn as well. In order to avoid complications you must notify your doctors and nurses concerning your methadone maintenance program at the time of birth. Unfortunately, babies born addicted to methadone will most likely experience withdrawal symptoms as well. Yet it's possible for your baby not to display any signs of withdrawal from the methadone until 5-6 days after birth. Therefore, the doctors may insist on having you and the baby stay in the hospital for several extra days for closer observation. Possible Methadone and heroin withdrawals for babies, include (but not limited to): -Seizures -Tremors -Loose stools -Fever -Poor sleeping patterns -Sneezing -Sweating -Yawning However, you need not worry. No doctor is going to allow your baby to suffer through any of these symptoms. Your infant's withdrawal symptoms will be managed with barbiturate drugs. And these drugs are generally considered safe when used as prescribed. Your baby will be weaned safely and will continue to develop as it should. So don't worry about any of this. Yet at the same time, the healthier you are during your pregnancy then the healthier your baby will be as well making it that much easier for your baby to continue to grow and develop without any interruptions while being weaned from the methadone and barbiturate drugs. You do your part by taking care of yourself and let the doctors worry about the rest. Quitting heroin with Suboxone (Buprenorphine) during pregnancy:
However, if you cannot or will not take methadone then you may be advised by your doctor to take Buprenorphine instead. Even though doctors cannot say with certainty that Buprenorphine is safe, the available evidence indicates that it may not be harmful to you or your baby as well. In such a case, Buprenorphine is likely preferable to no treatment at all or to a cold turkey detox. However, keep in mind that Suboxone contains Buprenorphine and Naloxone. The Naloxone is added to deter you from crushing the tablet and injecting it. However, Naloxone can sometimes cause symptoms of withdrawal to occur as well. And for this reason, if you're going to take Suboxone, then you may be better off taking Subutex instead. Subutex is the same as Suboxone, yet contains no Naloxone, only Buprenorphine and therefore reduces the possibilities of withdrawals. But whatever you do, don’t even think about shooting up the Subutex. Those days are over for you. Switching from Subutex to Methadone during your pregnancy can bring unnecessary stress upon your baby. Therefore it would be best for you to choose one method of treatment and then stick to it throughout the duration of your pregnancy. Side effects for Subutex and Suboxone in pregnancy: If you take Subutex during your pregnancy without tapering down significantly before your baby is born, then your baby will be born addicted to buprenorphine, and will likely go through some degree of NAS (Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome). “Many infants with NAS need only a few days of additional cuddling, attention and quiet while some infants will need treatment, such as with an opiate tincture.” Is Methadone better than Subutex During Pregnancy? Methadone has been studied very well for a long period of time and is known to be safe for both you and your unborn child. Studies of buprenorphine indicate that it is also safe, but yet there is no sufficient clinical evidence to allow for a recommendation of use during pregnancy. Several studies that have compared methadone and buprenorphine use during the entire pregnancy indicate that the NAS symptoms are worse and felt for longer with methadone. Can a Mother Breastfeed on Methadone? Yes. It is safe to breastfeed your child while you are taking methadone. While the methadone is found in breast milk, only a small amount of methadone is passed along to the baby. Furthermore, the nutrients in the breast milk will also help your baby to cope with any mild discomfort. Can a Mother Breastfeed on Subutex? As with most pharmaceutical drugs, it would be best for your baby and for you to be off of the subutex before and while breastfeeding. Buprenorphine is passed through the milk to the infant, and the manufacturer of Subutex does not recommend that it be used by nursing mothers. However, SAMHSA has looked at the issue and has said that since buprenorphine is not well absorbed in the stomach, babies getting it through breast milk seem minimally affected by it, and that women using Subutex can breastfeed. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees about the use of Buprenorphine while pregnant, and you and your doctor will have to make a decision based upon what medication is best for you and your particular situation. The initial evidence indicates that Subutex offers a safe means for you to stay off of heroin, and that babies born to mothers using Subutex suffer fewer and less severe withdrawal symptoms than do babies born to moms using methadone. Using either Subutex or Methadone during your pregnancy is preferable to quitting heroin cold turkey or to continue to use heroin. Most likely, your doctor may place and keep you on a steady methadone treatment program for the duration of your pregnancy and then safely wean both you and your baby off of the methadone after the baby is born. But at least you wont have to worry about being dope sick during the remainder of your pregnancy. You wont have to worry about where you're going to get your next fix. You wont have to worry about sticking needles in your arm any longer. At least now you can begin to live a normal, clean, decent life. And you wont have to worry about the growth and development of the baby being interrupted or disturbed by tapering or missing dosages. You can relax for the rest of your pregnancy and finally have some peace of mind. Anything is better than using heroin while being pregnant and exposing your unborn child to a risky lifestyle and infectious diseases. And then once your baby is born, then you can taper down from the methadone as quickly and as safely as possible while your doctor weans the baby down in a safe and supervised manner as well. And then the both of you can move on with your new, drug-free lives and be able to give your child the life that he or she deserves. So please, do this for your baby. And do this for yourself. Quit this heroin slave habit and turn your life around. And if your partner, husband, or someone in your home is still using heroin then you'll need to encourage them to seek treatment as well. It's almost impossible for one person to quit heroin while the other keeps using. Ask your doctor for referrals or recommendations as this is the best time for the both of you to quit heroin, stay clean, and turn your lives around. And it's very important that all drugs and drug paraphernalia be removed from your home immediately and permanently just in case Child Protective Services decides to visit your home to make sure your home is safe for you and your child, (which happens more often than not). And I'm not a doctor, nor a pregnant heroin addict, but I will say this: If you try your best to take care of yourself by eating extra healthy, taking extra vitamins, and drinking plenty of water then your chances for success will definitely increase. If you try your best to come off of the heroin, get onto a methadone program, and stay off of the heroin for good, then it’s quite possible that life will show you mercy and allow you to give birth to a strong and healthy baby. If you try your best to continue to stay clean for the rest of your life, and dedicate yourself to turning your life around in order to become the loving and caring mother that you were meant to be, then it's very possible that you and your baby can live a long, healthy and happy life together from here on out. Miracles can and do happen when we do our best to stop doing wrong and start living right. NEW: "I am doing great!! After I talked to you I found out I was pregnant and had to get on methadone. I just had my son two weeks ago today!! He is a healthy baby boy! I will soon be off the methadone and continue with my life!! I will say that the methadone is and has helped me in staying clean as well as this baby. My life will never be the same. I strive to make a better life for me and my child and have a direction that includes not only me. I have been clean off heroin for 7 months. Thanks..., and have a great day!!..." SS (female) NEW: "Hi,... I ended up trying the cold turkey, warm turkey then even went to the hospital and attempted to get suboxone prescribed to us. But i found out i am pregnant so i got on the phone for 3 hours crying trying to find some place to help us, and found a wonderful place called North Colorado Behavioral Health and my boyfriend and i got on methadone. My sobriety date is August 6th and have been clean ever since.... Now its just a matter of keeping up with the program and then slowly taper off the methadone till im clean and methadone free!!! My first appointment for my baby is this friday, but so far what we have found out is the heartbeat is strong and everything looks good. I will keep in touch, and thank you so much... You truly are a great person and i appreciate all that you do to help people get off this horrible drug!! Thank you so much!!!..." AW (female)
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| Main l How to Quit Heroin l How to Quit Heroin Cold Turkey l How to Survive the First 7 Days l Real Testimonies l Contact Me | ||||||||||||||||||||
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