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Methadone and Childbirth
Added: 113 days ago.
Added by: lulizzle
Section: General.
Status: This question is Closed. (Questions will be closed after 10 days.)


I am a methadone patient and I am trying to find out if anyone else has had has been in my situation. I already know the outcomes and effects so please do not go into that. I already feel awful for possibly having my lil boy being born addicted to methadone but if I would have gotten off of it when I found out I was pregnant I would have lost the baby. Anyway...I was wondering what they can do for me while Im in labor before they give the epidural. The hospital I am having my baby at gives Stadol which is an opiate narcotic painkiller simalar to demerol. But since methadone is a blocker what will I do? I have heard different things from not taking my daily dose the day Im in labor so that I can have the stadol from them using methadone (which is also used for pain) to control the pain but at like triple the dose...which I don`t want..thats a lot of meth. If anyone has gone thru anything like this, please message me and let me know how it all went.

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tirednpreggy - 112 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) As a recovering drug addict, maybe it's not a good idea to introduce any new drugs to your system for childbirth from the narcotic family... I'd say go epidural and don't risk any more damage to your recovery...

tirednpreggy - 112 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) As a recovering drug addict, maybe it's not a good idea to introduce any new drugs to your system for childbirth from the narcotic family... I'd say go epidural and don't risk any more damage to your recovery... ask if it's possible to go without the narcotic beforehand...

Spike - 113 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) because the meth can make the baby sleepy anyway, i would stay as far away from any other drugs as i possibly could! i am allergic to anesthetics, that means no eppi no spinal no nothing, i refused the opiates because i didnt want my son to be sleepy when born cause of all the negitive affects that can have (jaundice, feeding problems, breathing problems) i would just try to get through the birth using gas and air, and water worked wonders too, just standing under the shower helped soooo much! my labour took 73 hours and i did it without any real pain relief. ( i was delirous towards the end that it all seemed like one big blurr anyway, i was too tied to feel the pain after about 24 hours, it all just whent numb to me) id just trust the doctors to know what they are doing and try and hold off on the meds untill you absolutly cannot take it anymore. the prize at the end is well worth all the pain.

Debra - 113 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) Does your doctor have any suggestions? About what's safe for the baby? Between the meth and the epi, the baby might be VERY difficult to rouse to feed for the first few hours. Have you thought about doing without the EPI? I might have a fairly high tolerance for pain, but i did go through labor with only the Gas for pain control, and it worked very well. I had a midwife and my husband coached me through my labor and kept me calm. I used a lot of visualization and blowing techniques which i found to help a lot even when I wasn't able to use the gas any longer. A book i read helped to transform my views on labor pain- Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. I found the info in there to be the most helpful out of anything i read before hand.

carmendayle - 113 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) I am on Subutex and I'm having similiar questions. I also feel guilty about it, but the doctor says it's nessisary to continue taking it. Anyway, I don't know if there's anything they can do, and my doctor hasnt given me any suggestions either. I don't think we'll be able to use the pain meds before the epidural. Well I don't think I want to anyway, I want no memory of the feeling, it scares me to death. I"m only 8 months clean now, so I'm not exactly sure what to tell you though. Sorry wish I could be more help. If you need to talk ever about it or anything else, please be sure to keep in touch with me....Have a great day hun...