I am addicted to painkillers and pregnant.

I am addicted to hydrocodone and just found out I am six weeks pregnant! Is it safer to go on suboxone or ween off the hydrocodone.
I take about 4 pills a day of 10/325. HELP!!!

Believe it or not it's not as bad as you think! I was taking hydrocodone, about 30 mg a day, when I got pregnant. I weaned off of it quickly and just dealt with the unpleasant W/D...not much worse then my 1st trimester anyway! In my 2nd trimester I was put back on it for gallbladder dysfunction and I was having severe attacks again as I grew. I took myself off about 3 weeks before I delivered. My dd was born full-term, healthy, and with no complications! Your OB will want you off any pain meds several weeks before delivery, so your baby won't go through W/D just after birth. Supposedly, it's easier on them in-vitro. If you are still on it at birth they will give Narcon to the baby to counter W/D. I would highly recommend you wean yourself off ASAP, unless you absolutely need it! Just don't do it cold turkey, because you don't need the added stress on your body right now and neither does your baby. If you need it for pain just make sure not to take it for longer then 5-7 days without taking a week or two in between off, so the fetus doesn't become dependent! Talk to your OB and NO MATTER what be HONEST! It is vital! Even if you are afraid to say you are addicted, just tell em' you are currently on it for pain mgt. and need supervision while weaning! Good luck and don't fret over it too much. I did and it was okay in the end! Just DON'T push your luck, because anything is possible. I don't want you to think you can do it without consequences throughout your whole pregnancy. However, it sounds like you are truly concerned and want off of them and I wish you all the luck...you can do it...for your baby! Take Tylenol to help ease the W/D discomfort, a good prenatal, lots of water & hot baths, plus make sure you give yourself at least 3 days off after your last pill to sleep, sleep, and sleep some more! I would start by cutting your dose in half for a week, then cut that in half for a week, and so on. You're not taking a lot for an addict, so that is a benefit to your baby! Based on your listed dose you may want to try a schedule something like this:
1st week: 5mg (cut 10mg pill in half) 4 times a day
2nd week: 2.5 mg 4 times a day
3rd week: 2.5 mg 2 times a day
4th week: wait out as long as you can and take 2.5 mg ONLY when desperately needing relief from W/D.

After this you can expect to have some slight discomfort for a few days, but it will be much easier then cold turkey! I've done this several times when I wasn't pregnant and it was much easier then stopping too fast, which I've done too! Codeine is sometimes used for hydrocodone W/D, but it is a class C drug for pregnancy so I wouldn't do it! You may want to research herbal supplements used for a calming effect that are safe during pregnancy and that will help with the anxiety and restless feeling you will get when tapering! Also, look into safety of B vitamins while pregnant and if safe take them to help counter W/D.

Make sure to get medical advice with any approach you take before making changes or taking anything! Good luck!

Ive been an addict for over 10 years. I use 2 to 4 10mg hydros a day. After finding out i was pregnant i stressed for a week over what to do. i finally went to the computer for help and found this article. It really helped! The hardest part was admiting to the doctor i had a problem but after i read the article i was able to and my doctor was so helful and understanding. Thank you so much for your help!