percocet in pregnancy

Hi, I am five months pregnant and up until two weeks everything was fine. That is when the pain in my lower back started. At first I thought that I could handle it, but that was not the case. The pain was getting stronger, so I told my OB about it. He said that this is very common and he prescribed me Percocet. I am reluctant to take this drug because I don't know how it will affect my pregnancy. Can you tell me something about Percocet and pregnancy?

Hi, it is true that back pain during pregnancy is a very common thing. Your body changes drastically, and this is one of the consequences. However, the doctors are not very certain of the method that should be used in its treatment, so they prescribe pain killers. Percocet is one of those drugs. There is not much I can tell you about the effect of Percocet on your pregnancy, because there is not much information on this subject. I personally believe that narcotic pain killers should not be used during pregnancy. I mean how can you tell what is that exact dose that will help you with your back pain, but will not jeopardize your baby's health? When you use narcotic pain killers during pregnancy for a long time, there are great chances that your baby will get addicted to that drug. I am sure that you do not want to put your baby in such danger. I think that you should talk to your OB again and express your concerns. Maybe he could prescribe you some safer drugs or talk to you about exercises that you can do that might help you manage the pain.

I've been looking into percocet & pregnancy too. I took some before i knew i was pregnant. I've found plenty of forums where women say their doctors prescribed it for them while pregnant. I also found this link which gave me some cause for concern. http://www.drugs.com/percocet.html As far as I can tell, it is harmful to the baby, but not harmful enough to worry your doctor. Here's an excerpt from the website:

"FDA pregnancy category C. Percocet may be harmful to an unborn baby, and could cause addiction or withdrawal symptoms in a newborn. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment. Percocet may pass into breast milk and could harm a nursing baby. Do not use Percocet without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby."

Did you take your medication like you were suppose to and did your babies turn out healthy? I am going through the same thing right now. I have tried to just stop taking them but im experincing withdraws they said could be more harmful to the baby. I was thinking of methadone treatment. It seems to be safe and help with pain. I couldnt live with myself if my baby was born unhealthy. But i swear im prescribed it. There are alot of mothers out there who just do whatever and buy narcotics off the street to get high. That is not my intention at all. I been taking just enough not to hurt and not to be sick. ITs crazy doctors put you on medicine thats suppose to help you then you become and addict!! I would appreciat any advice anyone would possible have.. Thanx!

I was on hydrocodone for the first 10 weeks of pregnancy for two pinched nerves in my back. I have no idea what to do. The doctors are making me feel like I have been using illegal drugs and it is completely legitimate. I have done a lot of reserach and see no bad things about the drug during pregnancy. My OB won't give me anything for the pain and I can't even get a pelvic because my back is so bad. I know I need to be on something talked to my OB yesterday and she said I should get an abortion because the pain is so bad. I bursted out in tears when she said that. Just because I have back pain I can't have a baby There has got to be something that I can take as needed for the pain anyone have suggestions?

You need to switch OB's. I am 14 weeks pregnant. I have fibromyalgia and degenerative disk disease and take 10-15 mg of percocet daily. I was so scared at first because this was a surprise pregnancy and had no idea how I would get through the pregnancy without pain medication. Luckily I have a wonderful primary care doctor. I also decided to go back to the OB that delivered my other two children. I had them before I had any of these problems so none of this was an issue with those pregs. My OB is also sending me to a high risk OB in between appts. with her because they like to keep a close eye on the baby when your on meds during pregnancy. Not one of these doctors had a problem with me being on medication. They all told me narcotics are the safest pain meds during preg. I did have to come off of ultracet which I was taking before I knew I was pregnant. There are doctors that realize taking medication and not being in pain is more important than not taking medication constantly being in pain and stressing yourself and the baby out and possibly losing the baby. Pregnancy is possible when you have a chronic pain condition and you shouldn't be made to feel bad because you have to take care of yourself. If you don't take care of your self the baby will ultimately be put at risk. You will get a lot of negative feedback from people who are not going through the same thing. Ideally I would love not to take medication during my pregnancy. It was something I had to come to terms with, but I have accepted it because I love this baby and want this baby and this is the only way I can carry this pregnancy to term. I know this is long, but I know it's not a good feeling when you are made to feel like a terrible human being and mother for being in this situation. I hope this helps. Interview OB's there are a lot out there that live in the real world and are willing to deal with chronic pain patients. Take care.

I used percocet during my pregnancy. It helped my back pain so much that I ran out to my garden to fix a few things! I cleaned the house too. 3 small children and a husband can create some monumental messes. Sadly, I leaked amniotic fluid without even realizing it. I thought I was just peeing my pants and wore pads for incontinence for months. My daughter, Isabel, 26weeks old, was born on 5-18-08 and passed away on 5-19-08 at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She was beautiful and died in our arms. I will always wonder if I did not have the false energy created by percocet would my Issy still be here with us. It is the most horrible feeling. Be careful how active you are when on those things, move slowly, and dont try to be superman!

Guest wrote:

I was on hydrocodone for the first 10 weeks of pregnancy for two pinched nerves in my back. I have no idea what to do. The doctors are making me feel like I have been using illegal drugs and it is completely legitimate. I have done a lot of reserach and see no bad things about the drug during pregnancy. My OB won't give me anything for the pain and I can't even get a pelvic because my back is so bad. I know I need to be on something talked to my OB yesterday and she said I should get an abortion because the pain is so bad. I bursted out in tears when she said that. Just because I have back pain I can't have a baby There has got to be something that I can take as needed for the pain anyone have suggestions?

you TOTALLY need another doctor.

also, try to remember this: your doctor is there to serve YOU - you are there as a favour to him, not the other way around. there are other doctors - plenty of them - and some of them need to be reminded they are not the be-all and end-all and the lords of our health. they are service providers.

start shopping for a better doctor.

by the way: i should mention that my doctor - and yeah, i'm bragging, sorry - is fabulous. he is a GP but when no high-risk clinic would return my calls, he stuck with me and saari was alive and kicking when she was born. i'm pregnant again and he's continuing his ultra-safe approach at my request. he always prescribes holistic or chinese healing first and only if it gets bad does he resort to antibiotics or strong medication. this thursday will be the third bHCG test and if it's doubled, then he will pronounce it a possibly viable pregnancy and schedule the ultrasound (last time, he jsut went ahead and scheduled the u/s - he didn't know i'm pretty good at interpreting them by now so i knew i'd lose the baby and got a little verklempt).

i just found out that i am 11 weeks pregnant and i was using hard drugs such as xanax, cocaine, drinking liquor, and smoking cigarettes. will this affect my unborn child? i am so scared i dont know what to do? please dont think negative of me. i didnt know i was pregnant it was all a big shock to me but i was doing drugs. i feel like a bad person and i dont know what to do. can someone please help me with some information??!!