How Does Pain Affect Your Baby When Pregnant

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KEY POINTS

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

• If you accept opioids during pregnancy, they tin crusade serious issues for your baby, like premature birth and drug withdrawal chosen NAS.

• Even if you utilise an opioid exactly like your health intendance provider says to, it still may cause NAS in your baby.

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

• If you're not pregnant and taking an opioid, utilize effective birth command 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 y'all've been injured or had surgery or dental work. They're sometimes used to treat a cough or diarrhea. A prescription medicine is one your provider says you lot can take to care for a health condition. You need a prescription (order for medicine) from your health care provider to go the medicine.

Taking opioids during pregnancy can crusade serious issues for your baby. If you lot're pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant and taking an opioid, tell your wellness care provider. You may be able to alter to a medicine that'due south safer for your babe. You and your provider tin can counterbalance the benefits and risks of medicine you accept, like opioids, to give you the healthiest possible pregnancy.

These are prescription opioids and some of their common brand names. A brand proper name is the proper name given to a product 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, and then if you lot're taking any medicine you call back may be an opioid or combined with an opioid, tell your provider. For example, some cough 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 often is mixed with heroin or cocaine, which makes it extremely dangerous.

Why are opioids dangerous?

It may be hard for some people to terminate using opioids considering along with relieving hurting, they release chemicals in the encephalon that can make you feel at-home and intensely happy (also chosen euphoria). Drug addiction is a brain condition that makes yous use drugs, even if they're harmful to you. Addiction affects your self-command and your ability to terminate taking a drug. Nigh people who have prescription opioids can end using them without getting addicted to them. But using them regularly tin make you dependent on them, fifty-fifty if you lot use them every bit directed by your provider.

At a preconception checkup before pregnancy or at your start prenatal intendance checkup, your provider asks y'all questions nigh your health. Tell your provider about any health atmospheric condition yous have and whatever medicines you accept. This includes prescription medicine, over-the-counter (also chosen OTC) medicines, herbal products and supplements. If you take medicine to treat a medical condition, yous may need to switch to medicine that'due south safer for your baby. Or your provider may recommend dissimilar kinds of treatment that don't use medicine. And if you demand assist to quit using addictive drugs, your provider can help you lot find a treatment plan.

When your health care provider gives you a prescription for medicine, he tells you exactly how much to take, how often to accept information technology and how long to accept it. If you're significant and using prescription opioids, take them exactly as your provider tells y'all to. Tell your provider nearly any opioid or other drug you lot take, fifty-fifty if information technology's prescribed by another provider. If you go to a provider who prescribes you lot an opioid, make certain she knows yous're significant.

When you have any prescription medicine:

• Don't accept more than than your provider says yous can have.
• Don't take it with alcohol or other drugs.
• Don't use someone else's prescription drugs.

What is opioid use disorder?

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

• Y'all take more opioids than your provider says y'all can have.
• You lot have cravings (a stiff want) for an opioid.
• You lot feel similar y'all can't cease taking opioids or reduce the corporeality yous have.
• Yous need more opioids to get the same effect.
• You lot have issues at abode, piece of work or school caused past taking opioids.
• You lot spend fourth dimension getting and using opioids.
• Yous feel sick when y'all stop using opioids or reduce the amount you take.

If you accept opioid use disorder, you're at hazard for overdose. This is when you accept too much of a drug. Overdose tin can slow or stop your breathing. It can cause yous to pass out and even die. If you're using opioids and have any of these signs and symptoms of overdose, phone call your provider or 911:

• Blurred vision
• Cold, damp peel
• Feeling dizzy, faint or very sleepy
• Feeling ill to your stomach
• Loose, floppy muscles
• Slowed or trouble animate or a boring heartbeat

If you lot take opioid utilize disorder and yous share needles with other drug users, you're at risk for infections like hepatitis and HIV. Hepatitis is a virus that attacks the liver. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. HIV attacks the body's allowed system that usually helps protect yous from infections. You lot can pass infections similar these to your baby during pregnancy.

If you have opioid utilise disorder, y'all may take trouble taking care of yourself during pregnancy. For example, you lot may miss your prenatal care checkups and not make healthy choices for you and your baby. You're likewise at risk for overdose and for mental health weather condition, like depression. Depression is a medical condition that causes feelings of sadness and a loss of interest in things you like to do. It can affect how you feel, think and act and can interfere with your daily life. Information technology needs treatment to go better.

Can opioids cause problems for your baby during pregnancy and after birth?

Yes. Using opioids during pregnancy can affect your health and your baby's health. If you're not meaning and you lot're using opioids, utilize effective nascence control until you're set to go pregnant. This can help forbid complications when you lot do get meaning. Possible complications linked to opioid use during pregnancy may include:

Birth defects. Birth defects are wellness atmospheric condition that are present at birth. They change the shape or function of one or more than parts of the body. Nativity defects tin cause problems in overall health, how the body develops or how the body works. Birth defects associated with opioid employ during pregnancy include:

• Built middle defects. These conditions tin can affect the shape of a babe'southward heart, how it works or both.
• Gastroschisis. This is a nascency defect of a baby's belly in which the intestines stick outside the torso through a pigsty beside the omphalus.
• Glaucoma. This is a group of centre conditions that damage the optic nerve. If untreated, glaucoma can cause blindness.
• Neural tube defects (also called NTDs). These are birth defects of the brain, spine and spinal cord. Spina bifida is the well-nigh common NTD.

Miscarriage or stillbirth. Miscarriage is the death of a infant in the womb before twenty weeks of pregnancy. Stillbirth is the death of a infant in the womb later on 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Neonatal forbearance syndrome (also called NAS). NAS is when a baby is exposed to a drug in the womb before birth and goes through withdrawal from the drug later on birth. NAS is most often caused when a woman takes opioids during pregnancy. NAS can cause serious problems for a baby, like being born also small and having breathing problems. Even if you employ an opioid exactly as your health intendance provider tells you to, information technology may cause NAS in your baby. So tell your prenatal care provider about whatsoever opioid y'all take, even if it'south prescribed to you past another health care provider. If another health intendance provider prescribes y'all an opioid, make sure she knows you're pregnant.

Placental abruption. This is a serious condition in which the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus (womb) earlier nativity. If this happens, your baby may non become enough oxygen and nutrients in the womb. And you may have serious haemorrhage. The placenta grows in your uterus and supplies the infant with nutrient and oxygen through the umbilical cord.

Preeclampsia. This is a serious status that can happen later on the 20th week of pregnancy or right after pregnancy. It'southward when a pregnant adult female has high claret pressure and signs that some of her organs, like her kidneys and liver, may non be working properly. Signs and symptoms of preeclampsia include having poly peptide in the urine, changes in vision and severe headaches. High claret force per unit area (too called hypertension) is when the force of blood against the walls of the blood vessels is too high. It can stress your eye and cause problems during pregnancy.

Preterm labor and premature birth. This is labor and nascence that happen too early, before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Babies built-in this early may have more health problems at birth and later in life than babies born full term. Opioids also tin cause premature rupture of membranes (too chosen PROM). This is when the sac effectually a baby breaks before a woman goes into labor.

Bug with your baby's growth. These include:

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

Sudden infant death syndrome (also called SIDS). This is the unexplained death of a baby younger than 1 year old. SIDS usually happens when a infant is sleeping. Babies born to mothers who use opioids are at increased risk for SIDS.

How is opioid apply disorder treated during pregnancy?

Treatment for opioid use disorder during pregnancy may include:

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

If you're in MAT, talk to your provider near a medicine called naloxone (brand name Narcan®). Naloxone helps end the harmful effects of opioids, and information technology can save your life if y'all have an opioid overdose. With your provider's OK, it's prophylactic to utilize during pregnancy in small doses. Your provider may prescribe it as a nasal spray or a shot. If you're using naloxone, go on it with you at all times. Your provider tin show yous and your family how to use it if yous have signs or symptoms of an overdose.

Behavioral therapy (also called counseling). Your provider may recommend that yous run into with a drug advisor by yourself, with a group or both. Counseling can help y'all alter your feelings about drugs and help you develop salubrious life skills. It too helps you acquire how to avert or manage situations that may brand you likely to relapse. Relapse is when you get back to using a drug after trying to quit using information technology. People who get drug counseling are less likely to relapse than people who don't get counseling.

Is it safe to suddenly quit taking opioids during pregnancy?

No. Quitting all of a sudden (also called going cold turkey) during pregnancy can cause severe issues for your baby, including death. If yous're meaning and taking opioids, don't go common cold turkey without talking to your health intendance provider. Talk to your provider about safe ways to stop taking opioids.

If you're breastfeeding, is information technology safe to take opioids?

Breastfeeding is good for both you and your baby. Information technology helps you bond with your baby, and your breast milk helps build your baby's immunity to protect her from infections. If you baby has NAS, breastfeeding may help make her withdrawal less astringent so she needs less medicine and tin exit the hospital sooner.

If you're using prescription opioids for pain relief with your provider's supervision, you can breastfeed depending on the medicine you accept. Some opioids can cause life-threatening issues for your baby. Brand certain the provider who prescribes you the opioid knows you're breastfeeding, and accept the medicine exactly every bit our provider tells yous to. Talk to your provider most switching to a safer hurting reliever if you take:

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

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

If you're in MAT or OAT, you can breastfeed your babe if:

• Your health is stable and yous're no longer abusing opioids or using street drugs, similar cocaine or marijuana.
• You don't take HIV.
• Your MAT or OAT program is supervised and your treatment is closely monitored.
• Yous have social support from friends and family throughout your treatment.
• Your infant continues to proceeds weight as y'all breastfeed.

Are you at take a chance for having problems with opioids?

We don't know why some people take bug when they endeavor to stop opioids and others can finish using them without issues. We do know that some things make yous more likely than others to accept problems with opioids. These are called risk factors. Having a risk factor doesn't hateful for certain that you lot'll have these problems. But it may increase your chances. Hazard factors for addiction include:

• A family history of problems with drugs. These problems are more mutual in some families. Tell your provider if you have a parent, brother or sis who'south had a problem with drugs or booze. Fill out the March of Dimes family health history form to tape health data about your family and share the form with your provider.
• A mental health condition. Meaning women with opioid use disorder oft have a mental wellness status, like anxiety, low or post-traumatic stress disorder (also called PTSD). Anxiety is stiff feelings of worry or fright, and depression is strong feelings of sadness. These feelings final for a long time and interfere with your daily life. PTSD can happen if you've experienced a shocking, scary or dangerous effect, like a disaster, rape, abuse or the sudden death of a loved one. People with PTSD may take serious anxiety, flashbacks, nightmares or concrete responses (like sweating or a racing heartbeat) when reminded of the event. Tell your provider if you have or call up y'all have a mental health condition, like anxiety, low or PTSD.
• Peer pressure. If your friends or people around you lot employ drugs, you're more probable to use drugs and have problems with them.
• Taking a drug that's highly addictive, like opioids

Where tin can y'all go help to stop abusing prescription drugs, including opioids?

If you need assistance to finish abusing prescription drugs, talk to your wellness care provider, use the Substance Corruption Treatment Services Facility Locator or call (800) 662-4357.

More data

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

Last reviewed: June, 2019

Come across also:Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), Preventing NAS in your baby infographic, Caring for a infant with NAS infographic

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

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