Please help pregnant on heroin

[mal3volent]

Well, it's true that being a doctor doesn't necessarily mean you know what you're talking about. And there ARE a lot of quack doctors spread across the states.

 

[December Flower]

more than some dude on bluelight claiming to be a doctor of... god only knows.

Art History?

I'm pretty mad about the "advice" actually. I'm not a Ph. D, but worked half my life in medicine(actually started studying again since Corona), and even I know there is a high risk of cold turkey withdrawal leading to a miscarriage.

We're talking about a human life here, two human lives actually, and risking those lives in a self-absorbed attempt to show off alleged smarts to strangers is fucking disgusting.
Thank whatever deity a lot of reasonable advice reached the OP here.

 

[MsDiz]

Yeah look, it’s an obvious reminder but people can say they are anything, it doesn’t mean they are.

As far as I can recollect it’s NEVER been recommended or encouraged for an addicted mother to cold turkey off heroin. Maintenance is the goal along with therapy.

 

[G_Chem]

Personally I'd rather not go down this road, this is still a thread about a specific person. @GCNate politics don't matter, what matters is ensuring his terrible advice is exposed for the benefit of this OP, and anyone else in a similar position who might find this thread in future.

Edited it out.

-Gc

 

[JessFR]

Even if withdrawal didn't risk miscarriage, and the degree to which it does is a little unclear, the best thing for the mother and child is to be stable, not desperate for heroin.

Not everyone is prepared to get clean, and they don't just suddenly become prepared cause they get pregnant, and that's aside from all the dangers posed by relapse after getting clean. Soo many of the heroin OD deaths I've seen and heard of happened after someone got clean and relapsed and underestimated their tolerance.

There are good reasons maintenance is medical best practice for pregnant addicts in pretty much every western country.

 

[✿Dai₷y✿]

Going through withdrawals when pregnant is dangerous for the baby and if the obgyn is aware if the situation they can prepare to treat the baby as soon as he is born for opiate dependence.

Methadone is at least clean and reliable. Dont worry about being on it after the baby is born, just concentrate on the time until the birth.


Are you planning on keeping the baby? If so, be prepared to have some intervetion to check on the baby from authorities.

Youll be fine, you must see your obstetrician though or that will not work in your favour. Pre natal care shows you're doing the right thing.

 

[Meth novice 79]

No idea what country you are in but just wanted to offer some reassurance in regard to Child Protective Services.
In most places these days, taking baby away is an absolute last resort.
As long as this isn’t a 2nd or subsequent pregnancy thats gone through heroin addiction, then the system will be there to support and guide you through.
You just have to be showing them you are trying and you’ll have some of the worlds best resources at your fingertips.

Don’t view them as the enemy, they want you to be well and do well as a Mother x

 

[Chonch]

The original poster hasn't replied in a while. I hope things are working out ok.

If you come back and read this, I'm still rooting for you!

Im rooting for you as well.i hope you ended up making the right decision.

 

[JessFR]

Im rooting for you as well.i hope you ended up making the right decision.

I dunno what decision you're referring too, chances are though that I didn't.

 

[December Flower]

I dunno what decision you're referring too, chances are though that I didn't.

s/he means the OP, I assume ^^

 

[JessFR]

s/he means the OP, I assume ^^

Possibly. But in context that assumption doesn't entirely make sense.

 

[December Flower]

Possibly. But in context that assumption doesn't entirely make sense.

but what is the context in saying that to you? :O

 

[JessFR]

but what is the context in saying that to you? :O

The quote from the very same post.

I can't both be two people at once.

 

[LordOfThisWorld]

I’m so sorry you’re going through this.

I would advise you to go to your OBGYN appointment and put your pride to the side. It’s so important to ensure your baby is growing and healthy.

Do not stop cold turkey, this could put you at higher risk of miscarriage. Methadone is your best bet and yes it will be hard to come off this but I am positive you will do it. The more you evade the Drs the worse it will be for you. You need to work with them and accept the help because it will be the best for your baby.

Please do not take anymore street drugs. They can be cut with so much and the fent in them is so dangerous.

Love you Princess Diz, you're a great lady.

@Sofuckedrn please follow the advice of these knowledgeable people on this forum, I pray for you and your baby and that you come through this and your baby is born healthy and strong.​

 

[Foreigner]

The OP seems to be gone for now but I'll chime in anyway.

Regardless of which approach is taken next, an MD's supervision is required because we're dealing with a developing fetus. I'm not a doctor, but I've been part of supplementary community health programs offering acupuncture to addicts in active withdrawal or dealing with PAWS. I've heard so many first hand stories. Some have been pregnant or recently gave birth. I've seen both approaches used: maintenance and abstinence. Which is chosen depends on how intense (dosage, frequency) and long the addiction has been in place for; how far along the pregnancy is and other pre-natal risk factors; how much community support the person has; co-morbid conditions, age, prior pregnancies, over all health status, etc. And of course it also depends on the availability of medical resources, training, and medical biases. There's so much to consider... only an MD can parse this out. I'm so glad the OP decided to go see her OBGYN and face the music. It takes so much courage and there will be hard things to navigate, but it's worth it to preserve the sanctity of a new life.

The only addicts who get their newborns taken away are the ones who go back to using or show signs there's no hope of them stopping. An infant can't be raised in an environment riddled with active addiction and street drugs. But if you are really putting your best foot forward, it's a different story. This isn't 1980, they know a lot more about opiate addiction now thanks to decades of advocacy, not to mention an opiate epidemic that the punitive model never fixed. I've met dozens of children of opiate addicts, some who are now adults, and they don't even remember neonatal withdrawal. And in many of those cases, the newborn changed the addict's life. The looked into the face of their baby and said fuck, I need to turn my life around for this little one who needs me. The rest is history.

Don't mess with this. Go to a doctor.

 

[meth444]

Has anybody brought up Loperemide?

 

[December Flower]

Has anybody brought up Loperemide?

No offense here,
but can people please stop going in here and naming random drugs?
Not only didn't you learn how to spell the drug you're offering correctly,
you didn't even bother to cross-reference LoperAmide & pregnancy in google, to see it is certainly not recommended to take Loperamide during pregnancy. In animal testing Loperamide has shown to damage the foetus. Great advice, huh?

I'm so so so glad you people showed up too late to ruin OP's life and she already got very sound advice

 

[✿Dai₷y✿]

I don’t care what you think you know. Methadone has been studied and is much safer in these scenarios.

Advising someone to do something based off of your opinion or belief is madness and it’s not suitable for this post.

You have no idea how they treat babies who are born to addicted mothers and it’s obvious because you are incorrect in your assumptions.

The guy is just trying to help, mate. None of us are experts, doubt there is any benefit in jumping down his throat.


OP, how are you going?

Hope you're alright. Theres only a few months to go and stressing out doesnt bring anything but risk. Babies are sometimes born with a chemical addiction but if they are treated for it and co.forted directly from as much body contact with you hiding her, there is no reason she will have problems from this.

Get your blood pressure checked often mate, thinking of you!

 

[JessFR]

Yeah, thing is people will give well intentioned yet bad advice.

All id say is, if you're not sure about the situation, maybe dont give advice until you know more. You can't be expected to know everything about everything, none of us do. Sometimes we might wanna help but just not know enough at the time.

It's not wrong to wanna help, that's what we're all doing. It's just, these are people's lives, and people may well listen to you. So you gotta be careful that you're giving the best advice you can reasonably be expected too.

I wouldn't want anyone to think they just shouldn't try and help at all, just.. You gotta be a bit cautious. Especially in a situation like this with a pregnancy where the usual advice may not apply.

The OP hasn't returned in a while, but she still may. Hope she's doing OK.

 

[JessFR]

@December Flower I get where you're coming from here. I've gotten similarly angry at some bad advice here.

But it sounds like @meth444 meant well, I'd hate for him (or her?) to be discouraged from offering advice in future. We all just gotta be careful in situations like this is all.

What pisses me off is when bad advice comes from a bad place. Like the judgey comments by a user that were made earlier. I don't get that vibe here though.