• HEALTH & RECOVERY
    Welcome Guest
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules Thread Directory 1 Thread Directory 2
    Mindfulness Links Addiction & Mind
    Sober Living Partner Program (SLiPP)
  • H&R Moderators: VerbalTruist | cdin | Lil'LinaptkSix

Please help: pregnant 4months, wd from buprenorphine

S

Serbian Girl

Greenlighter
Joined
Feb 22, 2018
Messages
9
Hello everybody!
I've been reading bluelight for days, but since I am running out of time and I don't understant your slang quite well, decided to ask somebody to help me out.
I met my boyfriend 2years ago and start taking drugs with him after a long period of sobriety. Since I got depressed after 6months, I tried to quit thousand times. But, it is not easy to quit with somebody who is abusing every single drug known to mankind. I got extremely tired, spending days in my bad, not eating or having a bath at all.
All the time I was snorting h and then trying to quit using bupe etc etc.
When I found I were 4months pregnant, I decided to leave him and go to my mum's house.
I am 4days without any drug, but I am sure bupe is well accumulated in my sistem, so wd is yet to come.
My mum is old, I lost my job, friends, and I cannot taper with my boyfriend since the drug is all over the house. And I am pregnant, but since I lost my period 6months ago, I did not realise until now.
I am determined to get clean. I told my boyfr I am out of state visiting uncle and switched off my mobile. I don't have any money, and since I am so depressed and gloomy while using bupe, I could't possibly taper.
My final question is: I see stories about loperamide here. Can I take 20mg and sloooowly taper during two weeks, because last time I abused suboxone I was locked in my room for 6months, and I cannot endure it right know because of the baby and myself too!
I am not sure about the lenght of my future wd, since I used h for one month, then 1 month bupe etc.
You are my only hope, I cannot rely on anybody else simply because there is nobody around me, and here on the Balkans we have to wait for our doctors for 6months etc etc.
Any suggestion is highly appreciated and sorry in advance for grammar or spelling errors!
One more thing-I was usually using 8mg bupe daily, lots and lots of h, then wd, then fent patches, then wd again and so on.
I don't want to abuse loperamide, just to take the smallest amount possible and to be in bed trying to save my pregnancy.
 
Last edited:
(moving from homeless)

Hi Serbian Girl and welcome to Bluelight! I'm not sure if loperamide would be a safe withdrawal medication during pregnancy. Maybe in small doses if a woman had diarrhea but bigger amounts could lead to problems like dehydration. Do you have access to maintenance programs where you live?
 
I want to say congratulations on your desire to get this poison out of your baby's system. your baby does not deserve the addiction.
In answer you your question about lopermaid...I tried this when I was cold turkey from huge opiate habit and all it did was delay the symptoms.
Sooner or later you going to feel like crap and the sooner you get this over the better for you and baby..what helped me most was hot bath,valerian root,nyquil,and saint johns wort when its all over..if you can speed up your metabolism and excersize ect it will make the WDS go away faster...but that's easier said then done..
Keep posting!!! and great job !!!!
 
Don't stop using at that stage. It will be really harmfull for your baby as he/she will also have withdrawals.

Golden standard in treating opiate dependant pregnant women is to start ORT and then wean the baby off opiates in an ER-setting.
 
Thank you very much for your answers, but this is a very small city, we don't even have private dr's prescribing bupe, and I don't think that in our little ER ever happened that the baby is suffering from wd's.
The thing is-I was present in the times when my best friend had iv-ing buprenorphine for two years, and the doc from one of the major cities gave him this advice-taper with s.a.o. like fentanyl, and put on yourself 100mg patch for 3 days, then 75, 50, 25, and that worked completely fine and I was beside him all the time... that's why I asked about loperamide-I never wanted to use megadoses but just to ween myself out at least a little bit.
Please do not consider me a rude person, but I really cannot exercise while having wd's from buprenorphine, since last time I quit ct 10years ago I wasn't able to move for 4 weeks at all!
I hoped I could use some small amounts like 20mgs of lope for 3 days, 18 for 3 days, and dropping... in between I can endure some pain, but not 4 weeks of hell in a row.
I wasn't even on maintenance program ever, because I would have to wait for months for approval at our public care providers, and then to be seen with people who are very violent and where there is not a single female in there! If I had money, I would buy patches or go somewhere else, but please don't forget that this is the small town and that everything is different around here especialy if you are a female! I read lope megathread here and saw members saying that loperamide is a useful tool if used properly and to forget about the dosage higher than 30mgs.
Thanks to everybody! This is day 4 for me, I am only experiencing fatique, which means I am so full of bupe that I will have to wait another 5 days for wd's and then to enjoy them!!!
 
I am so sad to hear that you are in such an unforgiving environment. Mr Root is right that would be the best way to go but if it is not available to either you or your baby please do not despair. You may have to go through WDs but remember it is temporary.

Do you have any female friends from your small town that still live there? Do you get along with your mother or is she disapproving? I worry about you going through all this alone. But you were smart and you posted it on here so now you have our support anyway!<3
 
Herbavore-nobody! Mum is very old and ill, so I am by my own. The problem is-I am so tired of so many wd's I had lately which normally with my boyfriend beside me-always resulted in opiate binge!
I never used more then 6months in my life, because after that point I am sliding into a serious depression and practically I am forced to quit! In between I managed to get two BA degrees, meaning that I am very determined and that I cannot wait to return to my old life.
ORT I tried by my own, but I just cannot stand drugs anymore. I hoped (again!) lope won't harm me that much after all the drugs I took if used wisely. I am constantly talking about it simply because I locked myself in the house and all I have is freaking lope and nothing else!
Bolt, have you been using lope in megadoses or as a taper method? If it alleviates wd for real, why cannot I use it as any other taper method?
I am trying to say-is it better to have less severe wd and eat and drink something, because when it starts, I cannot hold any food or liquid inside me! I couldn't do it 10years ago, and now I am in my early 30s.
Guys thanks a lot for your replies, what else can I say...
 
hey Serbian girl, welcome to bluelight. =)

Have you tried looking into recovery houses that are specifically for pregnant women or women with infants? I know of a few places personally and they are not that bad, they help you with pretty much everything to be self sufficient. If you feel comfortable with sharing some details through private message, I could try and help you in finding a place like that close to where you live.
 
It's probably best if you stay maintained on buprenorphine. Seek an out-patient doctor and talk to him about getting medicated. Honestly, any GP will put you on methadone but I think that this might be overkill for you.

Pregnant women are put on opiates to keep them from going through withdrawal as it is dangerous to the fetus.
 
What he said. Opioid withdrawal can cause a miscarriage. It's very bad.

Now is absolutely not the time to try and stop using opioids. If you want to keep the baby its very important you find whatever way you can to stay out of withdrawal.

A methadone program would probably be the most idea solution. But whatever you do, absolutely do not go cold turkey. It absolutely could harm the baby. No competent doctor would allow their patient to go into serious opioid withdrawal while pregnant.

I wouldn't recommend loperamide in this situation. High doses have caused harm to otherwise healthy people in rare circumstances. But you're pregnant. If you weren't, it'd be different. But because you are, assuming you want to keep the baby, and I just wanna say I think you're awesome and really brave for deciding to have it. Then this isn't the time to be taking risks with your health. And I just wanna quickly say.

I understand wanting to get clean, that's great. I'm on methadone myself for my heroin addiction, coming up on 6 months without heroin. I know what it's like. And sometime in the future after you've had the baby, if you feel up to getting off opioids all together and have the support to do so, great. But right now isn't the time. It's too dangerous while you're pregnant.

If the option really is taking loperamide or nothing, I don't know for sure so I'd wanna double check what's known about the subject, but I suspect it would still be better to take the loperamide than to cold turkey. That's where the danger is. Going cold turkey can cause a miscarriage. It's a very real risk. So it's important you don't end up in that situation.

You have lots of time to get clean, and get clean however you feel will work for you best. But until the baby arrives, it's very important for its health, and yours, that your body gets whatever dose of opioids it thinks it needs. Obviously continuing to use isn't a great idea either. An overdose if it happened would p it you and your baby at risk too of course. But the risk is still very real from going cold turkey as well.

So what I'm saying is, whatever you do, don't let yourself go cold turkey.

You can get off drugs, and when you want it bad enough you will. But right now, it's very important your body isn't put under any stress it doesn't have to be. Simply getting the opioids that it's accustomed too, like through methadone for example, isn't putting it under stress. That would be ideal. But as you know, cold turkey withdrawal is seriously hard on your body.

Generally speaking, pregnant heroin addicts should be given methadone until the baby comes. Buprenorphine is probably fine too, I'm just not as familiar with it.

But loperamides opioid effects are very mild and require large doses to work and taking continuous large doses of it aren't good for your body either. Its one thing if it's just you and you're not pregnant and you're 16-35 and in the prime of life. Your body can handle a lot then. But while pregnant it would be better not to take the risk of mega dose loperamide at all if you can find any other option.

Good luck hun. I really mean that.

As I said I'm currently trying to get off heroin myself. I've been a heavy IV user for years. I know how hard it is. And it's great that you want to get off it. All I'm saying it's that now isn't the time to do it.

All this shit, being a heroin addict, being pregnant, having an unsupported environment. I've never been pregnant but other than that I've had my share of experience with it. It's so hard and crazy. So congratulations for handling all this as well as you are. :)

And again, good luck.
 
Last edited:
hey girl, we all rooting for you here! come on you can do this..the bad feeling do not last forever.
here is my take on lopermaid..first I don't think taking any crap like this is good for baby but some good points have been made about the effects of detoxing the baby.
Lopermaid in my opinion will only delay the process of detoxing..For example I expected to begin to feel better after day 5-7 and I did not take into consideration the two days I took lopermaid so it set me back on schedule and I did not begin to feel better until day 7-10..so you may feel a bit better for some hours those hours will not help you detox as your still getting the drug in the lopermaid..even tho you never got high form it or in some cases in felt it at all. I hope this makes sence.
PLEASE KEEP UP THE FIGHT ITS SO WORTH IT...keep posting and you are now in my prayers...
 
Thanks God, here I am!!!
I decided to do as you all told me. I went out and bought 2 bupes. I did not take any of it yet, I just gave it to my old mum and said that she has to give it to me every 4th day... I will take 1mg because I am 5days clean and when wd arrive I will have a tool! But I detest bupe, that is why I bought it and not methadone or anything else
 
Thanks God, here I am!!!
I decided to do as you all told me. I went out and bought 2 bupes. I did not take any of it yet, I just gave it to my old mum and said that she has to give it to me every 4th day... I will take 1mg because I am 5days clean and when wd arrive I will have a tool! But I detest bupe, that is why I bought it and not methadone or anything else
 
Jess, since I was using some midriatic eyedrops to fix my invisible pupils and dilate them-my vision is pretty blurred so I must have been posting somewhere else... I wanted to say that we only used bupe for 7days after IVing h, and we were perfectly fine... why that long period of using methadone which I hate the most and always felt nausiated from it?
We relapsed after a month, but we did not have wd s after only seven days of 8mgs of bupe daily?
 
Bolt, thanks, I did as instructed-no lope. I have 2 bupes, but since I am not in pain yet-I will not take it untill creepy feeling emerge... Bupe stays so long in the body. Once I was on bupe for 6months-I took h for a month to cover wds from h, and then again used b for 7 days... after 10days I put naltrexone implant and was good for 2years! H wd is nothing compared to sub/bupe wd... terrible...
You all gave me so much hope. I will take my pc and watch Hannibal, since I loooove to see Mads Mikkelsen in the best series ever!!! And I even did not take anything,so happy!!! How can I possibly return you a favor???
 
Serbian Girl said:
Bolt, thanks, I did as instructed-no lope. I have 2 bupes, but since I am not in pain yet-I will not take it untill creepy feeling emerge... Bupe stays so long in the body. Once I was on bupe for 6months-I took h for a month to cover wds from h, and then again used b for 7 days... after 10days I put naltrexone implant and was good for 2years! H wd is nothing compared to sub/bupe wd... terrible...
You all gave me so much hope. I will take my pc and watch Hannibal, since I loooove to see Mads Mikkelsen in the best series ever!!! And I even did not take anything,so happy!!! How can I possibly return you a favor???
Click to expand...

It isn't opioids that are dangerous for the fetus, but the shock to the system of withdrawal. You will also have to be careful about what things you take (see what I say about naloxone in Suboxone below).

Please don't use loperamide to stay well. I'm pretty sure it isn't a known teratogen, but high dose use will definitely carry risk for the fetus. It also won't be any safer for the fetus than buprenorphine. However, with buprenorphine you really need to avoid using Suboxone. Naloxone is a known teratogen, meaning it is known to harm the fetus. What you want is Subutex, which is only buprenorphine.

The caveat to that is that naloxone doesn't seem to be a really significant teratogen. Meaning it is probably better for you to be taking Suboxone (buprenorphine with naloxone) than nothing at all. That would also be better than using loperamide or anything else to help with opioid use disorder that is available OTC in America.

You should be aware that buprenorphine and methadone providers have to fast track pregnant patients. Meaning you won't have to wait for any time at all to get into any such program. As a general rule they make it super easy for pregnant women to get onto ORT because it is so helpful to the health of their developing infant. That goes for the health of the fetus during pregnancy AND the health of the young infant after birth by helping keep the mother stable, connected to other supportive services and capable of caring for her baby's needs.

I highly recommend you find yourself either a buprenorphine or methadone provider to help you stabilize while you're pregnant and help you taper and transition off (if that's what you want) after you give birth. One of the best things about these services for pregnant women is how they connect you with other services that will help ensure your infant has the best chances possible.

The first two years of a child's life are foundational in terms of their later development, so it's really important you take good care of yourself especially during this time, in order to be the kind of mother I have no doubt you want to be. Taking care of yourself is now taking on a whole new significance. Now you're taking care of yourself for two. You clearly are already aware of this new reality though.

Certain states in the US have really draconian, fucked up laws surrounding drug use and pregnant mothers. If you're comfortable with it let us know your local region/state, so we can help you navigate the treatment complex and get where you want to go with motherhood. Forgive me is you're not in the US.

What is stopping you from getting professional care with the opioid stuff? BL policy prohibits using our community to make referrals to specific treatment providers, but we can help you located local treatment providers.

Does you OB/GYN know about your opioid use history/current situation? I assume not. They can help you find treatment though.

Here are some helpful links:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thank you so much,
I tried to tell you I live in small city in Serbia, and that I have been hiding my addiction because in our meth and bupe center we have only 10 old junkies with no teeth, education, who are known beggers and thieves and who are over 50y.o. Small, small city.
I lost my baby 8h ago even do I took 2mg of bupe this morning. I feel extremely ill. You do not understand, it is like I live in a village and if anybody knew for my habits or even pregnancy out of wedlock... I am openminded and have done first college degree in Europe, but since I live here and have nowhere to go I have to obey the rules.
It is better off like this. I did not need a child, my body/mind is probably ruined a lot. I will stay at home and take one or two mgs of bupe every third or forth day...
I am so, so tired...
God bless you all, still amazed you have found time for me guys...
It is 10 p.m. in our state...
Serbia, ex-Yugoslavia
 
I'm sorry for your loss. Like everyone said, ORT is advised for pregnant women to prevent dangerous withdrawal.
Please go and see a doctor regarding your miscarriage, there could be infection and complications that a doctor can help with, dont stay silent because you are in a small village that has some judgemental arseholes in it; get the help you need.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top