getting off kratom if pregnant - how best????

[sleepy]

I thought there was an ethnobotanical forum on this site but can't find it -So if a mod is so inclined feel free to move this and pm me to let me know

I'm wondering what people think about the necessity of tapering a daily Kratom habit if I find out I'm pregnant? My concern would be that of I immediately quit entirely, that by the time I feel wd it'll b too late and I could miscarry - I know you're not doctors- but doctors aren't going to know what Kratom is.....and it's relevant that i'm 41 yrs old, and even my last pregnancy was considered "high risk" based on my age alone - all meds aside.

My firt pregnancy I was on a heavy prescribed dose of hydromormhone and a tiny bit of methadone - the specialist OBGYN thought it safest to continue me on these Meds and even continued prescribing adderall - it's interesting - if u check you'll see that most of the controlled substances rated highest risk by the DEA are actually the closest to lowest on the govt determined "risk to fetus" scale - weird

My shame: I did continue w/ the heavy prescribed opiate Rx and for a while the adderall, but at some pt during my pregnancy I started IVing heroin and then added coke to mix - my baby dodged a bullet and was early but not technically premature - (he did stay in the NICU for almost a month w/ me practically sleeping there around the clock) for opiate wd which everyone was expecting - but 15 months later he is vital, smart, happy and healthy, but still very small for his age - I was very ( morning - type) sick throughout most of my pregnancy, so I expected him to be small, but he has never caught up......but docs say that's okay – drugs/meds can cause low <birth weight> but not necessarily small people - I think he's just a small guy like my dad

i don't know if this is the right forum for these questions, but i'm just gathering all the info i can and i've found bluelighters a shockingly insightful and thoughtful bunch. any info would be appreciated.

thank you in advance –

 

[effie]

Hi sleepy,

I'm so glad to hear your son is doing well

Opioids are not one of the most well-known drugs for causing harm to a baby - unlike cocaine, which constricts blood vessels and can cause the placenta to malfunction, potentially restricting a foetus's growth - and often it is better to keep the mother stable on painkillers or methadone rather than risk destabilising things when she is pregnant. However, some recent research has suggested that opioid use (looking at prescription opioids rather than kratom) is linked to birth defects (see here) and although the overall risk is low, it is reasonable to want to come off kratom if you are going to get pregnant I think.. you're right though, the problem is that the most damage is usually done in the early stages so you might not realise. I would suggest that if you are concerned and you are actively trying for a baby you taper off the kratom first..

It's tricky as kratom is a bit of an unknown - as you say, most doctors haven't heard of it and there certainly isn't any research I can find looking at kratom in pregnancy - but if you group it with other opioids, there does appear to be a risk that it could cause problems.. the other problem is that as opioids readily cross the placenta, your baby will be born as dependent on kratom as you are, and will withdraw initially. This can be managed and as your OBGYN said sometimes it is best to leave the mother on opioid medication if it is needed, but it is something else to consider. Obviously kratom is weaker than heroin but the unknown factor scares me a little..

Good luck if I find any concrete information I'll let you know!

 

[sleepy]

Thank you so much - question: I read that Kratom WASN'T an opiate? Did read wrong or was that person wrong? Yea - ill definitely get off - and because it's weaker - whatever class it is - I think a slow taper will be safest - I've already started and do know that there is a 3 week window, before the placenta is formed - where the embryo is safe from anything the mother takes. I read this off a reputable source - though no chances r better than any for sure - thanks again!

 

[effie]

Haha yeah kratom's a confusing one, it contains a lot of different chemicals, but at least one of the alkaloids (the active chemicals in kratom) does act as an opioid. It has pretty complicated pharmacology from my reading - I just focussed on the opioid aspect as that was something I knew a bit about.. unfortunately I don't think it has been studied at all in pregnancy so it's really difficult to know what effects the other active chemicals might have.

You're right, although the first trimester is the most dangerous, until the placenta is formed the embryo is protected. Most mothers don't detect pregnancy until they skip a period and often they miss this window however, and some pregnancy tests won't work until you are at least a few weeks pregnant. I think a slow taper definitely sounds like the best idea, better safe than sorry, and if it's something you can ease yourself off hopefully it won't be too difficult

 

[sleepy]

Thank you!

And please do let me know if learn anything more. As a hope to die dope fiend for much of my adult life, a Kratom taper doesnt scare me - though I sure do like the stuff and the thai strains really help me keep up w/my active toddler! I'm pretty sure I'm not pregnant yet - and there r tests than can detect it surprisingly early.... I'll contue tapering and trying - thanks again-
G

 

[Sappy_6794]

As a Kratom user, I definitly think itd be a great idea to kick the habit as soon as possible since there arent that many studies of it in America. No, Kratom isnt an opiate, as far as my research has answered, its active alkaloids just mimic the effects of real opiates, and really there arent any sites or studies saying that its bad for you, after all its just an herb, but its better to be safe than sorry.

 

[sleepy]

As a Kratom user, I definitly think itd be a great idea to kick the habit as soon as possible since there arent that many studies of it in America. No, Kratom isnt an opiate, as far as my research has answered, its active alkaloids just mimic the effects of real opiates, and really there arent any sites or studies saying that its bad for you, after all its just an herb, but its better to be safe than sorry.

I agree- thank u!

 

[Roger&Me]

As a Kratom user, I definitly think itd be a great idea to kick the habit as soon as possible since there arent that many studies of it in America. No, Kratom isnt an opiate, as far as my research has answered, its active alkaloids just mimic the effects of real opiates, and really there arent any sites or studies saying that its bad for you, after all its just an herb, but its better to be safe than sorry.

Oh please, saying that "kratom isnt an opiate" is such a cop-out... mitragynine has high affinity for mu opiate receptors just like any other "real opiate", so expect it to have every effect on a developing child that something like morphine would. Kratom is "just an herb" in the same way that the poppy is "just a flower"!

 

[sleepy]

Oh please, saying that "kratom isnt an opiate" is such a cop-out... mitragynine has high affinity for mu opiate receptors just like any other "real opiate", so expect it to have every effect on a developing child that something like morphine would. Kratom is "just an herb" in the same way that the poppy is "just a flower"!

i don't want to be argumentative w/my fellow BTers, but i don't think he was coping out. i think he's technically right. and his main point was that it was more likely than not best to get off asap. fyi: morphine, though a terrible thing for a newborn to have to detox off of, is relatively benign to the fetal development -- at least that's how the doctors who prescribed my legit delaudid rx said while i was pregnant w/first baby. not saying there weren't risks, but in my case, since i was already on it and pregnancy a total surprise, they said best to stay on it than put me and baby thru wd's, or even taper. that main problem w/opiate using on the street while pregnant is the high, then wd, than, high, which isn't the case while on methadone or following doctors rx, a steady blood supply is better than up and down; but i'm not an expert, obviously, just read about mothers in methadone programs.... but i meanwhile just don't think that would be the case w/a meth or crack habbit, which is the only reason i said "relatively benign" - because other drugs are proven far more dangerous to fetal development. tho, as i said in my original post, they also continue my adderall rx, which isn't meth, though close. bottom line: being on nothing is best, second best is following doctor's instructions when on dangerous meds..... any way. i appreciate the responses. all of them.

 

[Sappy_6794]

I am a fucking lady jesus fucking christ!!!

 

[sleepy]

lol! with a truck driver's mouth like my own! i'm sorry for my assumption; it's been made about me too, though not on this particular thread, obviously. i shouldn't make assumptions. i WAS defending you.... i hope you accept my apology. and thank you for your response. (gosh i'm surprised a mod hasn't shut this thread down because we've gotten so off topic. but it's okay w/me. i need all the input any BLers, especially the beautiful women, have. thanks again.
g

 

[Sappy_6794]

HAHA : D its ok, yeah i do cuss really bad... i do like that you defended me though so thank ya