Pregnant taking Subutex (Page 1)

Be sure to inform your doctor that you are pregnant when you visit the specialist. You'll have to make a joint decision about the relative benefits and risks of the medication during your pregnancy. Be aware, however, that neonatal withdrawal has been reported in the infants of women treated with SUBUTEX during pregnancy. Furthermore:

# The safety of SUBUTEX during pregnancy has not been established. It is not recommended for use during pregnancy as it may be harmful to the developing baby, particularly in the third trimester, when it may cause breathing problems or a withdrawal syndrome in the baby after birth.

# SUBUTEX passes into breast milk. It may also inhibit the production of breast milk. Mothers who need to take this medicine should not breastfeed during treatment.

Thanks for the reply. My doctor definitely knows I am taking Subutex as well as the specialist. I have been slowly lowing my dose but very carefully. I'm not suppost to quit cold turkey for the fact that it can be very harmful to the baby. As for breastfeeding, I won't be able to. I hate to think that but it's for whats best for the baby. Thanks again!!!

You're welcome. I didn't know that cold turkey was not advised. And congratulations! Please let me know if you're interested i support during your recovery. Do you go to any 12 step meetings?

Yes I go but not as much as I should. I know they say not to use being busy as an excuse but I've been busy. Are you in recovery?

Yep. 5 years. It sounds like you do have a lot going on in your life...but I encourage you to try to make a meeting every day for a little while...and make it your commitment. Detox from opiates are difficult and you need the support. DO you have a sponsor?

it is very worrying when on subutex i was on subutex when i was pregnant, i was on 2mg a day. i had gradually droped down slowly. i got down to 0.4 of bropermorphine a day. my doctor wouldn't let me drop any more. when my baby born was born he was healthy and the birth was fine, athough he did have a few cold shivers and was sneezing. the doctors said he was fine and it was gone within 24hrs. it was a relief but i can relate to the worry it causes. it will be fine as long as you are not using on top and try to drop down slowly it will all be o.k. i hope it goes well, good luck. sweet lips.

Thanks for the message. It's good to hear from someone that actually went through the same thing. I've been lowing the dose. I started off on 12mg but I'm down to 2mg a day. I was hoping to be off of it by the time he was born. He's due on March 4th. Real soon! I'm a bit worried about withdrawls. Did you receive any pain medication during your labor?

i was on 8mg of subutex in my pregnancy and my baby is having severe wthdrals. you have to keep in mind though evert baby is different . i was on it with my older daughter and she was fine.she does have a heart condition , but it runs in her fathers family. with these things you will never know .basically we all are guinee pigs . with me subutex was the better option to methadone based on my first pregnancy. so youn just have to talk to your doc and do what you feel is right.good luck to all of you out there and be safe. subutex and suboxone really SAVED MY LIFE I hope it can help you too if all else fails>>>>>>

i am 11 weeks pregnant and take about .5mg to 1 mg of subutex today and i really want to get off of it before i deliver.... but i don't want the baby to experience withdrawals. i'm trying to figure out how long to stay where i am at before i go down more....

Hi stacieb. I was on subutex, started on 8mg of suboxone until I found out I was pregnant, and switched to subutex. I lowered (with advise of my addiction specialist) and went down very, very slowly (dropping about 1/4 tablet every 4-12 days, depending on how things were going. if I was feeling any withdrawal symptoms, I stayed at the dose until they stopped, or perhaps went back up by crumbs, until they were gone. The problem is that you can cause your baby harm (as I understand it) if you experience withdrawal while pregnant, and this can cause miscarriage.

Finally, after a slow, slow taper, I went from 2mg, to 1 3/4, to 1 1/2 to 1 1/4 and so on, down to finally 1/4mg (a quarter of a half of a 2mg pill), and took the jump. I was told that if I was able to do this without withdrawal symptoms by the 24th week, NO LATER, then the chances of things being OK were increased. I am on day 5 of nothing, and other than the anxiety from "What's going to happen?" and some loose stool (sorry, but it is what it is), I have no other issues. Baby is kicking every day many times, and I am making certain to take my vitamins, get outside in the fresh air, EAT, and sleep, or at least rest. Read a book, do yoga, confide in a friend, and take good care of yourself. Most of all, talk to your Dr. They can advise you best. I am no doctor, but I can very much understand where you are coming from. I too do not want my child to experience withdrawal.

I hope this helps you. I sure wish I had more help when I first started going through this!

I am n tears, I have been ob Subutex fir 3 yrs and I am on 32 mil a day. I was told it would hurt my son who I had last year, he did not need NIC, but yes he shivered, low birth weight, and sneezed. I am now 14 weeks preg and my Dr will not let me come down at all, I dont want to b on this anymore and dont have enough will power to do it myself. Im terrified. If I ever run out early I go through the worst intense withdrawls ever and I can only imagine what it is doing to the baby I am carrying. My dose is sooo high, some one please help me, give me some kind of advice, I am loosing it emotionally and phisically. Sighned, Melissa mother of 3

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESPONSE TO MY POST!!! It is so good to have such a specific answer to my question! I spoke with my OBGYN who is a high risk pregnancy doctor and he said because of my low dose i could stop and that the withdrawal would not affect the baby. But it is nice to know that since I am only 13 weeks, i can stretch it out a little more if i need to... i just want to be normal again... which is what the subutex did for me in the first place, (as far as taking other narcotics.) Now i want to be normal with NO MEDS!!!! All i care about is having a healthy baby and giving the baby a healthy start in life!

Your post made me feel so much better! Thank you so much!!!!!!!

Well, as I said before Stacie, you have to go with what your Dr. says. If I recall correctly, they suggested to wait until I was in the 2nd trimester, but not go past the 24th week. The main issue was to have the withdrawal symptoms be as low as possible, if not totally absent. EVERYONE is different, and you could have terrible withdrawal from a low dose, or no withdrawal at all, or somewhere in between. I found when I went at a slow enough pace, and didn't push it to where I was at too low a dose where I was getting sick, I was ok. My withdrawal has been, for the most part, mild. I have had terrible anxiety over what would or will happen to my baby because there are so few studies on what happens when a mom withdraws while pregnant, rather than having the baby go through neonatal withdrawal. Logic tells me that doing it before, if done right, is best, but logic isn't always correct either. Just remember to eat, stay POSITIVE, drink your fluids when and if the withdrawals hit your digestive system (you will know if they do), and I would suggest buying some Boost Plus or Ensure... those are full of vitimins, calories and protein, and will help when and if you hit those days where you simply don't want to eat. FORCE yourself to, and if you need me, just reply on here. I will respond. I appreciate not being alone in this either If your Dr. has any other suggestions on how to ease withdrawal, let me know. We can compare notes

Good luck, and stay positive!!! The power of positive thinking has been a great help for me. So has thanking God (and I am no church goer... not even sure what I believe in to be honest) for His help through this... my anxiety melts away when I do that... it works for me anyhow

I'm so glad to here from you again! I just began my 2nd trimester, and it does make sense that this would be the best time to stop the meds... I am down to tiny little chips of subutex, but i find that about 7 to 9 hours after the last chip, i start getting that feeling... I try to go as long as i can, but when i feel like i won't be able to function, i go ahead and take another chip.

The good news is that i go on vacation next week, and i can just sleep all week. i think that would be a great time to stop, so that i don't have to get up in the morning to go to work....

It won't be the best of vacations, but it will be good for the baby and that is all I care about!!!

I realy don't know how else to ease the withdrawal symptoms, unfortunately.... If i was not pregnant, i would say xanax would definitely help, but that would hurt the baby...

I do know that God can help and has helped me, which helps with my anxiety as well....

But I'm torn between what I know God can do, and what my body is telling me....

I hate Withdrawals!!!! But I LOVE my baby, and i look at his/her picture constantly to remind me why I am going to go through them....

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE FOR ME!! It is so nice to have someone to talk to that actually understands, instead of people who say they understand but have no clue what it is actually like....

So then what week are you in right now? ARe you still in your 2nd trimester?

Also, I was wondering what week you started lowering your dose. How many weeks did the whole process take for you?

Hey Stacie,

I am in week 22 now. I found out I was pregnant at about 4-5 weeks, and I tried immediately to lower my dose... well, I tried to quit C/T then, but that sure wasn't going to fly... not a good idea, and I know that more now. I was on maybe 6mg at the time, so I went to 5, then 4 (I think) then 3 then 2 (trying to remember... sometimes it is not that easy) and from 2 I started going down by about 1/4mg no less than every 4 days... sometimes over a 2 week timeframe if I needed to. I was surprised how easy it really was to be honest. It was not till I got down to the very end that I got nervous, and a BIG part of me thinks that the whole problem at the end is mental, not physical anyhow... my mind was so used to waking up, having my coffee and my pill and then feeling 100% within 15 minutes... how could I function without that, right? Well, I can, pretty much, just fine...

One thing that might help you is this... you know how gross those darn things taste. Let them make you feel a little sick from the taste. You won't hold them under your tongue as long. I would only keep mine under my tongue for maybe 2 minutes, perhaps a little longer if I could avoid the taste. Then I would take a big drink of decaf and wash it down. I know you aren't supposed to eat or drink anything for 20 minutes to let it take full affect, but it seemed to work fine for me the way I did it, and that also helped decrease the dose, since not all of it was processed under my tongue. Just a thought to help you.

So, to answer your question, I am at 22 weeks now, started decreasing at 5 weeks, but knew I had a bit of time so didn't rush. You also have time. and if you are now only taking crumbs, you are already ahead of me! That is FANTASTIC!!! You will certainly make it, I am sure of it.

No, Xanax is not really an option. You can ask your Dr. what is though... there may be no answer. It may be to just get through it as best as you can. I have bad allergies and have been told that I can take Benedryl. That can help a little with anxiety as well at times. You can ask your Dr. about that. I have also been told to ask my Dr. about Trazadone for sleep and anxiety, but I am trying to stay as med-free as possible, so I have not asked. I probably should, but... I guess I am being stubborn Imagine that, a stubborn addict... . Interestingly enough, if I were not pregnant, I don't know that I would be coming off this stuff... no real drive to, I suppose. So, although it would be nice to have the option to take things like xanax or clonodine or whatever, I don't know that I would have incentive enough to not just give in and take more subutex. In a way, I think that my baby has given me the real push that I always needed.



Anyhow, I am here for you, and I am really glad as well to have someone to relate to. I have been (other than my specialist) very alone in this process. I do not have an understanding family where this is concerned, and can not talk to them about this whatsoever.

My name is Rikki, and I have been in the hospital since 6:00 a.m this morning, being induced with my third child, but my first baby boy! His name will be Abeal Jae Anthony. I am a recovering addict as well and unfortunatley seeked the treatment a little to late, and made some unfortunate early pregnancy mistakes. I was initially placed on 3 eight milligram pills a day, and this was at around 20 weeks, so dropping down has been a journey, and what has seemed to be a quick one. I am here waiting on him now and am thanking god every minute that I have not had one issue during this preganay thus far, I am 39 weeks and 4 days, so I carried full term! At my baby growth ultrasound at 30 weeks my baby already weighed almost 4 1/2 pounds, and was placed in a 100 percentile range for weight at 30 weeks. All the organs are there and they are functioning properly, so one would assume that I have nothing to worry about. Well I am! I am down to approx 4 mg a day from the original, 24 mg a day, so I made progress, but I did not as one may say suceed! I am praying that I have come down enough to lessen any withdraw symptoms my baby may have, and that he will be healthy and safe. This had been the first pregnancy that I ever had an addiction problem in, and I wish I could go back. The fact that I did seek the opiate treatment although was really my best option, oppose to the 50 mg of various pain pills I could exceed, as well as heroin if it was around! SO I can not say that because my baby is okay now that subutex are not harmful, and I will not know until he gets here. So if everyone has a moment to pray, for me and my baby please find it in your heart to hope nothing but the best, despite my selfish choices that I have made. For any person that has suffered an addiction problem knows it is not easy and it is not selfless that is for sure! I can assure although that this baby means the world to me as well as my two girls, and this addiction does not define me. If this baby experiences any withdraw I will never forgive myself, but all I can do is be there for him, and that I will do! I hope well for anyone that is in this situation, and I do not judge your choice, one does what one feels will be right in the end. This is what I have chosen, and I hope it runs out right!
Rikki Lee

My name is Rikki, and I have been in the hospital since 6:00 a.m this morning, being induced with my third child, but my first baby boy! His name will be Abeal Jae Anthony. I am a recovering addict as well and unfortunatley seeked the treatment a little to late, and made some unfortunate early pregnancy mistakes. I was initially placed on 3 eight milligram pills a day, and this was at around 20 weeks, so dropping down has been a journey, and what has seemed to be a quick one. I am here waiting on him now and am thanking god every minute that I have not had one issue during this preganay thus far, I am 39 weeks and 4 days, so I carried full term! At my baby growth ultrasound at 30 weeks my baby already weighed almost 4 1/2 pounds, and was placed in a 100 percentile range for weight at 30 weeks. All the organs are there and they are functioning properly, so one would assume that I have nothing to worry about. Well I am! I am down to approx 4 mg a day from the original, 24 mg a day, so I made progress, but I did not as one may say suceed! I am praying that I have come down enough to lessen any withdraw symptoms my baby may have, and that he will be healthy and safe. This had been the first pregnancy that I ever had an addiction problem in, and I wish I could go back. The fact that I did seek the opiate treatment although was really my best option, oppose to the 50 mg of various pain pills I could exceed, as well as heroin if it was around! SO I can not say that because my baby is okay now that subutex are not harmful, and I will not know until he gets here. So if everyone has a moment to pray, for me and my baby please find it in your heart to hope nothing but the best, despite my selfish choices that I have made. For any person that has suffered an addiction problem knows it is not easy and it is not selfless that is for sure! I can assure although that this baby means the world to me as well as my two girls, and this addiction does not define me. If this baby experiences any withdraw I will never forgive myself, but all I can do is be there for him, and that I will do! I hope well for anyone that is in this situation, and I do not judge your choice, one does what one feels will be right in the end. This is what I have chosen, and I hope it runs out right!
Rikki Lee

I am currently in a very similar situation that it sounds like you have been in since the beginning of your pregnancy. I am 13 weeks and I have an appointment Monday to hopefully go on subutex. I was just wondering A. How you and your doctor decided what mg to go on B. has subutex really been as helpful as most say it is? I'm a little nervous, I know it's best for the baby compared to what I'm doing now its just been very nerve racking stopping the percocept. C. How is your baby? Did your prior drug use or subutex cause any birth defects or such?

I am in the same position.... When i was taking pain meds, my family's response was, "just stop taking them-how is that so difficult?" yeah, right!!!

yes, the subutex tastes horrible... i was on suboxone until i found out i was pregnant, and it tasted much better... i think you are right though, the taste does make me sick, and i usually do drink something right after... i didn't realize that could lower my dose.. that is wonderful!

I'm so so so so happy for you that you are through the hard part! I know i have something to look forward to!

It's so unbelievable how it is SO HARD to come off of even just the smallest little dose... It has such a hold on me...

I also feel that i would probably still be on the suboxone or subutex if i hadn't gotten pregnant. But, you're right, a baby is a huge incentive and gives you a very big push!

i didn't know benedryl was okay, but that is good to know... that could help with sleeping....

it's so good to hear that this can actually work for me! it's so good to know that someone has actually done it successfully!!!!!

HI I am in the same position 13wks PG but I am worried that I am in the need of more Subutex now due to the fact that at the end of the day I start to feel cold and not well. I am just so scared for my baby's health which is due in Oct2011. My DR says everything looks normal and the baby is growing on time. Yet I am feeling alone at times even tho my hubby is a great support. I just dont know what to do! I feel like detoxing yet I feel like I need more and I wonder too, does Child Protective Services get involved if the mother is on subutex during pregnancy. I can tell these posts were made in 2008-2009 but I REALLY NEED some help and advise now

HI I am in the same position 13wks PG but I am worried that I am in the need of more Subutex now due to the fact that at the end of the day I start to feel cold and not well. I am just so scared for my baby's health which is due in Oct2011. My DR says everything looks normal and the baby is growing on time. Yet I am feeling alone at times even tho my hubby is a great support. I just dont know what to do! I feel like detoxing yet I feel like I need more and I wonder too, does Child Protective Services get involved if the mother is on subutex during pregnancy. I can tell these posts were made in 2008-2009 but I REALLY NEED some help and advise now

HI I am in the same position 13wks PG but I am worried that I am in the need of more Subutex now due to the fact that at the end of the day I start to feel cold and not well. I am just so scared for my baby's health which is due in Oct2011. My DR says everything looks normal and the baby is growing on time. Yet I am feeling alone at times even tho my hubby is a great support. I just dont know what to do! I feel like detoxing yet I feel like I need more and I wonder too, does Child Protective Services get involved if the mother is on subutex during pregnancy. I can tell these posts were made in 2008-2009 but I REALLY NEED some help and advise now

I am 29 weeks pregnant right now and i am seeing a specialist dr for my baby. I have a very high risk pregnancy and my dr said that babys have a 40 to 60% chance of not feeling withdrrawal symptoms off of subutex. I am on 12 mg and have been for two years. My sp. dr says it is better NOT to ween down off your dose. Just because you are not feeling the withdrawal symptoms from weening doesn't mean the fetus wont! I hope this helps you my son is due in oct 2011 also!

Well, like I said, check with your own Dr. about the benedryl. Just because mine said it was ok does not mean that yours will concur. It has helped me a little with sleep... not much, but some, as in a few hours... but it does give more of a sense of calm and tiredness (not that you won't be fatigued... you will be if you are not already most likely).

I am glad to hear that you have a Dr. that feels that the low dose you are on is not going to cause any problems with your baby during or after your pregnancy. My Dr. is not familiar with this stuff and can only go off of written reports and case studies that she has read about. That doesn't rest well with me. My addiction specialist, now that I am off the subutex, finally told me that she too had never seen someone who successfully came off while pregnant. All her patients have stayed on a low dose and had their babies spend time in the nicu for NAS, and that to me is not acceptable!!!

oh my gosh, i can not let that happen to my baby! I can not have my baby going through that! I don't care how much i have to suffer!!! All that matters is that the baby doesn't suffer!

i'm really going to try to stop next week on vacation... i had planned on just sleeping it off, but i heard that it is better to excercise alot to try to get it out of your system... maybe go for walks and swimming...

i'll try anything! i hope i have given the weaning enough time.... i also started weaning at 5 weeks pregnant....

i guess we'll see what happens... hopefully i will come back from vacation subutex free!!!

Well, you will certainly have to let me know how things go. You sound determined, and that is a HUGE part of it. Again, if you can keep with withdrawal as mild as possible, then your baby (at least according to the Dr)should not experience withdrawal...

I had planned on sleeping it off, but I ended up laying around, feeling bad that I was wasting time, my mind was too active, and it was a bit depressing and caused me some anxiety ( I was waiting for something BAD to happen). Getting up, taking walks, going swimming (if you are near a pool or ocean or whatever), taking a shower (those helped me a lot... sometimes took 2/day!) and taking the time to put myself together (get dressed nicely, do my hair/make up, etc...) really helped my overall well being. stay hydrated as I mentioned before. That can help a lot. You may also want to ask your Dr. if you can take epsom salt baths. I hear those help, but I do not know that they are approved for pregnancy. They pull toxins, and replace magnesium, and are apparently deeply relaxing. Also, I believe that some of the residual drug is stored in fat, and the more you can flush out, the less of it you will have stored up.

Seriously though, you are going to do GREAT. So many worriers are out there who tell tales of woe, because they do have them. I don't know what you took before you were on subs that made you decide to go ON subs, but you got THIS far, and you can certainly go all the way. I still wake up every morning expecting to feel bad. Sometimes I have a little anxiety, but as soon as I get myself up and out, and BUSY, I am good. Every single day that I am without subs is a BETTER day. I screwed up a week ago and took 1/4 of one 7 days ago because I felt it was needed (and maybe it was). I paid for it the day after with stomach issues, but each day past that I have found that things are getting better and better and better.

Take care, be strong and stay POSITIVE!

i was using on and off when i found out i was pregnant and on drs advice went from 8mg to 12mg and up to 16mg in the 3rd trimester, my baby didnt need medication but he did have withdrawals and it was a very hard time emotionally, due to the guilt i felt at causing my baby to suffer, but he is now a very bright and healthy 16 month old. had i known he was going to suffer i probably wouldnt have gone through with the pregnancy, i was told by my dr that most babys dont withdraw, but am so glad i had him as i have not touched an illegal drug since he really made me turn my life around after many years of living in the nightmare world of drug addiction, he is very demanding and active, i dont know if thats to do with the subutex as far as i understand no long term studies have been done , but it could be that im 43 and just tire easier than a younger mother,good luck