Dr. Marjorie Greenfield
Specializing in pregnancy and birth.
|
|
 Ask Dr. Greenfield
Taking Methadone during Pregnancy | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Greenfield,
Hello. I'm about seventeen years old, and I'm seven weeks pregnant. However, I have a major problem. When I was fifteen, I got mixed in with the "wrong people," and sooner or later I was doing anything for heroin. Recently, my doctors prescribed methadone to me. My pregnancy doctors are telling me it's not good to take while pregnant, so I stopped. But now my regular medical doctors are getting on my back for not taking it to control "urges" for heroin, which I suffered major withdrawal from. I was wondering if I should follow my pregnancy doctors or if I should rely more on my regular medical doctors for such a problem as drug addiction.— Seraphim | | | ANSWER |
January 17, 2002 | | | Dear Seraphim,
Congratulations on getting yourself off of heroin and on trying so hard now to do the right thing for your baby-to-be! Unfortunately you sometimes get mixed advice about what is best for you and for your baby.
The most important thing at this point is to stay off heroin, and off of other drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. If it takes methadone to keep you off of drugs, and away from all the things that you'd do to get drugs, that might be the best choice. But since you've already gotten off methadone, there is probably no reason to restart it. Babies born to women on methadone go through withdrawal after birth, just like babies born to women on heroin. It also isn't good to stop heroin (or methadone) during pregnancy, since the baby goes through withdrawal inside you--where you can't do much to take care of him. Now that you are off of it, the baby should be fine, but going on and off heroin or methadone in pregnancy is unhealthy for you and for your baby.
The best way to stay off of drugs is to be in an ongoing drug treatment program like narcotics anonymous (NA) or whatever program is available in your area. Heroin is a very difficult addiction, and as you say, you will have urges that you'll have to fight. You'll need a lot of support in order to succeed in staying off of drugs and also to help you be the best mother that you can be. You are already taking steps to do the right thing. Take care, and good luck!— by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D. |
|
