How Late Into Pregnancy Is It Safe To Stop Taking Suboxone?

I am almost 14 weeks pregnant. I want to stop taking my Suboxone completely, but have heard it can cause premature labor if stopped too far into pregnancy. My doctor also said that withdrawals can not cause miscarriage or hurt the unborn baby in any lasting ways. I have been taking 2mg of subutex (now Suboxone) for the past week. Am I okay to cease all Suboxone use, or should I wait another week or so?

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From what I am reading,using it while pregnant is not advised, because it can cause withdrawal symptoms in the baby.

As to any other details, there really aren't any. It's used during pregnancy has never actually be studied.

As to whether or not you should stop taking it, I am afraid I have to defer to your doctor on this one, since they do know your medical history. Following their advice, since they have experience with it, is probably you best and safest option.

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­Suboxone/­

Does anyone else have anything to add about this issue?

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I was prego and took suboxone through my whole pregnancy and have a healthy baby boy. I didn't want tobtake the chance of going into horrible withdrawals and having a miscarriage. I gradually decreased my 16 but never stopped. Yes baby did have a very slight withdrawal and was given phenobarbital for 2wks but he is healthy and doing very well. Only you can decide what is best for you and baby.

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Unless you are already seeing a high risk OB-GYN, I would continue on the med and seek a second opinion from someone who deals with high risk pregnancy, as your pregnancy definitely fits into this category. This drug is different from opiates, but there could still be problems if you stop it without seeking a second opinion first. I am an R.N., ind this is what I would do, as not all OB physicians have the samr level of exoertise when it comes to issues regarding drugs and prenatal and neonetal effects on the infant, or the mother.

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I am on my 5th pregnancy. I have taken suboxone through 3 other pregnancies. I have a huge urge to quit this time around. But with my other children none of them were born with any withdraw symptoms. They were all completely healthy and i got ot take them home after the regular 48hours. The reason i want to quit this time is because its been years and i just think it is time to quit. But with all my pregnancies i was only on about 4-12mg.. hope this helps

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Hi crystal, I recently went through the same thing. I have a 6 month old baby boy in which I took suboxon during my pregnancy for him! I weaned myself down to about 1-2 mg per day and he was born 6 lb 13 oz and very healthy and had no withdrawal what so ever! I'm not a dr or anything I'm only telling u my experience bc I drove myself nuts over this while pregnant and couldn't find anyone to give me an answer. He is a very good baby and hardly ever cries! I also breastfed him while taking 1 mg a day! Dr told me that very very little would pass through breast milk if any did at all bc it's not something u swallow,, it goes directly into ur blood stream! Ive been told that it's dangerous to stop taking it during pregnancy bc of the risks of miscarriage and preterm labor. I'm now off the suboxon and will never go back down that road again! It's hard I know. Don't let anyone judge you and don't be hard on yourself. Best of luck to u and I hope this helps ease ur mind.

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How did you take suboxone? That is a worry of mine since im not prescribed subs. I just found out im pregnant and dont want to miscarry becuause i tried to quit. I also don't want my 5th baby experiencing wd symptoms. Will they test me for subs in my routine visits? Will it show up in the test? Help pls.

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Im currently six months pregnant And have been taking only about .5_1mg of Suboxone through my entire pregnancy daily. They aren't prescribed to me so i haven't told my ob about them. Im at the point where i want to stop taking them but I'm terrified of withdrawals and what may happen to my baby if i countinue to do so. I know if i take them until birth she may have withdrawal symptoms and that would kill me! Also ive been told pain medication wont help during labor if your on Suboxone. That is the least of my concern though. Ijust want to be done taking anything and not hurt my poor innocent baby. Its my first child and im crying as i type this because I'm so upset and afraid of whats to come. Please respond with any information you may have on how to ease withdrawal or what to expect while doing so. I really need someone to talk to about this! Thanx

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Sweetish you really need to talk to your doctor. I know you are feeling so guilty right now. I was somewhat in the same boat 5 yrs ago. I was pregnant with twins and a pill addict. The moment I saw that stick turn I was terrified and went straight to the Internet looking for advice. I saw so many things about not stopping a opiate addiction while pregnant because it can cause a miscarriage. So in my addict way of thinking that was my "excuse" to not stop. I was sick with guilt the entire pregnancy. By the grace of God the twins were healthy and had no withdrawals but were a little premature. Afterwards I heard of some many women who were pregnant addicts but they told their doctor and were put on suboxone or subutex. It would have been so much safer and just smart to go through this experience being monitored by a doctor. I know you feel so guilty right now but I promise you that talking to your doctor and telling him everything and I do mean everything is so much more safe for you and that baby. It will take so much stress off of you knowing that you are being monitored and doing things the right way and you know that stress is also very bad for your body to deal with pregnant. So please talk to the Dr about it, you could also make an appointment with a suboxone Dr first and explain the situation to him and then he or she could communicate with your ob. It is also not a very good idea to keep it from your ob because during my addiction treatment while going to meetings and stuff I heard several stories where babies were born to addicts and their ob had not been informed and when the baby was born it tested positive for opiates and CPS took the baby. I was prescribed low dose pain mess at the end of my pregnancy for an absessed tooth so it didn't raise any red flags that the twins had any in their system. I'm sorry this is so long but I hope it helps. Good luck.

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I don't want to countinue taking the Suboxone,that's tree main issue and i haven't been taking any other pain pills during my pregnancy not even a cigarette. I just want to be done with everything. I'm 25 weeks, if i quit now or before my third trimester do you think the baby will be born with withdraw symptoms? Im on a small enough dose now that it'll be easy to quit pretty soon. I just don't think telling my Ob is an option becausei don't trust how they will respond and everything has been perfect thus far. Also I've heard that if the hospital staff knows you're on any type of pain pills or addiction treatment that look for something to be wrong with the baby and give them morphine and treat the mom like she's an addict,which Im not and will be devastated if any of that happen occurred.

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@ first time mommy-did you stop taking subs? I am in the same position right now I'm 25 weeks and trying so hard to stop but worried about WDs while pregnant. Like you these are not prescribed to me and so I have not told my OB. I keep looking for answers but have yet to find anything useful. Please help!

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@33 months: just curious, did they test you or babies at the hospital?

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I am 29 weeks and expecting my first a beautiful babygirl named Layla, I'm 25 years old and I was addicted to roxy 30mgs. I never have touched heroin or oxy cotton in my life, I don't smoke cannabis or do any other drugs the pain pill addiction is stemming from open chest lung surgery I had a few years back. I have friends who did drugs while pregnant and CPS got involved and ruined their lives. I don't consider suboxone a drug to get high off, it's my medicine. When I found out I was pregnant I was on a subonxe program and I stopped going I was petrified of telling the doctor cuz I don't want CPS involved at all. I'm married, I'm a television producer and I'm stable mentally and financially. So when I found out I was preggo I stopped my suboxone and some how I was fine, I had been prescribed 8mg a day and was only taking 4mg. Then at 14 weeks I got a servere upper respitory infection and was admitted in the hospital for 5 days. They were giving me Tylenol with codeine. Codeine is an opiate. So when I was discharged I found myself in withdrawel and started taking suboxone again. No more than 2mgs a day and my bestfriend has a script and shares with me so I don't have to go to a doctor. I'm praying that since I'm only taking 2mg that my daughter isn't even getting any. I refuse to tell my doctor. I feel like if I told them in the beginning it would have been fine but now it's too late. I've kept info from them and it will be awful if I tell then now. No matter the circumstances and the fact this all originated from lung surgery and started again with the hospital putting me on opiates I know I will be branding myself by telling the doctor. It's not an option. It's too late in the pregnancy. I'm happy I'm not the only person.any advice or success stories I'd love to here just no one say tell a doctor! Thanks god bless and good luck!!!!

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hi i was recently looking through this blog what ended up happing with your situation?

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Hi Im 17 weeks ppregnant and im anxious to stop takimg subutex, this is my first pregnancy. Tha ive taking this.. im scared to stop and hurt tha baby but I want to stop taking them nor do I want to lower tha mg I justwant to be done completely with it! As anyone plz help

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I am currently 38 weeks pregnant and on Subutext. I stated out at 16mgs a day now i'm up to 20mg. I have wanted to stop taking it many times and asked my doctor about it.Withdrawls can harm your baby don't try to stop. The milagrams I am prescribed are just that I go by how I feel I start my day with a half a one and if I start to feel icky I will take half to a quarter more. My baby is very healthy she is around 8lbs already and constantly moving. If you do have to take something during pregnancy subutext is way better for you then methadone. So if it the effects it will have on the baby that you are concerned about just realize your baby is a lot weaker then you are withdrawls for the baby will be way worse then the effects the subutext has.

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Ok so I'm jus gonna tell you guys my deep dark secret.. I am almost 9 months pregnant with my lil girl and have been on 1mg of suboxine the whole time give or take and now am on prolly .5 mg and NO ONE knows but me and my dealers... Not my doc not my family not the babies father.. Everyday I wake up and think about how much a peice of s*** I am! I should have been stronger I should have stoped when I found out I should have told my doc but now it's to late I have went a day Invetween but once I hit that second day and I'm hurting so bad I'm scard that's what my lil girl is feeling.. I wanna take a tiny peice sooooo bad rite now I'm like fighting myself telling myself o ill jus try not to do any tommro I will start tommro.. Yea ok first thing when I wake up subs is what I think about and then I spend my whole day searching online for people like me and there stories.. My plan was to be done in my second trimester yea didn't work out that way for me and now I'm terrified my baby is gonna be born addicted, my pain meds won't work when I go to deliver.. And everyone is gonna find out about my deeeep dark secret.. No one will ever forgive me and ya kno what I will never forgive myself for doin this to my poor unborn child.. I am a true f***ing loser! My old self would KILL this person I am today.. Well thanks had to get that out been holding it in for 9 months.. Pray for me and my babie girl please!!!!

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I am about 2 months pregnant and on suboxen but mine is prescribed. I'm just finding out tonight that I am pregnant. I can tell you Suboxen WILL come up, I see my family DR monthly and he does drug exams and for a while my suboxen wasn't coming up, but the last 4 months it has every time.The baby's first stool goes back 6 weeks. I have a 4 year old and was addicted to pain pills, and my OB knew the entire time what I was taking I was scared so I told him. He told me to lower my dose each week, and I did but my son had withdrawals and yes CPS got involved and took my baby after he was able to leave, I couldn't take him home. I'm not trying to scare any of you, BUT GET A PRESCRIPTION AND TELL YOUR DR. That was the most painful thing having to leave the hospital without my baby and not being able to pick him up after his 7 day stay in hospital. I went to treatment and got my son back, actually we went to a place together it housed 12 moms and 21 kids but I didn't want my baby to go his first year without me. Today he is a very healthy 4 year old not a thing wrong with him, but to all moms to be not prescribed, I'd def tell my ob. You do not want a CPS case opened and you sure don't want them in your life, be HONEST. Hope this helped

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Hey, Were in the same boat girl! Please write me back!

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You will be fine and don't beat your self up.. things will work out, promise. I was in same boat about not sharing my situation and being prego on sub. But I finally got tired of holding it in. I realized actually being honest and sharing what I'm going through ended up being easier and less stressful. Everyone ended up being right there for me and understanding.I hope everything works out for u and 85% of the stories about people on subs n prego end up being perfectly fine :-) good luch

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Hi i have been on suboxone for 3year & i started with taking 3 but now im down to a half as of 2 weeks ago. I just found out 2days ago that iam only 2 weeks pregnant & i have been worried about my meds my doc is putting me on subutex as of mon, but i figured i would tapper myself to a 1/4 a day soon but the question i need to know is should i stop all together before my last few months & when?

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Re: big D (# 142)

Be aware the hospital may call on your daughter. It also depends on whether the county you live in is medication-maintenance friendly or not. Do more research. Ask lots of questions!

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When I had my baby in May 2016 I was also using Suboxone (not prescribed) to remain off of opiates. I had plans to quit 2 weeks before his due date in case of the initial drug test hospitals give upon admission in my area. However, he was born 2 weeks early at 38 weeks. The initial drug test which was a urine test did not test for suboxone I believe because they had no idea and I was too scared to tell anybody. After my son was born he was sent to a bigger hospital nearby with a NICU unit (our hospital is small with no NICU) for breathing problems. I wanted to speak up but I was so scared. They ended up testing his umbilical cord to find the suboxone in his system. We had the whole roundabout of social workers calling and visiting us. The s***ty treatment from nurses and doctors. The pressure to take another drug test myself and my husband. The threats to take my baby away. As soon as I started getting the calls from social services I immediately signed up for a nearby addiction treatment program. I was lucky enough in the sense that I have a cousin who works at our social services and the head of social services is a good friend of my moms so we signed a contract with them and got to keep our baby as long as we followed their little treatment plan. Which didn't have much on it anyways.

My son was in the NICU for 2 weeks. He had withdrawals of course and they weaned him with morphine. I feel really bad about it and although I was told by a social worker that it was better for me to use that then other drugs or even opiates. I still wish i had spoke up before I had my son. I was scared of the exact judgement that I received anyways. However, now I firmly believe if I had spoke up when I first found out I was pregnant and gotten on a program then I believe the experience would have been much better than being looked down at for using something you were not but could have been prescribed. I do know they put you on subutex usually for pregnancy. I just encourage anybody who is pregnant and using anything to reach out and either get on a suboxone program or some type of treatment program. It will be better for you and your baby in the long run. It is much better for doctors and nurses to know beforehand and I really wish i had done things differently. My son is a healthy 2 year old now. No issues besides a little respiratory when he gets sick sometimes he needs to use a nebulizer. Another note is many hospitals are starting to use umbilical cord testing because they dont have to have consent to collect it and it goes as far back as the beginning of your third trimester so about 2-3 months. I just wanted to share my story.

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Re: Escaroe (# 148)

Hey u found out I was pregnant and was on 24ng a day started weaning at 2 months in now 4 months and down to 1.5mg. I started off going to 8mg then to 4mg then to 2 mg now just 1.5mg then 1mg I'll b off in another week just listen to your body you'll feel some side effects but not to much.

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I was on 24 mg of suboxone a day and overt the last two months have got down to 1.5mg and soon to be off I know every one says it's dangerous but I'm doing ok and the baby is too, just wean according to your body I'm now 4 months pregnant and will be completely off in 2 weeks. Hope every thing turned out good for you.

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Re: DeeDee (# 58)

What was your taper schedule? I’m pregnant on suboxone just found out I’m two weeks. Taking 8mg down to 4 since found out.

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I was on a 28 day suboxone detox for opiate addiction. I started on 16mg for 1 week then started reducing following my reduce chart. I am now down to 2mg though it has took more than 28 days due to family problems. I have found out I'm 5 weeks pregnant & the past four days I have reduced myself more to halving my 2mg tablet. I have felt slight withdrawal but I also have a flu so I feel a lot of the feeling cold & cold shivers because I've got the flu. My addiction worker did make me aware that I should wait until after I'm 12 weeks pregnant but to do it before the last 12 weeks as it could cause problems with the baby. I feel fine, I can handle the how I'm feeling & most importantly I'm not craving opiates, more so to the fact I couldn't bring myself to do that knowing I'm pregnant.

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Re: Becca (# 86)

Can u tell me his this worked out for you I'm in the sake boat

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Re: New Mommy (# 143)

That is awesome! I’m so happy to hear that! I’ve been reading everything on the internet every night about suboxone because I’m scared about my baby having NAS. We’re u able to get an epidural? If so how good did it work?

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He’ll everyone (:

I am 21 weeks pregnant with my baby boy and I am currently taking 8mg suboxone a day as prescribed. today my ob told me that basically my son will be staying in the Nicu once he’s born. They don’t seem to know a lot about suboxone and forget or mistake a lot of other information as well. I’ve also done a lot of research about suboxone while pregnant and what my baby might go thru. My suboxone doctor told me it’s better if I stay on suboxone at the same dose which is 8mg a day the whole pregnancy. So question 1 is, is it safe to stop at 21 weeks? Because I definitely want to but I’ve also read it’s not a good idea and it scares me since I lost my first child 5 days after he was born in March 2014 for a different reason. This is my second child and I wanna do everything right and it also brings me to question 2. Should I switch my hospital choice for where I’m giving birth? I ask this bc the hospital scares me as they don’t seem to care and don’t pay attention. For example, they mistakenly told me I had a serious STI when I was there last time and then after I started crying and freaking out they checked again to show me and it said PENDING not positive! And I feel like they're gonna drug my baby up regardless if he shows NAS or not. Also, if anyone has any experience delivering while on suboxone I would love to hear about it! I would like to know if it’s possible to get an epidural? And if your baby went through any withdrawal?

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Finally, I can post my experience! I gave birth to a healthy baby boy 11/2. He was 2 weeks early (38 weeks exactly) and I had weaned myself to 1/32 of a 8mg suboxone film. I never told my doctor because I didn’t want anyone to know but my baby was born and they didn’t pick anything up on drug panels if they did any. I stopped immediately once he was born though, but I haven’t decided if I will start back on 1/32 because I am not having a lot of luck breastfeeding, and I have had to use formula. I would suggest getting off earlier so you don’t have to stop suddenly like I did but they also put me on Percocet because of the sutures so I just quit taking the boxes after I delivered. They said he was perfectly healthy and I don’t think he had any withdrawals because I was taking such a small dose. I hope this gives everyone some peace of mind, in my case 1/32 worked out and no DHS or questions were asked.

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