How Late Into Pregnancy Is It Safe To Stop Taking Suboxone? (Page 6)

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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My situation is the exact same as yours. I feel horrible and such an awful person. First thing I think about in the morning and last when I go to bed I also tell me self everyday I'm going to cut back and do a smaller dose but every day is the same doing the same amount and times I do everyday. And then searching the Internet trying to find simalar story's of mine I wanna rapper down but don't know if it's safe. I'm a lot sooner just prego only 5 weeks. I don't know what to do!! Hope to hear from you!

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Maya Marie,
I read your post about your situation. It's a good thing you're on subutex rather than suboxone. Before I was taking subutex, I was taking suboxone. I read that subutex was a bit healthier for the unborn baby because it doesn't have naloxone in it. I was the same as you though--telling myself I would stop and beating myself up about taking anything while pregnant. It wasn't until I quit telling myself I was this awful person that I was able to taper down successfully (that, and my husband helped as well) but it is much harder to even cut back when you are feeling so low about yourself. As you are aware, subutex not only helps you physically but mentally and emotionally as well. So, in my case, the more i heard from others or told myself how horrible I was, the more subutex I would take because I felt like it made me happier and forget the emotional pain I was feeling. It's a vicious cycle. I know you feel horrible but try not to. We are human. First start by just telling yourself you aren't a horrible person; that you're an addict. Then, if you have someone around that would support you both in this pregnancy and your addiction, tell them you want some help. Like I said, my husband took mine from me and gave me my dose everyday because I got to where I was going overboard with it. Once I told myself I wasn't a horrible person and that I needed help, it was much easier to taper down. I could have very well taken more but I wanted to prove to myself that I could taper down and I really wanted to make sure my baby wouldn't experience withdrawal or as little as possible. Bottom line, don't beat yourself up because it won't help you reach your goal of tapering down; You'll always want more to try and ease the emotional pain you're feeling. I wish the best for you. Please keep me posted. Oh, I've read stopping altogether could cause a miscarriage or premature birth and, by the way,I was on 6-8mg of suboxone up until my third month. I know you'll succeed--just keep your head up.

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Same thing is happening to me. I'm only on 1 or 2 mg an im 35 weeks. I want to stop today but it is hard. I have 7 children already and i have never done any drugs with them. I feel really crappy an i am worried about my baby. I stopped opiates but at first was afraid of the withdrawal sending me into labor. Well that didnt happen i was In pain for two days then someone gave me a sub. I have been I them for two months now an i am ready to stop. I dont know how long it will take to get the subs out my system but i dont want my baby to have any withdrawal Symptoms.. Also someone said that docs do drug panels on newborns via their 1st poop. i dont know if its true or not i Just read it online. The evaluation goes back to about 20 weeks so they will see everything your baby was given. I just wanted to help give some info i had read about and also get this off my chest cause no one knows but me. And it is hard for me. Thanks. Hope this helps a Lil.

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I have read through all these threads and it has helped me so much I'm currently 18 weeks pregnant have been on suboxone for a year after a horrible pain pill addiction I went to treatment 18 months ago used suboxone for yhe withdrawls and stopped it after 6 weeks at 4 mil I went through horrible withdrawls for about 2 weeks than one month out of treatment I relapsed and got back on suboxone and after being on it for 9 months I tapered from 16 mil to 3 mil than found out I was pregnant my sub doc said he will taper me completely off before 3rd trimester I was lowering 1/2 miligram every 2 weeks and was constantly feeling stressed and withdrawls and wasn't making it through my script so at 1 1/2 mil I ran out 1 weeks early my doc is very strict with prescribing and won't prescribe early only maybe 3 days at the most so I knew I would have to go 4 days without and decided nows the time to stop so I stoppedal at 1 1/2 mil cold turkey I'm on day 11 now and this has been so horrible the withdrawls restless legs diariah hot cold flashes days without sleep at time feels unbearable some days I just lay their and cry feeling like I'm hurting the baby so much it's never gonna be OK bUT at this point theirs no way I'm going back I've made it 11 days and feel like I'm through the worst part of it I've researched everything I read if you have to withdrawal than its a safest to do it between 14 and 20 weeks so I'm just praying it will be OK I feel the baby move a lot so hopefully that's a good sign I did have a sub doc bit I was too scared to tell my ob doc so she doesn't know she has delivered my last 2 and I didn't take pills or anything with them so to tell her I was on this made me feel so embarrassed I hope I did the right thing I feel iny heart I have

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I can only answer one question for you. If the suboxone is also buprenorphine then it takes 72 hours to leave your system. And then the slight withdrawls will begin. I'm sorry I can't answer more. First time mom here too sitting at 6 months right now, and this is the first I have seen of anyone being in my exact situation. Thank you for being brave. It gives me hope!
C

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I'm currently 26 weeks pregnant. I found out i was pregnant and already on sub. Around 2mg then went down to 1mg then a half of a mg and currently on .125 mg every other day. Would it be ok for me to stop now and not hurt the baby?

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From my situation, if you're 26 weeks pregnant and have been taking suboxone the entire time then I wouldn't stop. However, I would ask to be switched to subutex (just bupenorphine) instead because the naloxone in the suboxone can hurt the baby more, developmentally that is. I wouldn't increase the amount you're taking, unless just feeling awful or not feeling your baby as active as when you were taking more. It is much better for the baby to withdrawal outside of the womb and for he/she to be monitored by a doctor--this is what my doctor told me. My son was fussy the first few weeks due to withdrawal I'm sure but after that he was fine and is the happiest little 4 month old you could ever see. If your doctor is saying it should be ok to stop taking it now, then do that but I'm just telling you, from experience, what I was told and what I learned. It is amazing to see this community of women coming together to talk about things that are very real. Don't ever beat yourself up over this. It's good you've cut back so much. That's a positive thing. You just don't want your baby going through withdrawals knowing there's not a lot you can do because he/she isn't born yet. Just talk to your doctor but definitely get on the subutex though if you plan on staying on anything. Don't just stop without informing your doctor because they may want to schedule NST's to make sure baby is handling withdrawals ok.

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At 26 weeks and that small of a dose, I would stop now if I were you. You don't want to be on it during the 3rd trimester. That's what my doc told me. I cut down that far and stopped around 24 weeks. It's not even that bad at that point.

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Thank you for your reply. Could u tell me more about how things went for u once u quit? Having terrible anxiety. I dont think its from coming off the sub but more from just wanting to be off it and have the stress off of me.

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I have about 5 days off coming up next week. My last dose will be this coming monday and i dont have to return to work till the following monday. Ive read that days 3 thru 5 are pretty much the worst as far as physical symptoms go. I refuse to give birth to my baby while on this medication. At this point it doesnt even feel like the dose is affecting me anymore. I dont even feel it. Probably the stress of just wanting to be off more than anything. Again id love to hear how things went for u. Any kind of reassurance and not feeling like the worst person on earth would be so helpful. Thank you.

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Don't feel like the worst person at all because you're not. Don't let others, or yourself, bring you down because it makes stopping that much worse. I stayed on it (subutex) throughout the pregnancy, just a very small dose at the end. So, you're doing very good. when I did quit, after my son was born, I had terrible anxiety but I think it was from stress of a new baby too. Even now, after not taking it for weeks, I still get anxious when thinking about it. Take it day by day. That's all you can do. Just make sure to do what's best for your baby at this point. Does your doctor know you're on it?

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Be sure to ween down to next to nothing before you quit for the little one, it's system is incredibly sensitive in the 2nd trimester. He/she will go through physical anxiety too if you haven't weened yourself down enough.. My doc said to, when you get there, take it every 36 hours, then 48, then 60.. This ensures it leaves your system enough so it doesn't compile the next dose again. Hope this helps.

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When I stopped, it actually wasn't bad at all. I had weened to such a small amount that I wasn't even really feeling it anymore. I had a little bit of the hot/cold flashes, a little runny nose, some sleeplessness. But honestly, being pregnant has it's own pains that kind of mask the withdrawal symptoms. I felt worse when I was still taking it because it wasn't enough anymore but it was enough to produce withdrawals before the day was over. Does that make sense??? Once I stopped taking it at all, it only took a couple days to feel completely fine. You could stop taking it right now and if you feel too many withdrawal symptoms in a couple days, then take a tiny bit. Then go another few days and take a tiny bit but only if the symptoms are too much. If it's like mine, then it won't be too much and you'll be fine. But you just can't let it get too bad because the baby is feeling what you feel.

My son was born on 9/30/14, his due date. He had torticollis (tightened neck muscles on one side) most likely caused by how he was sitting inside of me. That made breastfeeding difficult but I pumped and bottle fed him. Otherwise, he was completely healthy. He's now a vibrant, funny, smart little 17 month old! He amazes me everyday with how smart he is! He never had any withdrawals or side effects of my Suboxone use. He's worth every ache and pain I had to get off. He's the most precious thing in the world to me. I'm so glad I was able to quit drugs for myself, then quit smoking & Suboxone for him. I would do anything for him.

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Thank u for the response. How did u feel coming off it? My doctor knew I was on it in the beginning and hasn't mentioned it since. So far everything with the pregnancy has been normal. Perfect growth heart rate ect. I went 60 hours earlier this week before I took it again. Nothing i couldnt handle just some mild sweats and of course the constant thought on my mind about getting off of it. I'm sorry if i'm bothering u im just looking for someone who's been where im at now.

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You have no idea how much reading that helped me. I feel the same way. I dont feel the effect from it anymore. Mainly the energy but its not like I can't function. Just figured id wait till I was home for a few days so I didn't have to deal with work or people if I wasn't up to it. But yea little runny nose sweats and chills here and there. Some insomnia and rls but I had the rls for a while from being pregnant. Nothing a heating pad cant fix. I feel so much better after reading ur post. Did your doctor know you were on the sub? How did the birth go? Did they test u and the baby for medication levels and what not? I'm sure all hospitals do but figured I would ask anyway. Im so happy for u that u have a healthy baby. That's my main and only concern at this point.

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Yeah, I thought about it... But the excitement of my first baby trumped that. Something you really have to consider, too... If you remain on it, how will that affect labor? If you get an epidural, will it work? If you need a c-section, will the drugs work or will you feel it? I don't know those answers but that freaked me out. I went all natural at a birth center and had quit the Subs, but that's part of why I wanted to get off it so bad. I still think about it sometimes. Being on Suboxone, I didn't really even think about drugs. Now I think about them occasionally. But I've been clean long enough that I'd never go back. But the thoughts are still there. It's best to have a strong support system. Someone to keep you accountable. So you can tell them that you're having thoughts and they can remind you how far you've come, how much better your life is, and how much you have to lose now. Now that I have a completely clear head, I look back on things I've done with regret and disgust. I don't want to go back to that life and my son doesn't deserve that. Suboxone is a great stepping stone to a completely sober life. But once you're off it, you're there! You beat this awful disease! Pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself on how far you've come!!! You've got this! And what better motivator than the health of your unborn child? I don't necessarily think it would be the easiest to quit drugs while pregnant because I think you would have a higher risk of going back. But you already quit the drugs. Now just stop the Subs. {edited for privacy}.

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I'm so relieved after reading ur story. I think that alone brought my anxiety down so much. How much were u on when u got off all together? I know exactly what u mean about not feeling it anymore. I think being pregnant and the increased blood flow and metabolism makes it leave the body faster. Your baby is over a year old now.....how is he doing? I am also having a boy. Hes been the biggest life changer that i could ever imagine and hes not even here yet! Oh by the way i never felt any symptoms when dropping my dose. Did u have any experience with that too?

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My now 2 1/2 year old daughter was born while I was on suboxone. It was legally prescribed to me by my perinotologist (Specialty high-risk pregnancy dr.) I went on suboxone as soon as I found out I was pregnant, & I had never taken illegal street narcotics. I was on a very low dosage. My daughter was born at 34 weeks. The hospital where I gave birth DID treat me like an opiate addict, & doped my newborn up with morphine every three hours. She spent 29 days in the NICU. When she was three weeks old, I threw a fir about the entire situation, & threatened to have my daughter transferred to a different hospital. After she was home, I learned that the hospital was just inexperienced with the drug suboxone. Had I chosen the other hospital, I was told my daughter would've been released after 48 hours. I am now currently pregnant, AGAIN, with my third child. I am STILL on suboxone. My advice to you, just make sure you deal with EDUCATED drs & professionals!!!!

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Did your baby you have to stay in the hospital during the two-week withdrawal.

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Okay this may sound weird but I only have my monthly every four months so I never really have any way of knowing if I am expecting or not , 10 months ago I was prescribed very low amount of pain medication for which I took twice a day every day until I realized I couldn't stop and then went to get help however I was only on 2mgs of suboxone the last two weeks and now am on nothing today I found out I am expecting and am currently between 2 and a half to 3 months will this hurt the baby or will the baby be alright?

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