Expert: Peter L. - 5/25/2010

Question
I am 21 weeks pregnant and I have been taking oxycodone (percet.  Now when I try to stop I'm having withdraw symptoms.  I have heard that it is not safe to quit cold turkey.  I talked to my therapist and he said I need to go to a methadone clinic.  Is there anyway to quit without hurting the baby.  Also what happens if the baby is born and has withdraws.
                                    Thank You for your time,
                                       Anna in need.

Answer
Hi Anna,

Methadone would help you with your opiate (oxycodone) addiction, and there are many pregnant women who have used it to treat their addiction.

More recently there is a drug called Subutex, which is a close relative of Suboxone, one of the other medications to assist in opioid treatment.  Subutex is more often the choice for pregnant women.  I have seen many women successfully treated with this drug.  

Methadone has been around longer, and is a more potent medication.  It is most appropriate for those with very long opioid histories. Some people who don't succeed on Suboxone or Subutex find they have to take methadone.

Ultimately, both drugs have been used successfully to help with opioid addiction, and babies are not born addicted. You will probably want to use one of these medications to cope with your withdrawal symptoms.  It's hard to stop using opioids without these, anyway.  I suggest you contact a substance abuse program and/or a methadone program.  You might want to try Subutex first and see how you do.  You should only take these under medical supervision, and never buy them on the street, which unfortunately happens a lot today.

Thanks for your question!

Peter