Tramadol during pregnancy?!

[expecting324]

Hi all,

I've just hit 12 weeks and I was just wondering whether anyone else has been prescribed tramadol through any part of their pregnancy (and what impact it has had). I was prescribed a short dose by my GP of two 50mg per day for spinal arthritis. Been taking them for 1 week now. A quick Google search says this is not safe? Anyone have experience of this? Terrified now!

It is unethical to test medication on pregnant women so pretty much all medication is considered to have some level of risk in pregnancy.

It is though that tramadol may not be safe in the earliest weeks due to unknown effects on a rapidly developing fetus. Higher doses at the end of pregnancy may cause withdrawal symptoms in some babies.

No one can say anything is 100% safe but if you need a strong painkiller to function, you need it. There isn’t really another option.

I have spinal arthritis and have been told not to take it. I've been put back down into codeine which does absolutely nothing so I'm just coping with walking when I can, breaks at work, heat patches and warm baths.