Coming off codeine late pregnancy

[jusmoi]

So as the title says, I'm 33 weeks and been on prescription codeine since day 1, never missed a day. Need to come off now ready for 39 weeks and I'm so worried my baby will be born addicted and it'll make them poorly.

I am on them in the first place due to chronic pain, herniated disc, sciatica and suspected arthritis in back and hands. I'm only 33 and needed to function to look after my 15 month old, so the codeine helped me massively get through the day. But they are so damn addictive. I can't see how I'm going to cut down so suddenly in 2 weeks...
I need to be off then really by 35 weeks.
Going from 240mg a day to nothing is so daunting.
But yesterday I did well, I only had 100mg!!!
I need to carry it on though and not cave and take more than that for the next few days, then I plan to drop down to 80mg a day for another few days.

Just writing this all down

I had slightly restless legs last night which a hot water bottle helped with but I then woke in the night to quite bad muscle pains in my shin area on my legs. Made a new water bottle and fell back asleep okay. Just dreading when I drop the dose.
My back is in bits this morning

Well done. That's a great start. Can you talk to your doctor about alternative pain relief? Can you still take paracetamol to take the edge off? Might a TENS machine help? Or acupuncture or osteopathy?

Thank you so much, I think I just have to write it down here for that bit of support !

I can take paracetamol but it doesn't touch the sides to be honest. I don't think there is any alternative pain relief while pregnant, I've been on codeine years, nearly 5 years so am well and truly dependant, I told the doctors this and they put me on nefopam instead but then I found out I was pregnant so they switched me back to codeine... and here we are !!
I can't afford any other treatments atm not after Xmas and with new baby coming, so I think I've just got to suck it up !! Heat really helps though

That’s tough… Have you spoken with midwife/ GP? 240 mg is a high dose and if you are pregnant you need to do this with medical supervision!

Yeah it's a high dose but 240mg is a prescription strength. The most you can take basically. Some people are on way way higher than that.
The gp is already aware of my past struggles, as I explained earlier. And midwife is aware that I've been on codeine from 6 weeks.
I know I have to taper off, which I am doing sensibly, I know not to do cold turkey as that is dangerous. That's all the gp would do is what I'm doing myself anyways.
I just need some moral support from others who maybe have been in the same situation.

How are you doing OP?

Hello, I’m sorry you’re in this position, it’s not where anyone wants to be before having a baby.

do you have any medical support to withdraw from that level of opiates.? They can’t just expect you and your neonate to deal with that? What is the health professionals’ advice? I’m really hoping they haven’t just left you to deal with this on your own :(

For comparison, with my youngest child I was on 120mg codeine per 24 hours in third trimester till he was born (arthritis).

He was pretty ok after birth and didn’t really suffer any opiate withdrawals.

i hope you find the answers to your joint issues and don’t have to carry on taking opiates in the long term. They suck massively x

Its hard. Not had any support from the doctors but at the same time don't want to mention it, so worried about being kept a closer eye on by them and being tarred like an addict or something. Which would open a whole new can of worms.
I just need to have some willpower. I ache so much when I don't have any. It's just awful.
My main worry is the baby being born dependent and having withdrawals. I was taking 120mg my last pregnancy, managed to stop by 35ish weeks and my baby was born perfect. But this time I'm really struggling to come off them. I'm 34 weeks and told myself I need to be off them by 36 weeks so I know the baby doesn't have any in their system and feel poorly once born.

I absolutely hate the stuff and can't believe how dependent you become on them, and then just get left to it basically, no reviews, nothing

Listen, I've just been to doctor for first time about my addiction. She suggested a really good plan.
If u take 8 a day, cut down to 7 a day, for one week.
Then 6 a day for another week. And so on, that way the withdrawal is kept to a minimum
Good luck missus, I know it's so very hard
X

P.s...please try not think, ' if I just had some willpower ', it's no way as easy as that. Believe me, just cutting down one tablet a week is so so hard. Uve done an amazing thing by writing on here. It's all so scary, but at least Ur trying. That's the main thing.🤗🤗🤗

So I saw a consultant yesterday and a midwife. I mentioned the codeine use and worrying about baby etc, both of them couldn't have given less of a shit to be honest . The consultant said that babies don't withdraw off codeine, it barely crosses the placenta, asked how much I've been taking and basically shrugged.
Midwife said you can breastfeed on codeine it's not an issue. They said if I need it I need it.
I left very confused as online it says the opposite. Very conflicting advice.
I'm going to carry on with my aim to be painkiller free anyway as that's the best thing to do

Your midwife is ill-informed. The Breastfeeding Network, the oracle on prescription drugs and breastfeeding, is clear that codeine should not be prescribed to breastfeeding mothers. https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/factsheet/codeine/

@Teasie123 is totally right. It’s not about willpower. That just sets people up to fail. And is also medically inaccurate. You could get a pill cutter and do as suggested above but more gradually, half a pill less every 3 or 4 days.

when your baby is born, you may have many more pain management options. For example NSAIDS you can’t take in 3rd trimester, but you can postnatally even if you’re breastfeeding.

longer term it’s not ok for doctors to just bung you on opiates for various pain symptoms and ignore you. Could you get referred to a pain clinic for proper advice?

So saw another midwife today, she was more reassuring than the last one/consultant.
She told me (which I already knew) codeine is absolutely not okay with breastfeeding.
But that codeine is the mildest opioid and withdrawals on my dose are not really expected, but also told me what to look out for because it's the long term exposure that I'm worrying about.
She said they worry about heroin etc and that the worst thing for withdrawals in babies is nicotine and alcohol and something else but can't remember what she said that was..
She did say that codeine barely crosses the placenta due to the molecules being large or something like that. I also asked about breathing issues when born, again she said this is with really strong opioids like heroin.
She said she has women on stronger stuff like tramadol, amytryptiline.
I am updating this because other women (like me) may be frantically google and find all sorts of conflicting information and not know what is right or wrong.

Hi. I’m week 33 and just about to do a two week detox. I haven’t told anyone other than a friend in AA as I’m in recovery. I’ve had codeine issues in the passed and detoxed off them with a taper plan from my consultant psychiatrist. Today is day one of taper and I should be off it in two weeks. I feel so alone and isolated and feel like if I tell the consultant or mental health midwife now they’d remove baby. I’m on a much lower dose than before and am tapering slowly over 2 weeks. I worked in social care up until July for 15 years so am aware of tbe danger of their input. Just need some support from fellow suffering mums. I told a friend who doesn’t understand addiction and she freaked out but it’s day 1 and I need to stay positive. If I stick to this plan I can be a few weeks clean before my c section. I just don’t think it’s worth getting services involved at this stage before I’ve properly had a chance to cut down. Has anyone else been through this with a c section? Just wondered how you’re getting on

Hi, I’m not sure if you will see this but I found your post very helpful and I was wondering how you and your baby got on and if there were any sort of withdrawals for baby? Thank you so much for sharing xx

My baby had slight withdrawals but I was on the daily max for the whole pregnancy. She had tremors and high pitched cry. She is absolutely fine now though and she was at the time it was just distressing for us to see