Which narcotics are safe during pregnancy

If you suddenly stop taking opioids, it could cause severe health problems for you or your baby. In some cases, stopping suddenly during pregnancy may be more harmful than taking the medicines. Many women who regularly take opioid medicines can breastfeed.

It depends on which medicine you are taking. Check with your health care provider before breastfeeding. There are some women who should not breastfeed, such as those who have HIV or take illegal drugs. If you are pregnant and have an opioid use disorder, do not stop taking opioids suddenly.

Instead, see your health care provider so you can get help. The treatment for opioid use disorder is medication-assisted therapy MAT.

MAT includes medicine and counseling:. The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health. Pregnancy and Opioids. Learn More Related Issues. SSM Health uses your location to provide you with relevant content, like doctor suggestions and local services. You are now leaving SSM Health. Skip to Document Content. Search for:. My Location.

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By Mayo Clinic Staff. Stillbirth is the death of a baby in the womb after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Neonatal abstinence syndrome also called NAS. NAS is when a baby is exposed to a drug in the womb before birth and goes through withdrawal from the drug after birth. NAS is most often caused when a woman takes opioids during pregnancy. NAS can cause serious problems for a baby, like being born too small and having breathing problems. Even if you use an opioid exactly as your health care provider tells you to, it may cause NAS in your baby.

Placental abruption. This is a serious condition in which the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus womb before birth. If this happens, your baby may not get enough oxygen and nutrients in the womb. And you may have serious bleeding.

The placenta grows in your uterus and supplies the baby with food and oxygen through the umbilical cord. This is a serious condition that can happen after the 20th week of pregnancy or right after pregnancy. Signs and symptoms of preeclampsia include having protein in the urine, changes in vision and severe headaches.

High blood pressure also called hypertension is when the force of blood against the walls of the blood vessels is too high.

It can stress your heart and cause problems during pregnancy. Preterm labor and premature birth. This is labor and birth that happen too early, before 37 weeks of pregnancy.

Babies born this early may have more health problems at birth and later in life than babies born full term. Opioids also can cause premature rupture of membranes also called PROM. This is when the sac around a baby breaks before a woman goes into labor. Sudden infant death syndrome also called SIDS. This is the unexplained death of a baby younger than 1 year old.

SIDS usually happens when a baby is sleeping. Babies born to mothers who use opioids are at increased risk for SIDS.

Opioid replacement therapy, including medication-assisted therapy also called MAT or opioid-assisted therapy also called OAT. For these treatments, your provider prescribes you long-acting opioids, like methadone or buprenorphine, that you take during pregnancy and after your baby is born.

Long-acting means the opioids stay in your body for a long time. These medicines help reduce your baby's risk for premature birth and growth problems. Your baby may have some withdrawal symptoms after birth. Naloxone helps stop the harmful effects of opioids, and it can save your life if you have an opioid overdose.

Your provider may prescribe it as a nasal spray or a shot. Your provider can show you and your family how to use it if you have signs or symptoms of an overdose. Behavioral therapy also called counseling.

Your provider may recommend that you meet with a drug counselor by yourself, with a group or both.