HMS Pain medication during pregnancy (NOT labour).

[Eloise]

That is absolutely disgusting treatment from your GP - really you should go and report him! I am really shocked.

Even if the rheumatologist doesn't know about HMS - he will have experience of pain relief in pregnancy - so get to see him asap.

Loads of people on much more potent medications and many more in combination have planned pregnancies that go really well, there is really no reason why anyone can't get treatment and have a pregnancy no matter whether it was planned or not. I am totally outraged - that sort of attitude should not be allowed - how can he even suggest an abortion when there won't have been any damage.

[tireesix]

I am absolutely shocked......

Go with the Rheumy and/or get in to see an Ob asap, anyone who will get you over to pain management.

Buprenorphine is usually used for people instead of methadone, addicts who are trying to get off of it. Generally, pregnant women who use Bupe for addiction reasons are on a much higher dose than we are (this is from what I have read and been told). I think from what I can remember, the the doses they used in testing rats were stupidly high. I have found an info sheet about Bupe use in pregnancy but again, it is aimed at addicts and the reccomendation is to transfer them to methadone but we aren't wanting methadone. Yup, the sheet says that in rabbits and rats, it was the equivalent of the maximum human dose used. Bupe does not appear to be associated with malformation.
http://www.turningpoint.org.au/library/ ... 060104.pdf is the leaflet.

According to this leaflet, pregnancy is not a contraindication for bupe, just a special warning.
http://www.rcgp.org.uk/PDF/drug_buprenorphine.pdf

I think really, while you are pregnant it may be worth seeing a different doc cos your current one, seems to me to be a bit mad.

If it helps anyway, I got exactly the same response with my last baby from the GP, apparently, as baby wasn't planned and neither DH nor I can work, may be, considering my pain issues etc, it would be better to have an abortion. I went against it and had a very healthy baby, I stopped the patches a few weeks before baby was due (hell on earth( and went on to have a fantastic home birth. It was thanks to an ok pain management doc and decent obstetrician that I was able to get the drugs I needed during the pregnancy but also get the birth we wanted in spite of the meds I had taken.

I hope things go better for you!!!!!!!

[Yavimy12]

I kept taking most of my medications throughout my pregnancy there was just one that they said it would be better to stop taking during the last trimester. I breastfed my son so that it was a gradual decrease if there was a chance of any of the medication being passed through to him. My GP gave me more Co-Codamol to help with the increased pain but I did try not to overeat so that the added weight didn't add to the pain too much. The Midwifes however were absolutley useless when it came to medication.
mod edit - dosage informatio removed, Please read the forum rules.

[Laura]

I have a question on this subject that has been worrying me for some time now. As a backgroung, I was diagnosed in Dec 2008 and I have suffered from constant chronic pain for about three years now. I rarely dislocate things, although subluxing happens every so often, so my main symptoms are constant pain and fatigue. With the help of a coctail of meds, I can still work full time (trusts and estates accountant) and I have a feeling that work and looking after my dog are pretty much the two things that get me out of bed in the morning.

I'm really worried about not being able to have all my medications during pregnancy as they only just make things tolerable as it is. I know I can still take paracetamol, but co-codamol isn't really an option for me as it gives me such bad head aches that I can't move. With the help of alternative meds and other pain managements, I'm hoping I could manage the pregnancy without being house bound for the whole time (this is assuming that my pains stay the same or get worse while expecting). However, the thing that worries me, is how do you cope emotionally? As in, how do you get yourself out of bed every day, knowing that you'll be in terrible pain and that there is little that can be done about it? Is the new life growing in you powerful enough motivation that you get by regardless of how bad the pains are? And is there a danger that I would end up resenting the baby, if I've suffered through months of agony during pregnancy?

I'm fantastic at worrying, so I would really appreciate people sharing their experiences on this.

Thanks!

[roseyglow]

Hi

I joined a while ago but havnt posted much so far. I have Ehlers Danlos (sort of half type 1 and half type 3) I dislocate alot, Degenerative Disc Disease, Erthromelalgia and small fibre nueropathy in hands and feet. Along with lots of other associated body system stuff, as anyone who is here will know only to well, not fun

Im now accidentially pregnant with my 6th child and have reduced my painkillers down from Fentanyl to Morphine and now am just on dihydrocodeine, Im in pain and am barely coping

Im really worried about the effects these pills will have on my baby, Ive scoured the internet but cant seem to find anyone else who has taken them who reports how they affected the baby ??

Without any pain meds Im just floored with the pain constantly crying and cant cope. Have tried everything over the years physio, acupuncture, osteopaths, chiropractors even hypnotherapy etc etc but to no avail.

I wonder if anyone here has taken pain meds in pregnancy or has any insight they would share ?

4 out of 5 of my kids are Hypermobile and the oldest two dislocate their hips now ( I had them all before Id got diagnosed myself ) , It makes me so sad to be bringing another little person into the world who may suffer, (I have a Mirena coil in still !!and multiple prolapses so didnt expect to fall pregnant)

Anyway, I know its cheeky to ask for advice / others experiences when I dont post alot and I apreciate it may be a big ask but feel very worried and alone with all this, GP hasnt a clue

Thanks if anyone replies,

Rosey xx

[Rach1972]

Hi there Roseyglow
I have recently gone through pregnancy and birth but I was undiagnosed at the time. When I was pregnant, I continued to take citalopram and codydramol. I was told to steer very clear of any anti inflamatory drugs such as ibuprofen as this can jeapordise the pregnancy.
Of course it is always said that it is best not to take any medication during pregnancy, including over the counter stuff. I was told to stop taking Otrivine for my nightime nose collapse.
But my GP told me that the reason there is so little advice to be had is that they can't possibly test these sorts of drugs on pregnant women, so there is no test pool. But that individually many doctors have prescribed these medications during pregnancy and many have happy outcomes to their pregnancies. But there is always a risk and there always will be.
On the other hand any pregnancy is a risk for many reasons. Oftentimes, no one knows what may cause problems. There are so many risk factors in pregnancy that we ladies take every day. Cleaning fluids, flea sprays, anti mould agents in cleaning fluids that may cause a problem. If we avoided absolutely everything no one would get pregnant. If that makes sense.
My daughter came along absolutely fine. She showed no signs of injury or addiction to anyting I had taken.
If your GP says it's okay to take them then take them hun. Nine months of utter misery and pain is more likely to negatively affect your baby than a few pain meds.
But I do recommend that you rest as much as possible especially in the later months. It is only since dd3 came along that I have to use sticks and will be getting a wheelchair very soon. Because no one knew what was wrong, all that stress was put on already flagging tendons.

Good luck to you. I hope all goes well. And if you feel you want to talk about this, or generally have a moan about pregnancy then feel free to PM me anytime.
I Hope this helps. If not I am sure someone else will pop along soon.
Rach x

[roseyglow]

Thanks for your reply Rach Im so sorry you needs sticks now, was this due to last the pregnancy speeding things up do you think ? Its so tough taking these pills when you know theres a tiny life growing inside you, with the others I didnt even drink tea or use any cleaning sprays that werent organic and non toxic and now Im ingesting this yuk

Im using a nasal spray as my nose is stretchy and naff aswell! I took it through all my pregnancies and will have to again, its that or not breathe ! I had no idea that this could be to do with this condition too

I might take you up on that offer of a moan, its awful this time round xx

[Rach1972]

Bless you hun. I had a terrible time too, as I still didn't know I had EDS at the time.
I used a nosespray too, but it was a hospital grade spray that my doc prescribed. I know how awfull a blocked nose is especially when you are trying to sleep.
I have read a book by Prof Grahame and absolutely everything I have suffered from birth has been EDS related. My wonky eye, excessive stretchmarks, migraines and being labelled a complete idiot who was clumsy and useless.
I even think there may be a correlation between high risk triple test results and the condition. Though this is my guess. I had borderline to high risk results with all three of mine. Yet all of my girls are healthy, though they all suffer from EDS.

AS for being worried about bringing another EDS baby into the world, you should see my ten year old doing Gymnastics. I am currently on a panel evaluating the results of a trial on bendy youngsters to see which interventions may improve outcome for bendy kids. It's a case of forewarned is forearmed. At least you know to watch out for the signs and what help your children may need. There are far worse conditions to be dealt with in life.

I am here most days if you fancy a chat. Moan all you like, I have very broad shoulders. If it weren't for my friend on here, I think I would have been swallowed by depression by now.
Rachx

[roseyglow]

Thanks Rach Im just the same with the EDS stuff, explains every problem id ever had.

My oldest daughter is 10 too and would love to do gymnastics but Ive always been worried she'll hurt herself Maybe I should look into it.

Did you have an epidural in labour at all? Ive had all mine without even a whiff of gas an air but this time I want to be numb, I cant imagine going through that pain on top of the normal stuff now.

I did read here somewhere I think that anesthetics dont often work though ?? I really hope I can have one !!

[Blaadyblah]

Friendly mod note - childhood gymnastics, local anaesthaesia, and pain relief during labour are discussed in their own topics. Please use the search facility to find them and keep discussion here to pain relief for HMS symptoms while pregnant - experience of other issues is valuable, but not the purpose of this topic. Thank you.

[roseyglow]

I dont think I have access to the sections were pregnancy is discussed as I did search ? Never mind though.

[Rosie]

Hi roseyglow

Youa re right, new members do not have access to the 'Personal & Sensitive area@. There is information here about how to request access. This area allows adult members to discuss personal or sensitive information that they do not want available to anyone on the internet. It also means that topics in there can include content not suitable for our younger readers.

Rosie

[claz_b]

Wow what an interesting thread reading everyone's experiences good, bad and some down right rude from some medics.

I'm not trying for a family at present but given that we want to start trying next year I thought it was about time i look at getting my butt in gear now and read up as much as I can on HMS and pain during pregnancy. Has anyone else had the foresight to plan for their pregnancy medication wise and how did that go, at present I am trying to improve pain and physical health the exercise and relaxation. GP has also referred me to the pain clinic so wait and see what that brings.

Thanks

[staceym04]

Hi All,

I fell pregnant last year not yet being diagnosed with HMS. My hips started to go at only 8 weeks, I used crutches constantly by 16 weeks, signed off work at 20 weeks and in a wheelchair by 26 weeks. I had been allowed by my GP to continue taking codeine which I took for hip and back pain anyway but it stopped having any effect and I would literally collapse if I tried to stand unaided. I was sent to a pain management obs and she prescribed me tramadol. They worked my better but as I said I still ended up in a wheelchair anyway. At least I was able to move around my flat on the crutches through, I just used the chair if I had to go further than 10 metres. I wasn't told to come off the tramadol before I was due but after speaking to other mums on babaycentre who had went through the same thing I decided the week before I was being induced I would come off them so they would be out of my system for when my baby was born. It was hellish! Worst week ever! Although my gorgeous boy was born with no side effects, no breathing dificulties and we left hospital 8 hours after he was born. If I was to fall pregnant again there would be no way I would be able to get through the whole 9 month without proper pain relief and if your Dr says no, ask to see another one or be referred to the hospital specialist.

Stacey xx

[Nene]

Hello all,

Crikey been a while since I've been on this thread, or rather it feels like it. I think my last post was 2009.

I'm currently 12 weeks pregnant with my 3rd child and now have a new condition to add in to the mix - ankylosing spondylitis. Between the HMS and the AS it's not been much fun. I've basically dropped from Oxycontin + tramadol + naproxen + nortryptaline down to just co-codamol which doesn't always hold the pain as you can imagine. At night I take tramadol so I can get to sleep as otherwise I can't get comfortable. For some reason I've let the midwife spook me completely because I was taking naproxen or ibuprofen up until about week 10 but she's really freaked me out about it so now I'm feeling guilty about it. I'm still walking the dog pretty much daily even if some days it takes me an hour to do my short route rather than 40 minutes to do the longer route. Some days I'm in tears from it but so far so good on the SPD front. No sign yet but can't remember when I started with that with the other 2. I'm also worrying about baby being born with withdrawal issues as they are trying to make me go painkiller free for the last few weeks! You can tell they have never experienced chronic pain and dealt with 2 young children running round as well as being pregnant.

Oh and I'm so tired, at least my sleep seems to have eased back into somewhere near normal rather than non-existent.

So - should I be feeling guilty about naproxen or have I just been freaked out? What about withdrawal in the baby? Any other options?