Had anybody been prescribed "Norco" for pain?

[LoveMy2Boys2]

My dr prescribed me Norco, he said it's on the same scale as Vicodin but made with aceudomedophene (same ingredient as tylonal) I have never taken a Vicodin or any other pain killer besides the basic tylonal/Motrin..... Really nervous to take this while pregnant.... Anyone take this and their baby was born healthy and no complications?

 

[Surprised26]

I haven't taken this, but if it eases your mind any, the reason Vicodin and Hydrocodone and pain killers of the sort aren't recommended for pregnancy isn't due to harm or birth defects, but because of the risk of dependency and babies born with withdrawal symptoms. If that ingredient is replaced with tylenol, I personally wouldn't worry much at all about taking it. But that's just my opinion.

 

[Ashersmomma]

Norco is acetaminophen with hydrocodone(opiate). The main risk is dependency for you and baby. I've never taken it while pregnant, but that would be my main concern with taking it. It's really one of those that you need to consider if the benefits outweigh the risks.

 

[alexspargo]

My friend's mother is addicted to this and her family is actually in the process of planning an intervention. That drug is no joke. You can tell when she is on it because she slurs her speech much like being drunk and she picks at her skin until she has open sores all over her face and body much like someone who is on methamphetamines will do.

Obviously she is abusing the drug and taking way more than the recommended dose (up to 4-6 at a time) but it is a very hard core drug. After seeing the very scary effects of being addicted to it I would personally never take this especially while pregnant. However, if you really are in that much pain then it is entirely up to you and your doctor to assess the risks and benefits.

 

[NewBeginning]

I've taken it as a pain killer after a surgery last year. It's quite strong and wouldn't want to take it again unless absolutely necessary. Ohhh and one horrible side effect was that it made me EXTREMELY constipated. Honestly, I wouldn't take it while preggie but that's just my experience.

 

[LoveMy2Boys2]

Thanks so much .... The reason he prescribed this to me is because I have been in so much pain I never ever sleep, literally I don't know what to do Wth myself I'm so beyond sleep deprived and I have had no appetite what so ever because of the pain.... Normally I eat for 3 easily, these days i look at the clock and realize its already 2 and I still haven't ate anything :/
He told me to just take it at night to get some sleep and suggested that's safer than taking regular tylonal all day every day..... I'm just not a fan of drugs, I try to go holistic route as much as possible.... But the lack of sleep and eating is really stressing me out when it comes to baby :/ I feel so torn what to do

 

[Monzter79]

So sorry you aren't feeling well. I understand wanting to always do the right thing for baby and being leery of taking anything harmful- of course!! PP mentioned weighing risks/benefits... Honestly, if I were that stressed and lacking rest and in pain- I'd give it a try for a night or two. At a certain point, the stress is no good for baby either. Addiction being a concern, I'd likely choose to use as sparingly as possible. But, my god... If you need relief, you need relief! Doc wouldn't give it if they thought it would harm LO, taken as prescribed.

No matter what you decide- I really hope you feel better hon.

 

[jzgrace]

Norco is actually one of the weakest pain meds as far as narcotics. I was in a bad car accident while 8 months pregnant with dd2. I took it for just under a week. And then stopped taking it because I didnt want my daughter born with addiction issues. I was still in so much pain but I just thought about my tiny baby. And also did research on it. It takes your body 1week to become addicted to opiates. So I only took it for about 4-5 nights. You may choose to take it because lack of nutrients and sleep could hurt you and baby more than a couple nights of a med considered safe for pregnancy.
Oh and my daughter turned out perfect
She knew abc's by just 2 yrs old, all primary colors by 2, she could read at 4 and also knew fractions and addition at almost 4. She is now 10 and on the deans list.

 

[Surprised26]

I just to want to throw in that as far as addiction goes, you have to know yourself in order to know whether that is a concern. I've been on hydros before (not during pregnancy) for about 2 weeks following a car accident, and never had a problem stopping them. If you have an addictive personality regarding anything Alcohol/ Cigs/ Pills, of course it would be best to stay away. However, if you typically are someone who follows the package directions to a T, I wouldn't really worry about forming a dependency on it. Of course as with the nature of the pills, if you take it daily for a longer stretch of time, you'll feel off when you stop taking them. But if you're pain is bad enough that the doctor felt the need to prescribe them, taking them for a night or two to get a bit of sleep isn't going to form a habit. Not to push pills on you, but it does sound like you're experiencing quite a lot of pain. They can even be split in half if you wanted to ease into it.

 

[Breeelizabeth]

My doctor prescribed me these whilst I was in hospital at 22wks with a uti. Obviously the nurses only gave me it when I needed it and to the smallest extent possible, but it definitely helped me sleep and I actually felt a lot better even after one nights sleep. If you're happy trying them, why don't you just take 1 a little before bed, even just for one night and see how you go? Maybe that one nights sleep will do you the world of good too and you'll find that you don't even bother taking them the next day.
Doctors only prescribe things in pregnancy if the reward outweighs the risk, so they have obviously looked at the pros and cons and decided it's not such a bad thing, but at the end of the day if you're not comfortable taking it then don't.
Good luck hun, hope the pain eases up xx

 

[LoveMy2Boys2]

Thank you everyone so so very much for all your input .... Definitely helps me ground my thoughts on taking the meds.... I will try a half a pill tomorrow night (have a wedding tonight.... Not sure how I'll even get through it!) and go from there.... You all have valid points and ideas on this....and since I have never had any sort of addiction problem, and barely take any medications on a normal basis , I am not too worried about the addiction issue on them.... I definitely wouldn't want to depend on them every night but a few nights a wk of a good solid sleep would probably do me and baby wonders.... I'm sure he would be much better off with that scenario than this.... Appreciate all your input! ill keep posted how it goes.... Definitely waiting til the kiddos go to bed to try it!

 

[StranjeGirl]

Please don't worry about addiction issues with taking norco. People who have addiction issues need to worry about that with these types of drugs. People who don't have addiction issues need to worry about dependency - if you take enough for a long period of time your body will go through withdrawal when you stop. Taking one pill a day is not going to do that. People are prescribed these medicines all the time for a short period of time. Alcohol is no less "addicting" if that puts it into perspective for you. With that said, I was prescribed norco after surgery (not pregnant) and it made me itch and throw up. Hope your experience is better than mine and that you feel better soon!

 

[mummy3]

I am prescribed Norco, have been for about a year now. I have a genetic condition that causes extreme pain and well as a motor neurone disorder, I dislocate daily and my muscles are stuck in a cramp pretty much constantly (Ehlers danlos type 1 and Isaacs syndrome incase anyones interested) and require a wheelchair about 90% of the time, more now with being on strict bedrest. I'm under perinatology and have been reassured that the pros far outweigh the cons and I'm on a relatively high dose. I do not have side effects, it does not make me sleepy though so I hope you get relief there. Extreme pain is not good for baby, at my check on Tuesday my left leg was fully seized up in cramp, I couldn't move my foot at all and was in excruciating agony. My HR was massively elevated and so was baby girls. If your doc has prescribed then they must feel the pros outweigh the cons in your case