taking medication?? Anyone pregnant with Fibromyalgia.?

[babezone]

So i have recently found out im expecting. and i also have a condition called fibromyalgia, i was wondering if there is anyone in the same situation who could offer advice,

Im on alot of pain medication for the fibromyalgia, some of which include
co-codamol
tramadol
ibruprofen 400mg

those are my main issue ones, i have been to see the doctor who has told me tramadol really is a no no as the baby could become addicted to and could suffer from withdrawl symptoms ( Also ibruprofen thins the blood so she said could make me bleed, Obviously this is horrible for me as i feel awfull taking the medication.

Ive cut out tramadol but if im honest im finding it very very hard at the moment and im in so much pain, i usually take my pain medication every 4-6 hours. and atm im only taking my co-codamol and 200mg of ibruprofen twice a day, she has also refered me to a specialst consultant to see what he can advice, but at the moment i just feel at a little lost, Guilty everytime i take pain meds, and suffering in pain when i dont.
i just really want to enjoy this pregnancy. xxx

 

[babezone]

Or even anyone in a situation where hey are in need of taking pain meds during their pregnancy or people who have before any advice? xx

 

[babyerin]

.

 

[babyerin]

Her name is MummyBaron, im sure if you PM her she will be happy to help she has a thread in this section about fibro if u search, id link you but im on my phone x

 

[amjon]

Does Tylenol do anything for you? That one is considered "safe" in pregnancy.

 

[psychnurse23]

I was diagnosed with FM about 3 years ago and I was talking the same medication as you along with lyrica 250mg twice a day and BuTrans patches 20mcg/week, prozac 40mg and nexium for my stomach. I also get cortisone injections in my hips and back every three months.

To cut a long story short I was off all my medication except prn tradol and arcoxia because I moved countries, gave up work and exercised a lot. I was put on amitriptyline 30mg about 18 months ago. I then got pregnant in April (which resulted in a mc) and stayed off my tablets because I knew that we would get pregnant again and I didn't want to take the risk of something happening the baby because of the medication.

I found out in late July that I was pregnant and my symptoms started to become progressively worse. My pain wasn't too bad but the fatigue was horrendous and I used to feel like I had been hit by a bus. Unfortunately I also got hyperemesis so the very last thing on my mind was going to see a consultant about my pain as I was just generally so unwell. I live in a hot country so I would spend a lot of time in the water and that would help the pain and discomfort somewhat.

I am now 22+6 and at about 16ish weeks I started to become really unwell with back and hip pain. I know it was FM related and I felt that it was because the baby is getting bigger and therefore putting more pressure on my back and joints and I began to panic because if I was like this at 16 weeks, how would I be at 36 weeks. My OH would rub my back and I would take paracetamol rarely but I found I was taking them more and more then I would have been had I not been pregnant so last week I sucked it up and went to the rheumatologist.

He told me that I was in a very active flare up and that for my own sanity I needed to be put on amitriptyline. He prescribed me only 10mg and told me that because I am 22 weeks the baby was formed and shouldn't be harmed as a result of taking them. He also prescribed me voltarol gel and told me I can safely take paracetamol up to 3 times a day. Previously if someone had told me to take paracetamol I would have laughed at them, it really is working now. it may only be taking the edge off the pain but that is enough for me right now.

I am being reviewed by the consultant every 4 weeks until my due date and once baby is born I am getting my cortisone injections. I have been warned to stay away from tradol/tramadol because of the effects it has on the baby.

Things that I find really helpful for me are: heat, massage (my OH rubs my back for about an hour every day, showers/baths, walking, swimming, as much sleep as I can possibly get (am napping during the day for 1 - 2 hours along with as much sleep as possible at night). I also try my very hardest not to dwell on the pain as in my opinion it feeds into the pain by making my mood low and then the pain is worse and it is a terrible cycle.

While I know it is easy for me to talk about walking and swimming and not dwelling on it, I do know how hard it is to do those things. It took me months of forcing myself to go out waking for 5 minutes with 30 stops to be able to get the benefits of it and the same goes for swimming. I just try to remember that this flare up is a result of me being pregnant and I am not pregnant forever and there is an end in sight.

If you want to pm or talk to me more then you can because sometimes it is nice to know that you aren't the only one in the world going through this x

 

[LeighAnne]

I had a wisdom tooth pulled at 14 weeks and took Vicodin. Also late second trimester early third I was prescribed Tylenol with codeine for rib pain. My doctor said as long as I stopped taking it a few weeks before baby was born that it wouldn't affect him. If it was in my system when he was born, he could have withdrawals.

My baby is perfectly healthy.

 

[babydrms]

Sorry about all the pain, please be aware Ibuprofen effects the heart and amniotic fluid levels of the fetus and used intermittently, narcotics, like vicodin are much safer. Best of luck!

 

[TatorMom]

I have Behcet's Disease and Fibro and take Tylenol(acetaminophen) 800mg 2x/day and Tramadol 100mg(rarely 150mg) 2x/day. My OB and Rheumatologist said there is no reason to discontinue it when I truly need it to manage pain and be able to function for our other 2 children, work, etc. Both of my specialist said that the Tramadol isn't a big deal at all, especially when it's something I NEED to take. It's a benefits vs risks type of thing and the impact being in constant severe pain would cause on the baby is much worse than the possible risks of the medications. When I don't manage my pain I can barely walk, let alone take care of my kids, house, and work. Thankfully I don't need much to manage the pain. I will stop taking everything but Tylenol 2-3 weeks before I deliver to make sure the baby doesn't experience any withdraw symptoms. I've never experienced withdraw symptoms on days I don't need to take it, but it doesn't mean it's not good to have it out of my and baby's system before birth. As long as you haven't taken it in a couple week before birth(weaning off of course) their shouldn't be any withdraw in the baby. I feel a bit guilty taking it sometimes, but then think of how severe the pain is and what it does to my BP, ability to eat, sleep, etc.

I don't take Ibuprofen during pregnancy past 5 weeks though. There are too many proven risks with Ibuprofen, especially in the last trimester. However, if your doctor has approved it then I wouldn't worry about taking it.

 

[77Tulips]

I have Fibromyalgia and am on a controversial treatment of low dose naltrexone, it works fantastically for me and I have been OK'd to take it throughout pregnancy. I did with my last child and no issues.

I will say, heat, or hot/cold therapy, massage, breathing exercises and sleep, I try to get a nap every day to manage my fatigue. I miss my spa pool as it was excellent therapy for me. I do find if I manage a small amount of exercise it helps keep the nerve pain at bay and then I use heat to relieve the muscle pain.