i have taken strong pain killers during the first 12 weeks of my pregnancy , could my baby be hurt??/?

Question

the pain killer was tramadol, i have to wait until my first scan to see what damage it has caused if any

Answer 1

I would not worry too much. What does your doctor say? They are really the first person you should be speaking to. If you were taking the painkillers under Doctors orders and the Doc knew you were pregnant then they wouldn't have given you anything that would hurt your baby.

I know someone who had to take morphine throughout the whole of her pregnancy (for a pre existing problem - it was obviously prescribed and monitored by her Doc) and her baby was fine!

For one thing, many women take pain killers, drink, smoke etc before they even find out they're pregnant and the baby is fine.

I was on anti-depressants (Seroxat aka Paxil) before I got pregnant and the doctor told me to continue them as coming off could not only make me feel really rough but the discontinuation could affect my baby worse than the drug being at a steady rate in my system. Like you I have been very worried (and managed to cut down my dose with the Docs approval), but I'm 35 weeks pregnant now and little lad seem to be doing fine from all his scans!

Don't worry too much, its unlikely anything will be wrong with your baby! Babies seem to be very resilient

Answer 2

At the end of the day, it's your decision and all people can do is offer their opinion and experience in this situation. Personally, I wouldn't abort as I don't see Down's syndrome as a severe enough disability to justify it. In another two weeks, your baby is viable and stands a good chance of survival outside of the womb. Several babies have survived in neonatal intensive care units from 22 weeks gestation onwards. Whilst there are some health complications sometimes associated with the syndrome, a lot of Downs children live extremely happy lives. I've known several in my life and I can honestly say that they were a lot happier than most of the unaffected children I know. They are also very loving. My mum knows a Downs lady in her late twenties who is actually an actress and has her own home. I would suggest you talk to a counsellor before doing anything drastic as they are impartial and can offer some really good advice. In addition to this, you could go and see your doctor and find out what caring for a child with Downs actually involves. At the end of the day, this is still your baby. Abortion is not something to be taken lightly and can cause you permanent psychological damage. If you decide to continue with your pregnancy, whether it is difficult or not, you will adjust to having a child who needs a little extra care. I hope you manage to reach a decision that you are happy with and wish you all the best for the future.

Answer 3

This happened to me except it was antibiotics I was prescribed before I knew I was actually pregnant. I spent the whole 9 months stressed with worry over it as the antibiotics should not have been taken while pregnant as they could cause abnormalities.

Make sure you tell them how worried you are. I had a detailed scan at 20 weeks, they can't tell you if the baby is damaged at 12 weeks. That was 2 years ago now and I am happy to say my baby son was perfectly healthy.

My advice to you is make an appointment with your Dr so you can talk it over with them, they will be able to advise you on the possible harmful effects to your baby. But also try not to worry, I really missed out on the joy of being pregnant as I was so stressed. Try to relax and remember that it is most likely your baby will be fine. x

Answer 4

Teratogenicity is most susceptible between weeks 3-10. The follwoing can have a very adverse effect on the fetus: Iodide, Cocaine, Alcohol, Warfarin, X-Rays, DES and ACE inhibitors. Well I hope that scan is soon, since organogenesis also starts at week 3. I can't seem to find any journal articles about this subject, but just consult your doctor to make you feel more at ease, and then wait for the result of your scan. Good Luck

Answer 5

Right before I found out I was pregnant I got bit by a spider. It was infected and had to be seared (a hole poked and left open) I had to get the dressings changed every day. They would hook me to an I.V. and they gave me some VERY strong pain relieversin the IV. I was so out of it, I don't what it was, but they also prescribed me some percocet and motrin. This stuff made me feel sick. I took this until i was about 6wks, when I found out.
I stopped.
I now have a very healthy 7 mos old, bright ,and had the sniffles once.
Good luck, but I'm sure the baby'll be fine.

Answer 6

I assume it was an accident or you took them before you knew you were pregnant and it is understandable that you are worried but remember the list of things that we are not meant to do when we are pregnant gets bigger every year and one or teo tablets is hardly likely to do any real damage, although continuous use throughout your pregnancy is another matter.

I have a friend who, back in the days when we used to get hammered every weekend, before she realised she was pregnant, took cocaine, ecstacy and alcohol. When she found out she was pregnant, she was distraught and convinced that the baby would have problems because of this. She was worried for the whole of her pregnancy but when she was born she was fine and 5 years later there have still been no problems.

So I don't think you can judge what will happen but one minor slip up as there are so many factors that can affect babies and it is impossibl;e to cover them all all of the time.

Try not to worry I am sure it will be fine. And Good Luck :-) xxx

Answer 7

I'm not sure about that pain killer. I know they recommend Tylenol only. But, I had to have kidney surgery while I was pregnant.I don't like to take anything when I'm not pregnant let alone when I am. I had a stint in that was unbearable I couldn't walk. I was at the hospital once a week for a pain shot. I had to take percocet every 2 hours which only took the edge off. I asked the dr. of the affects he told me there were no studies done. I felt horrible but he said I had no choice but to take them.It helped because my nurse had a friend who was on it during her pregnancy and the baby was fine. I was on them for 11 weeks. My baby is perfectly normal (Thank God) We joke now because he is so happy I say he's my little percocet kid.
If your dr. prescribed them for you and knew you were pregnant don't feel guilty. You obviously need them. Good luck to both of you.

Answer 8

Tramadol is in the FDA pregnancy category C. This means that it is not known whether it will be harmful to an unborn baby. Do not take this medication without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant.

I copied this from the Yahoo Health page. Check it out at the link below and talk to your doctor. He/She may do extra tests and ultrasounds just to make sure all is well with your baby.

Answer 9

it may be as the first 12 weeks of pregnancy are the most importan as the structure of the baby is being formed. but then again it could be fine, when you have your scans you will know but im sure it will be fine. many people smoke and have alcohol in the first 3 months as they do not know and their babies are fine, just wait till you get the scans before you start to worry :)

Answer 10

Don't be alarmed, I know is hard thinking that you may have harmed your baby. I was 5 months pregnant when I found out that I was pregnant. I had always had irregular periods went without one for up 8 months. I finally adopted a child because we though we could not conceive. When I found out I was pregnant I was scared because I had been drinking for a few months in a row, and I had the flue real bad one time that I had some strong antibiotics, and was taking every medicine over the counter. My son was born 2 weeks preemie, but overall he is healthy. As long as you took the medication as you should of, you should be o.k. , is when you start abusing the dosage that can harm your baby permanently. Keep your hopes up high and don't stress over it, as that can harm your baby even more. Congratulations.