I am 25 weeks pregnant and taking lortab 7 5 for back and mouth pain. I take 2 a day for about 2 weeks now. Is this going to harm my baby? Can I keep taking them?

ACCORDING TO MY OB THIS IS NOT HARMFUL TO THE BABY UNLESS YOU TAKE THEM FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME BUT IF YOU ARE IN PAIN AND DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING FOR IT.  IT CAN BE JUST AS HARMFUL TO THE BABY.  I HAD TO TAKE LORTAB 7.5 AT 14 WKS FOR 2WKS FOR A PULLED MUSCLE.  SO FAR SO GOOD. 

JEN

from seeing so many other people's experiences, i would strongly suggest you slow down.  you shouldn't always just believe what your doctors say because they aren't always right.  they go with the "norm" that doesn't apply to everyone.  second of all, you're just now getting into your third trimester... you're only going to start feeling more pain up until that baby is out of you!  that means 15 more weeks of lortabs, so you minus well slow down now before you get immune to them.  you're gonna get so use to takin them, they're not gonna be strong enough.  that would really suck if pain killers didn't work well enough when you needed them most--in the hospital during labor.  and finally, my friend was prescribed somas during her pregnancy and it affected her baby.  she had spina bonfida or something like that, has gone through over 13 surgeries now and can't walk.  she's not even 3 yet.

There is a bit of a difference between Soma's and Lortab's. Lortab's are a pregnancy category B, meaning no adverse effects have been found in animal fetuses. They are an analgesic, which just means pain medicine. Soma's are not recomended during pregnancy. They are not rated per say, it just says not recomended in my drug book and they are a skeletal muscle relaxant. As long as you are only on the pain killers for a short amount of time there should not be a problem, your liver processes most of the drug before it actually enters your blood stream. I pulled my back when I was pregnant with my second son and urgent care gave me tylenol w/codeine. I refused to take them until I talked to my OB, she said it was ok. I was only on them for a couple of weeks and things turned out ok for me.

tybaby, i agree that you should not continuously take the lortab throughout your pregnancy.  being a nurse myself i am aware of the risks associated with medications.  if you are in your second tri and are in acute distress, the pain meds are not harmful for a short period of time.  prolonged exposure causes risks to the fetus.  Regarding your friend who was given somas during pregnancy and her baby developed spina bifida, is the disorder, did she take those in the first trimester of pregnancy?  the reason i ask is, if she took them in the first tri i cannot believe her ob did that to her.  what she has endured is horrible.  My heart goes out to her.  you aren't supposed to take drugs of that magnitude during the first tri because that is the development stage and it is common for embryos to develop defects in that time.  did she try to file suit regarding the childs disorder?  if not, she should have.  yes, there are doctors who make horrible judgement calls, i had an experience with one myself with my first pregnancy, he had been practacing for over 30 years, he actually delivered me in the 80's.  he was just so old school and not big on continuing education.  he couldve harmed my baby had i not sought the opinion of another doctor.  if ever uncomfortable with a decision a doctor has made, always seek other medical advice.  just because they have their degree does not mean that they  are always right. as far as the pain and continuing the meds, i wouldn't advise taking them for much longer, try tylenol, tylenol is much safer, and your child can become addicted as well as yourself, you should try to deal with the pain in other ways instead of relying on the meds.  if this is just regular everyday pregnancy pain you need not take the lortab for that.  that is just part of it.  if it is acute pain, cause by an injury for instance that is a bit different, but i would not continue taking these on a daily basis by no means.  pregnancy can be uncomfortable and painful, but thats just something you must cope with.

jen

I also agree that Lortab should not be taken for long periods of time during pregnancy. I know a lady whose baby was born addicted to Vicodin (Lortab). She had to do alot of fighting/proving to even get to take her baby home with her, after the baby had an extended stay in the hospital after being born. Also, if you plan to nurse after delivery, Lortab does find its way to breast milk, hence then to baby. Too much for a tiny baby could be lethal.  Also, spina bifida is a neural tube defect. These defects are already underway even before mommy knows she if pregnant, by four weeks. Believe me, I had two babies with anencephaly.  Make sure you talk to your doctor perhaps about some other form of pain medication. There are other category B meds out there, which are generally safe for fetus. Also, of you want, you could look under WebMD, to find something in category A&B. Or to even find out what I mean by "categories". Let us know what you decide. Good luck.

Ok, this is my second try at a post on this board, so hopefully this one goes through. I was pretty much going to say the same things as the 2 ladies before me. Lortabs and Somas are very different. Soma's are not recommended during pregnancy, they are a skeletal muscle relaxant which has a different effect than Lortab's which are just an analgesic(pain reliever). The majority of the drug(Lortab) is processed by your liver before it enters the bloodstream so short term there should not be a problem. I was also going to say that the friend with the spina bifida baby had to of taken the drug during 1st trimester or the 2 are unrelated. A safe alternative to Lortab's are Tylenol 3's (w/codiene). I pulled my back during my second pregnancy and had to go to urgent care. I too was worried and refused to take them until I spoke with my OB about them. She said it was safe. I was in my 2nd trimester and only prescribed them as needed for pain with a 2 week supply. So once again, no matter what the drug, moderation is the key.

A side note, if you plan to use drugs during labor, those are no mild drugs they're using. Primarily the drug they use is Demerol. The reason it is safe is b/c like I said, your body processes the majority of the drug, so minimal amounts reach baby. Good Luck and don't worry too much!