Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: Pregnant Pain

Question:
I have recently been started on a neuropathic pain med lyrica. It seems to be helping me a fair bit. I am concerned though, as my husband and I are yet to start a family, and I want to soon, and I've been of the opinion that I didn't want to be on any medication. However, I've come to the conclusion that maybe I will need to stay on medication, and hence my question, is there any medications out there for neuropathic pain that can be taken safely during pregnancy? Info I found on lyrica suggests that it probably hasn't been out long enough for them to do studies, and that it may be harmful.

Answer:
What I was more curious about was whether there were any other neuropathic pain meds, like Lyrica, but not Lyrica, that were safe during pregnancy. I've tried searching this on the net, but can't come up with anything. I do intend to ask my doctor as well, but I just wanted to do my own bit of research as well. You hit the nail on the head when you say these medications haven't been out long enough to know what they'll do to a normal healthy body over a long period, much less during pregnancy. I'll pre warn you now that I have a very pro narcotic bias when it comes to treating pain. That being said, pain medications should be used for pain, which is what they are made for, not some anti-depressant, off label experiment because they are afraid to prescribe the real pain drugs. Narcotics have been around for thousands of years, treating pain and doing a pretty good job of it. Pregnancy is normally not an issue with them. The child may inherit a physical dependence through Mom, but it's usually just a matter of detoxification over the course of a few days. Which may be a good thing since they tend to send you on your way as soon as you pop the little fella (or gal) out. Kids shouldn't be delivered like fast food, but unless there's a reason they'll send you both home the next day. I'd be real nervous taking something that they're still collecting data or using in off label (other than intended) use. It just shows they're still not sure how it affects the body, much less a child in the womb. wish i had better info for you on this, but i've never seen any documentation that labels a neuro/pain drug 'safe' during preg. one of the problems here, is the institutional prohibition against testing 'specifically' for safety during pregnancy. and, that these are comparatively new drugs, as a result, doctors and pharm's only have information gathered after a drug in on the market - even normally safe over the counter and/or herbal preparations are now being found to have risks. that is why i can only say you and your doc have a road to travel here.