I hope it is not offensive for me to have joined your group...I was doing a search for "pregnant on fentanyl" and it brought me here. I don't have RSD...I have a bladder disease called interstitial cystitis (IC), fibromyalgia, arthritis, and a host of other physical problems, but those are the ones that cause the most pain.

Anyway, I've been on 150 mcg fentanyl w/ lortab for breakthrough pain forever (it seems). My husband and I checked w/ my OBGYN and my pain doc about a year or so ago, and both said all my meds (I take a bunch of other junk, too) would be okay during a pregnancy. Imagine my shock when I notified them I was PG, the pain doc deferred to the OB re: what would be okay to take, and the OB says the lortab is okay but the patches (that I depend on to FUNCTION) are out. They didn't even ease me off of them...I got the old cold turkey treatment. I went cold off of Oxycontin before, and it was bad, but nowhere NEAR as bad as this. I am in agony, and haven't slept in several days, and have been searching high and low for info b/c we are so worried that the meds may have hurt the baby.

To add insult to injury, I started bleeding a bit after a few hours of withdrawal...we are sure it is from the stress my body was under. It wasn't much, and it stopped after about 16 hours, but it still freaked us out. My progesterone levels have been low (progesterone is like the glue that holds your PG together) and I'm on a supplemental cream, but they had told us if the cream didn't help, it was likely I would miscarry (and they can't do anything about it at this point).

Anyway...I don't want to scare you, I just wanted you to know you are not alone, b/c I have felt very alone (except for my husband, but it's not the same since it's not his body...all the guilt I feel, that he tells me not to have...he is really awesome). My advice would be that if they make you go off of your patches, BEG to be weaned off instead of just stopping suddenly, b/c the tremendous stress on your body cannot be good (as I've demonstrated).

Also, I agree w/ the people who say it probably hasn't hurt the baby...I can't find anything anywhere about anyone having a child w/a birth defect due to fentanyl, and I think one of us would find it if it was out there, b/c I have found info on BD for several other meds. As my friend said, the doc just wants to CHA. I really like & trust my ob, but I am still very frustrated. I did find that some studies were just released 4/2007 on this topic, but I can't find the full text of the studies. The gist of those seems to aim more towards women using fentanyl at the end of their PG for back pain, labor pain, etc. and the effects on the newborn (not good...not defects, but their breathing is not good & strong, and the poor little things go through WD). I wish I'd known more before I got PG, so we could have formulated a better plan. They did say the lortab is okay, but it doesn't do near as much as the patches.

I hope all is well with you...our thoughts and prayers will be with you & your family.