Okay, I know I have no right (as a non-mother, etc) to bitch and criticize others' parenting, but I just had to rant and rave about this one. I'm aquainted with a couple, who though I don't know very well, they are good friends of another couple who I'm very close to. This woman was pg when I first met her in october. I'd noticed in her pregnancy that she hadn't stopped smoking (cigarettes or herb), but figured it wasn't my place to say anything and I was sure she knew the risks of what she was doing. I noticed after her son was born (I met him at 4 weeks) that he was extremely small, and extremely complacent. Like, more spacey and glazed-over looking than any baby I've ever known at this age. Again, I held my tongue. I asked if they were bfing, and she made some veiled reference to an "antidepressant" that she took that couldn't be used while bfing, so they are formula-feeding instead. Again, I held my tongue. Now, the other day I was hanging out and visiting with our mutual friend, and I found out that the "anti-depressant" was in fact klonopin (sp?) and the poor kid was actually born dependant on it. My first reaction was "well, if it's not safe while bfing, what kind of doc would prescribe it while she's pg?" It turns out that she continued getting these scripts filled somehow by her shrink without informing him that she was pregnant, and then claimed at birth that she just "didn't know" it was bad. WTF!? The poor kid even recieved special treatment at the hospital for a chemical dependency, but she got zero flack for what she's done. Now, I'm no expert, but I've seen the way friends of mine have reacted on k-pin, and it just pisses me off that anyone would allow that stuff to get in their baby's system. And like I said, I'm keeping my mouth shut around the people who are actually close to this situation, so I feel like exploding and I knew you guys would understand! Hopefully that made some kind of sense. !
Small doses of Klonopin are not dangerous in most pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, considering the alternative. It is a usually safe drug for parasomnias and for absence seizures and chronic pain or anxiety control. If the drug is used properly,(meaning it is not abused, or the dosage escalated) there is basically NO risk of "Addiction" for the baby. It is really different than other drugs in the Valium family (which I wouldn't take while breastfeeding, unless I was going to the dentist) as it has a long half life and if you take the same dose over time, you have virtually NO side effects. The AAP has not yet reviewed this drug, meaning the mother and her doctors need to take into consideration her need for the medication, what might happen if she DOESN'T take it and the dosage. Once the symptoms are controlled, unless they return while on drug therapy, there should be no reason to raise the dosage. The drug should not be mixed with phenotoin or barbituites. If this baby was treated for "Chemical Dependency" my guess would be it was something other than Klonopin.Clonazepam has a very long half life and "withdrawal" from long half life drugs rarely need intervention, especially the small amounts a fetus would have recieved during pregnancy. Even adults, who go off this drug and are taking recommended dosages (usually between .25mg and 1 mg one to three times per day) can safely withdraw with nothing more than a mild insomnia as a side effect. The drug leaves the body slowly (although, unlike other drugs with long half lives, it does not build up) and the action is similar to simply "weaning" off the drug. Of course, abuse and HUGE doses of the drug, like any other, can be problematic. Klonopin not only CAN be taken during breastfeeding, it is not an antidepressant. I am hearing that this womyn is NOT telling you the entire truth about the situation. Pregnancy is more of a problem for most drugs than breastfeeding is, as most drugs (this one included) are acceptable during breastfeeding, while some of them might not be during pregnancy (but, in many cases this drug is acceptable in both, in moderate to small doses.) No sane doctor would usually prescribe a drug during pregnancy and then say "Oh, you can't take this during breastfeeding." The breast is a better filter than the placenta. I think this womyn is not being at all honest with you. Babies don't do into "chemical dependency therapy" for Klonopin...... What is her diagnosis for needing the drug? It isn't a usual prescription for regular short lived anxiety? Does she have absensce Seizures? A severe sleep disorder? Chronic pain? Why is she taking it? That can tell you a lot.
