Studies involving people who use opioids during their pregnancy have found an increased chance for pregnancy complications such as poor growth of the baby, stillbirth, premature delivery, and need for C-section. This is more commonly reported in pregnant people who are taking heroin or who take opioids in higher doses or for longer than recommended by their healthcare providers (i.e. Some studies have suggested opioids as a general group might be associated with birth defects, however, these studies have not found a specific pattern of birth defects. Based on available studies, if there is an increased chance for birth defects with opioid use in pregnancy, it is likely to be small.Ĭould codeine cause other pregnancy complications? Not every opioid medication has been studied on its own. It is not known if taking codeine during pregnancy increases the chance of having a baby with a birth defect. Is this true?Įvery pregnancy starts out with a 3-5% chance of having a birth defect. I have heard that opioids may cause birth defects when used in pregnancy. This does not mean there is an increased chance or that there is no increased chance, it only means that this question has not been answered. There are no published studies looking at whether codeine increases the chance of miscarriage. Changes to your codeine treatment during pregnancy or breastfeeding should only be done under the direction of your healthcare provider.ĭoes taking codeine during my pregnancy increase the chance of miscarriage? It is unknown if going through withdrawal would affect a pregnancy. Stopping an opioid medication suddenly could cause you to go into withdrawal. Talk with your healthcare providers before making any changes to how you take this medication. Should I stop taking my codeine prescription? A couple of studies have shown that use or misuse of opioids as a general group may cause irregular periods or lack of periods (amenorrhea). Studies have not been done to see if codeine could make it harder for a person to get pregnant. Can it make it harder for me to get pregnant? For more information about acetaminophen, please see the MotherToBaby fact sheet at. Some commonly used codeine products also contain other medications, such as acetaminophen. It belongs to a group of medications called opioids. This information should not take the place of medical care and advice from your healthcare provider.Ĭodeine is a medication most often used to treat pain or cough.
This sheet is about exposure to codeine in pregnancy and while breastfeeding.