Dr. Kapoor: Methadone OK for Pregnant Anna

1. Ok, whose taking bets that this "Doctor" gets his license revoked. He's just as guilty as Howard.

Shame on you!

Posted at 8:44PM on Feb 16th 2007 by Yeah sure

2. WHAT?! methadone will not cause birth effects to baby??? since when? i am no doctor but i wouldnt even attempt it! all of this looks really bad...but whatever i still wouldn't take it...i wouldn't even take aspirin while pregnant!

Posted at 4:31PM on Feb 16th 2007 by natalie

3. Well, Methadone may not cause birth defects, but according to a leading drug info website: "Safe use in pregnancy has not been established in relation to possible adverse effects on fetal development. Therefore, methadone should not be used in pregnant women unless, in the judgment of the physician, the potential benefits outweigh the possible hazards.

Methadone is not recommended for obstetric analgesia because its long duration of action increases the probability of respiratory depression in the newborn."

Posted at 4:49PM on Feb 16th 2007 by NW Reader

4. Is it safe to take methadone during pregnancy?
You may become pregnant while being maintained on methadone. Abusing heroin during pregnancy is dangerous to both you and your fetus. Methadone maintenance is the best way to help you maintain a normal pregnancy. This treatment is not likely to affect the development and cognitive functioning of your baby.

I clicked off of the site before I could copy it...any search you do of methadone and pregnancy will give you similiar answers. As some one who is maintained on methadone, I WOULD feel safe continuing my treatment under the supervision of a doctor.

Posted at 4:56PM on Feb 16th 2007 by Jen

5. BULL shit, that doctor is a liar. Any GOOD, upstanding doctor would not have prescribed methadone; especially IM to a pregnant woman. I am in chronic pain and because of all the bad publicity about methadone I refuse to take it to treat my pain. People think it is only for heroin withdrawls ... it is a valid pain treatment, but not for emotional pain like ANS had. That guy should lose his license.

Posted at 5:09PM on Feb 16th 2007 by NetterBug

6. KIMBERLY J WALTHER Born Oct 1962
622 LEE RD Recorded: 01/26/2004
IMPERIAL, CA 92251 (760) 355-1120

Posted at 8:50AM on Feb 17th 2007 by Granny

7. No one has yet to say WHY Methadone. DId she pick up a bubblegum habit on Heroin?

Posted at 12:57PM on Feb 19th 2007 by cat martin

8. I'm more concerned about the Dalmane(Flurazepam):
"Flurazepam must not be used during pregnancy. Other medications in this class have caused birth defects when used in the first three months of pregnancy. Other medications in this class have also caused unusual drowsiness, feeding problems, and liver problems in newborns when used at or near the time of delivery, or withdrawal symptoms in newborns when used for a long time during pregnancy. If you are a woman of childbearing age, use an effective form of birth control while taking this drug. If you plan to become pregnant, stop taking this drug before doing so. If you become pregnant or think you may be pregnant, inform your doctor immediately.Based on information from related drugs, flurazepam may pass into breast milk and may have undesirable effects on a nursing infant. Therefore, breast-feeding while using this drug is not recommended. Consult your doctor before breast-feeding."

Posted at 7:38PM on Feb 18th 2007 by Chris

9. Natalie,
Have you EVER even been pregnant? Well, I have and while i did not take any sort of medication, except for my heartburn, there are certain medications you can take during pregnancy safely. I am not saying taking methadone, if in fact ANS did, is okay but like you said you arent a doctor and from my take on it have never been pregnant. I was never a big ANS fan, but i wish people would just allow everything to play out. Seems like everyone is slinging accusations of some kind or another without alot of factual basis. I am more interested in seeing what the court decides and what the DNA shows.

Posted at 5:02PM on Feb 16th 2007 by Danielle

10. It is easy to point fingers at all those around Ms. Smith who allowed her to self-destruct. But, bottom line is...no one really knew her but those she allowed to be around her. It is obvious that she bought and paid for her life and death...Had those around her threw up their hands and walked away from the madness of her world.... she would have found other ways to get her drugs. Intervention, if it was at all possible for this woman, should have been done years ago..before the death of her son, before the birth of her daughter.

She now has to face the One she can't pay-off or bribe or use her sex appeal to get what she wants... and that one is God. There is no need for anyone to judge her any longer...

Posted at 5:06PM on Feb 16th 2007 by whocaresreally

11. Though no drugs are "good" for you while you are pregnant, I'm sure that Methadone was the lesser of all evils. Anna Nicole was reported to be addicted to prescription medication which is far more worse than methadone. The only reason that Methadone is prescribed is usually to fight the addiction to pain killers or heroin.
Methadone is supposed to be given in controlled and monitered doses by a licensed doctore followed with a urine test.
Methadone blocks the feeling of euphoria that narcotics give you, so taking a narcotic after your dose of Methadone does zero. Most drug addicts refuse to believe that and keep trying to get "high".
Sorry for the long rant, but I wanted to say that before I got to my point.
My cousin, who was like my best friend, died 2 years ago while taking Methadone. But she didn't die from an overdose, she died of a combination of drugs in her system like Daniel did. Daniel died of a mixture of antidepressants and methadone (death cocktail) which is the only way to get a buzz from methadone (Methadone+Xanax) which is what I think happened.
My cousin wasn't mixing Methadone and Xanax the day she died, however, she was taking Methadone and Ephedrine. The cause of her death was heart failure. Which is what I think happened to Anna.
Everytime I see or saw Anna on television, she showed the same signs as my cousin did, excessive sweating, slurred speech, and severe fatigue. I highly, HIGHLY doubt that Anna even lost a quarter of that weight using Trimspa. She went from thin, to obese, to thin again. Eating diet pills to get her heart racing and then drinking Methadone which would bring your heart rate way back down.
So, in conclusion, that Doctor should lose his license for prescribing that amount of medicine without proper monitering. Methadone is one of the deadliest drugs in the world as far as I'm concerned and should not be dispensed as if it were candy. Methadone+drug - alcohol (even Nyquil) could be considered suicide. Sorry for taking up so much room, but this drug brings back a lot of bad memories for me. If you know anyone on it or thinking about being on it, please tell them to run the other way to rehab. It sucks for a couple of months but it will be well worth it in the end. I promise.

Posted at 5:16PM on Feb 16th 2007 by Know all to well

12. I know of someone who did take this while pregnant and the baby was absolutely fine and healthy. It was better than being on other stuff and safer for the baby than to be going thru withdrawls.Although I don't agree with drugs and conceiving while being on them it was the best and safest solution for both of them .The doctor was right to give them to her if she was previously using other drugs. Methadone is used for rehab patients a lot of the time. ANS might have used her other name to hid the fact she was on methadone because it would cause a media frenzy- for obvious reasons.

Posted at 5:15PM on Feb 16th 2007 by RIP Anna

13. The fact that he's wearing a shirt that says "Trust me, I'm a doctor" makes him sooooo much less trustworthy, IMHO.

Posted at 5:27PM on Feb 16th 2007 by JLB

14. ...god.

Don't judge, lest yee be JUDGED!

Posted at 5:16PM on Feb 16th 2007 by kelly

15. NetterBug, do u know why anna was prescribed methodone? My guess is no, so how do you know it was prescribed for "emotional pain"...u don't. A good upstanding doctor WOULD prescribe methadone ( to a pregnant woment ) if it is truly needed. We don't know that it wasnt'. If Anna was abusing hardcore opiates, such as heroin when she became pregnant, the smart and safest thing for her to do would be to go on methadone. Research the subject. Withdrawing from opiates while pregnant is extremely dangerous to a fetus...If it comes back that Anna was prescribed Meth for "emotional pain", then I will agree that the doctor should lose his license, but for now, we don't know...No one knows.

Posted at 5:18PM on Feb 16th 2007 by Jen