Pregnant Sister Was Denied Treatment

Thank you for your question, Ana. I am sure you are very concerned about your sister. The problem with your sister being detoxed is the pregnancy. When a woman is pregnant, any withdrawal symptoms from detox could cause her to miscarry the child. Seizures are very dangerous both to your sister and her unborn child. I am assuming she was released from the hospital because she could not be detoxed due to the pregnancy. However, they should have referred her to someone else. It depends what drug she is taking to refer her for treatment. For example, if she is taking opiates, she could take medication assisted treatment (MAT) such as Subutex or methadone. These are safer than going through withdrawal and safer for the baby.

Contact the phone number on this website, Choose Help. They make referrals for treatment.

In addition, she needs to make an appointment with an OB/GYN as soon as possible. She has to be honest with her doctor about what drugs she is taking. If she has insurance, she can also contact her insurance company for a referral. She has to make it clear that she is pregnant when she calls. There are treatment facilities that specialize in treating pregnant clients.

I wish both you and your sister the best of luck.