“Over the past 10 years, the rate of pregnant women who are dependent on opioids has steadily increased in the United States. In fact, on average, about 21,000 pregnant women aged 15 to 44 misused opioids in the past month, according to combined 2007 to 2012 national surveys on drug use and health from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Pregnant women taking opioids during pregnancy are at risk for having infants who are born dependent on opioids with a condition called neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).
While many studies have found that medically assisted treatment with methadone or buprenorphine is recommended over full detox, in some areas doctors still recommend an immediate unmedicated detox in the hopes of keeping infants from developing NAS.
In April, a meta-analysis published in Obstetrics and Gynecology looked at the various approaches of treatment for women who are pregnant and dependent on opioids. The large review assessed 15 previously conducted studies that involved some 2,000 women.
Conclusion: “Our review does not support detoxification for the prevention of neonatal abstinence syndrome as a result of the high rate of relapse and, therefore, continued fetal opioid exposure,” the researchers wrote. “Furthermore, relapse as reported in the included studies was likely underreported as a result of lack of follow-up beyond the immediate postpartum period as well as high lost-to-follow-up rates across all studies.”
Read more at: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/pregnant-women-on-opioids-should-not-go-cold-turkey#1
Source: Healthline.com – May 9, 2018
See related article on NAS: Study shows prolonged NAS treatment for infants discharged early available at: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-05-prolonged-nas-treatment-infants-discharged.html
