Treatment For Babies Born Addicted To Drugs

However 55 to 94 of babies prenatally exposed to opioids that includes the maintenance drugs methadone and buprenorphine will experience at least some withdrawal symptoms after birth.

Treatment for babies born addicted to drugs.

The number of babies treated at florida hospitals for drug withdrawal syndrome continued to skyrocket last year further evidence of the far reaching impact of the state s prescription drug epidemic. Most cocaine exposed infants do not need any medication but if the infant is excessively irritable she may benefit from a short course of phenobarbital. The number of babies born addicted to drugs has tripled in the last decade. A baby born addicted to drugs may experience delays in learning from rolling over to crawling to walking and later on in school.

When the infant feels better the medication can be stopped without tapering. Babies exposed to drugs in utero may experience developmental consequences including impaired growth birth defects and altered brain development. To lessen the negative effects of opioid dependence on the fetus treatment with methadone has been used for pregnant women with opioid use disorder since the 1970s and has been recognized as the standard of care since 1998. The rates are especially high in heavily troubled states such as tennessee and florida where the opiate epidemic is seeing some of the worst numbers.

Babies who are born addicted to drugs can be treated either with or without medication and if medical interventions are necessary physicians typically use morphine. 102 103 recent evidence however suggests that buprenorphine may be an even better treatment option. Drug use during pregnancy may also lead to miscarriage or pre term labor. Prenatal drug exposure may impact the child s behavior language cognition and achievement long term.

Florida is reporting the highest numbers of addicted babies. According to the aap doctors have treated drug withdrawal symptoms in newborns with a variety of drug preparations including opioids tincture of opium neonatal morphine solution methadone and paregoric barbiturates phenobarbital benzodiazepines diazepam lorazepam clonidine and phenothiazines chlorpromazine. Babies addicted to drugs by the numbers. Sometimes methadone and other medications are used but doctors try to use as little meds as possible.

In most cases this medication is only needed for a few days.