Methadone, a prescribed synthetic opioid substitute for the opiate heroin, is used to control addiction. The American Academy of Family Physicians reports that it is effective in decreasing illegal narcotic use and preventing relapse. During...
Pregnant women should know whatever they eat, drink, smoke or snort may pass directly from their blood system into their baby's circulatory system through the placenta or the umbilical cord. This means if you feel it, there's a good...
Doctors face growing challenges treating infant addicts and their mothers. In 2010 Maine's two largest hospitals reported treating or observing 276 infants for neonatal abstinence syndrome -- withdrawal from opiates to which they were exposed in...
Women who are addicted to heroin are often given methadone, a synthetic narcotic, to take instead of heroin. Methadone withdrawal is probably the most common withdrawal seen in newborns, according to Marvin Wang, M.D. Mothers who take methadone...
Maternal drug abuse with legal or illegal drugs has continued to rise over time. All drugs of abuse reach the fetus during pregnancy. Once the umbilical cord is cut in the delivery room, the baby must be closely monitored for signs of withdrawal....
Methadone is frequently prescribed to expecting mothers as a substitute for illegal drugs such as heroin that carry high risks for both the mother and baby, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The risks attached to methadone are...
The National Institute on Drug Abuse says methadone is often used in maintenance treatment for pregnant mothers abusing opiates. This treatment aims to prevent further negative effects from illicit drug use. Methadone carries a risk of fewer...
The use of drugs and/or alcohol during pregnancy is a serious problem with dangerous consequences.. The American Counsel for Drug Education explains that drug use while pregnant is doubly dangerous. Drugs may harm a woman's health and interfere...
The American Pregnancy Association explains that many pregnant women who take methadone do so as a treatment method for a heroin addiction. Although methadone may be prescribed to get off of an illicit drug, it has its own consequences when taken...
Maternal use of methadone, a synthetic opioid, during pregnancy can cause the baby to go through withdrawal symptoms. Symptoms can occur in varying degrees. The severity of symptoms will vary depending on the amount of methadone the mother last...
Nearly 4 percent of pregnant women in the United States take illicit drugs during pregnancy, the March of Dimes says, and even more are addicted to legal but potentially harmful drugs such as alcohol and nicotine. Most drugs easily cross the...
