methadone withdrawal in infants

- As a mom to be, you want to do what’s best for your baby, and getting on something like methadone, which causes a withdrawal syndrome in newborns, may not feel like the right thing to do.

All pregnant opiate-addicted women are advised to take methadone as a part of a medically supervised methadone maintenance treatment program. Methadone is currently the only medication approved for the addiction treatment of pregnant women who are addicted to heroin or other opiates. The fetus feels withdrawal symptoms during pregnancy.

I know next to nothing about addiction medicine except that when we rotated through the nursery we dreaded the baby born addicted to methadone the most. They had withdrawal symptoms for weeks and months. For the infants (and I have read for the people addicted themselves) withdrawal is far harder from methadone than for heroin or other opiates. I don't know if this helps. As for it being worse in MS, I don't know.

Opioid medications (such as morphine, fentanyl, and sometime methadone) are often given to newborn infants, including extremely premature infants, to help control pain and discomfort. Depending upon the situation, one drug may be preferred over another. This class of pain medications has a very long history of safe use in premature infants.

If you give birth to a baby while still on methadone, baby will go into withdrawal a few days after delivery if you do not breastfeed because of methadone level falling in his or her bloodstream. Breastfeeding while on methadone has been done, but there have been reported cases of respiratory arrests and deaths in infants while breastfeeding from mothers taking pure opiate agonist such as methadone. There are better ways of approaching your situation.

I know a neo/natal icu nurse and they use methadone because its ez to measure and check the setum level in the blood this is the way they bring alll babys off narcotics its safe and if done right fairly painless sounds like she /he is in good hands let the doctors be dotors Jenny runs into this all the time it more common then you think the baby will be fine and no they dont use sub with babys.........

I am somewhat surprised that they chose methadone to detox your baby. The usual way for infants to detox is morphine because it is so short acting, allowing a relatively fast taper. Methadone is a long acting opiate with half life of anywhere of 13 to more then 40 hours (meaning that it is in the body about 5 times that long). Given that infants' metabolism is usually faster than adults', it will probably be closer to 13 to 20, but it is still very long half-life.

Breastfeeding while on methadone has been done, but there have been reported cases of respiratory arrests and deaths in infants while breastfeeding from mothers taking pure opiate agonist such as methadone. There are better ways of approaching your situation. I do hope that this time around you will have good, caring thoughtful doctors and medical team to provide you with better advice. If you are not sure, please feel free to check in with us here. You must talk to your OB/GYN.

assist with stabilisation of drug use and lifestyle help provide a stable environment in your body for your baby, which can improve the health of your baby facilitate attendance for pregnancy care reduce the risk of blood borne viral infections including Hepatitis C and HIV reduce crime associated with drug use is safe in breastfeeding Methadone should be commenced as soon as possible after pregnancy has been confirmed, or continued if you are already on a methadone program.

Oh no, I do not think a pediatrician can tell a person in your situation that they will have to wait 3 weeks. You really need a doctor's advice. Is this a clinic of some sort?? My doctor's office takes calls for acute situations EVERY day and has time in their day to see people that need seen immediately. I've never even had to wait a day to see a doctor when my kids needed one. It is different than setting up an appointment.

I returned to methadone as was best option during pregnancy.(fortunately baby had no withdrawal symptoms). Haven't used heroin for about 5 years but so scared of withdrawal, thought i would be on one of the above for life. Baby now 19mths & have been withdrawing slowly so can still fulfill parental (single). I am currently on 4mg and have conflicting info regarding what to do next.

I should not be in withdrawal since I have tapered myself down to the 60 mg and have been at that dose for quite some time. I was given an NSAID called Mobic to reduce the pain from withdrawal symptoms but have other side effects from that, like withdrawal symptoms when I take it, I for one did not see any of these symptoms that I'm having as a side effect on the drugs information pamphlet or research that I've done on the medication.

I have quite a bit of info on my blog about buprenorphine and pregnancy-- search pregnancy at suboxonetalkzone.com . I have some references there as well. Your challenge is to avoid getting wrapped up in the judgmental attitudes of others, and instead decide on the plan that is right for you-- and trust your own judgment.

From 2006 to 2009, there was a 173 percent increase in newborns treated at hospitals for drug-withdrawal syndrome in Florida, according to Agency for Health Care Administration records obtained by the Orlando Sentinel........ It used to be that infants born with drug-withdrawal symptoms were more likely to be suffering from a crack-cocaine addiction.

my daughter is 33yrs old and was arrest on 8/27/08. At the time of her arrest she was on daily methadone (110mg). since they don't give methadone in jail she was forced into cold turkey withdrawal. Last thur4day she was sent to a mental health faciltiy because she is seeing things and hears voices. Please can anyone tell me is this somtimes part of the withdrawal or has she possible lost her mind.

I agree with all the above posters. Heroin is NOT an option while pregnant. I've seen women lose their babies this way. I was on my last clinic for twenty years & saw many infants delivered safely this way. (In fact, as far as I know, Methadone is the only opiate Generally Considered Safe during pregnancy.) You also run the risk of infection & spontaneous abortion from shooting up. (Also, OD'ing!

i looked up suboxone withdrawal in infants and alot of the things i read said that the baby goes through no withdrawal but for some reason i can't believe it. how bad is withdrawal for infants?

my daughter has weaned herself from methadone, is now having withdrawal symtoms. should she continue taking the methadone, should she continue to wean herself off and suffer the side effects? what are the worse case symtoms she may experience. any suggestions i may pass on.

If you are already on suboxone, you will most likely be switched over to methadone. Suboxone withdrawal in the pregnant woman is just as dangerous to the fetus as mom.going through methadone withdrawal.

I believe everyone is different. I was on klonopin for 2 years and became pregnant and had to ween off of it. This was not hard. However I was unable to ween off subutex (not recommended because opiate withdrawal can be very dangerous for an unborn baby) and switched to methadone for my pregnancy which is the most studied and safest drug to take while pregnant.

My name is mike I am 32 years old and I am a recovering drug addict who attends a methadone treatment center in Oklahoma! I would to start off by saying that methadone saved my life!!!! But I have been experiencing extreme vomiting and sweating associated with methadone and I am unable to find a doctor in Oklahoma who will help me! So if there is anybody who has experienced something similar PLease HELP! I never want to return to the hell on earth I experienced with opiates!!!!!!!!!

Yep right here!!...I swear, & not many people believe me, but my methadone withdrawal was almost like nothing!!...I was on it for 8yrs highest dose about 100mg, & from January to March 24, 2012 I tapered completely off...by myself..no Dr...I was 3months clean & started to have bladder/kidney pain, had some surgeries, got on oxycodone for that & am currently trying to taper off it...let me tell you, it has been beyond WORSE than the methadone!!!...

Methadone does collect in your bone marrow and fatty tissue. It also effects your thyroid and pancreas. The pain happens when you withdrawal, and it is horrrrible, im not sure how we can go through so much pain without being killed, but trust me I feel your pain. Also when you start detoxing, your nerve roots are raw and craving the narcotic like the rest of your body. Good luck to you, its a horrible thing to go through.

can my gp prescribe something for my cocodamol addiction (withdral) like methadone or somethng to get through the pain and symtoms?

Give them as much methadone as long as they want it in hopes that they will live(exist) and not die from an OD. Methadone addicts are visably sedated except for the low dose people and spend their days nodding, constipated to the max and sweating. It's not my idea of living.

i went from 60 to nothing in 5 wks my last dose was 33 days ago and im still rockin my skin crawls, my legs agg but the only thing that gives me comfort is that i know its not going to last forever methadone is an evil drug that seems to stay in your system forever ive heard of people who had withdrawal symptoms for over 6 months. so my advice to u is go as slow as u possibly can 1mg 2 tops a wk. it ***** having those liquid handcuffs on. good luck 2 u.

Methadone withdrawal in infants

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