Recommended Opiate Detox Procotols During Pregnancy

Pregnant women who are addicted to opiates should detoxify to avoid harming their babies. Doctors recommend that the mother to seek treatment for her addiction as soon as possible while pregnant, so the baby is not born addicted to opiates, too. Before starting any detoxification program, always consult your doctor for advice on the best course of action, as every situation is different.

Standard Protocol

• When a pregnant woman wants to detoxify from opiates or other opioids, the recognized standard of care, according to the National Health Institute, is methadone treatment while under a doctor's supervision. Methadone is not known to cause birth defects nor have any long-term affects on a baby. There are other medications available for opiate detoxification such, as Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone), or Subutex, (buprenorphine), but because they are "Pregnancy Category C" medications, meaning they are known to cause harmful and possibly fatal birth defects on a fetus, the are not recommended for use in detoxifying pregnant women.

Methadone Maintenance

• There are two methods of using methadone for opiate detoxification, the weaning and maintenance methods. The weaning method consists of administering methadone in gradually tapering dosages to the expectant mother, until she is no longer taking any. She will still feel the withdrawal, but at a much-lessened rate. Doctors do not prescribe this method because even though mother is fine, the withdrawal can kill the fetus. A safer method is methadone maintenance. The expectant mother takes a maintenance dose of the drug daily for the duration of the pregnancy. She cannot take the drug home with her, as per the methadone maintenance protocols. After she has the baby, she can decide to wean off it or continue the therapy. When baby is born, he needs to wean from the methadone for a period of about two weeks, or until all of the methadone is cleansed from his body. He will be monitored and remain in the hospital for the duration of the weaning period. This is safer because he is more able to withstand the effects of any withdrawal felt from the weaning off the methadone after birth then weaning while in the womb.

Considerations

• Although most doctors consider methadone maintenance the safest route for opiate detoxification when pregnant, it is ultimately up to the mother which route to take for her treatment. Detoxifying from any drug at any time, especially while pregnant, is very dangerous. The mother must contact a doctor before starting or stopping any treatment, as it could cause harm to the mother and/or child. When the maintenance method is used, because the doctor gives the methadone daily, the mother will need to return daily for her dose, lest she become sick and start feeling the withdrawal symptoms.