What Are Treatments for Pregnant Drug Abusers?

Women who use drugs while they are pregnant must receive treatment for the health of their baby and themselves. Anything a pregnant woman puts in her body will potentially cross the placenta and enter her baby. A baby born addicted can suffer from low birth weight and painful withdrawal symptoms. A fetus exposed to drugs and alcohol is at risk for malformation, which may result in death. Addiction recovery is physically and emotionally difficult. Thankfully, there are many treatments available to make the process easier and enable the delivery of a healthy infant.

Nicotine Addiction

• Nicotine addiction is particularly common among pregnant women. Babies born to mothers who smoke often suffer from low birth weight. Ideally, if you smoke and you are pregnant, you should quit cold turkey. Most smoking cessation medications contain nicotine, which poses the same threats to the fetus as smoking. Chantix, a prescription smoking-cessation drug, has not been evaluated for safety in pregnant women. Counseling and group therapy are advisable for pregnant women who smoke.

Alcoholism

• Alcohol consumption during pregnancy causes birth defects called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, or FASDs. The March of Dimes website states that up to 40,000 babies are born with a FASD each year. Alcohol addiction should be treated early in the pregnancy since the baby develops the most during the first trimester. Mild alcohol withdrawal symptoms such as tremor and agitation last a short time and do not require treatment. Withdrawal symptoms that impact the developing fetus such as tachycardia, fever and convulsions should be treated symptomatically. Rapid heart-rate can be converted with the medication adenosine. Adenosine has an extremely short half-life and will not harm the fetus. Fever can be treated safely with acetaminophen. Convulsions caused by alcohol withdrawal are usually treated with benzodiazepines such as clonazepam taken at the lowest dose possible to minimize risk to the fetus.

Street Drugs

• Cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin harm the developing fetus. Cocaine and methamphetamine use can be stopped immediately. The withdrawals from these drugs are unpleasant but not dangerous. Withdrawal from these drugs should take place in a drug rehabilitation facility to help deal with any emotions or temptations that may lead to relapse.

  Heroin withdrawal is extremely difficult and potentially dangerous. A woman who is not pregnant would be placed on the opiate methadone. Methadone also poses threats to the fetus. If you take methadone during the final weeks of pregnancy, the baby may experience withdrawal symptoms. Buprenorphine is a medication that reduces the craving for heroin, and all other opiates, without producing a "high" feeling. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of two forms of buprenorphine, Suboxone and Subutex. Information regarding buprenorphine and fetal health is limited. Still, the benefits of buprenorphine outweigh the risks of using heroin.

Marijuana

• Marijuana addiction is purely psychological. Smoking marijuana presents the same problems as cigarette smoking. A woman who illegally smokes marijuana while she is pregnant should stop immediately because marijuana crosses the placenta. If a woman is using prescribed marijuana, she should decide with her doctor if she should continue treatment.

Considerations

• Drugs used intravenously place the mother and baby at risk of blood-borne diseases. Diseases such as hepatitis and HIV can be transmitted to the baby. All newborns are tested for drugs. If illegal drugs are found in the baby's system, the mother may lose custody of the child.