Drug Use During Pregnancy: Dangers of Addiction

Learn more about FASDs and the health impacts of alcohol use during pregnancy. Opioids are a class of drugs that are used to manage pain, but they have serious risks, such as addiction. Prescription opioids may be prescribed by doctors to manage moderate to severe pain. Similar numbers were seen with marijuana, cigarette, and binge alcohol use. Some studies have found that small amounts of alcohol consumption can have the same adverse effects on the fetus as binge drinking.

The Effects of Alcohol and Drugs of Abuse on Maternal Nutritional Profile during Pregnancy

CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health provides scientific leadership to promote women’s and infants’ health before, during, and after pregnancy. Maternal and Child Health Indicators provides the latest Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring data on cigarette smoking before, during, and after pregnancy. Caffeine is legal and prevalent in foods such as chocolate and drinks such as coffee and sodas. In the early 1980’s, the is it safe to drink alcohol while pregnant FDA released a study that stated caffeine use had toxic results in studies of rats.

For Treatment Providers

Recent data suggest that nearly 25 million Americans aged 12 or older are current illicit drug users; this estimate represents 9.2 percent of the population. Illicit drugs include marijuana/hashish, cocaine (including crack), heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants, or prescription-type psychotherapeutics used non-medically (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2013). Current illicit drug use among pregnant women aged 15–44, has remained constant at 5.9% despite efforts of prevention and education programs (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2013). In fact, the pattern of rates of current illicit drug use among young adolescent females has grown to where they are now more likely than males in their age group to be current non-medical users of psychoactive drugs. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), pregnant people with opioid use disorder (OUD) should be encouraged to start treatment with methadone or buprenorphine. There is less information available about the safety of naltrexone, but pregnant people who are already stable on this medication should talk to their doctors to weigh the risks and benefits of continuing.

• Because screening for prenatal alcohol and substance use is but the prelude to efforts to mitigate the potential adverse consequences, attempts for the modification of these consequences are also briefly reviewed.
• Women who use narcotics during pregnancy are at increased risk for preterm labor and delivery.
• ACOG recommends an initial screening at the first prenatal visit, and many practitioners repeat screening at designated intervals during subsequent visits.

Heroin

• Commonly abused prescription drugs include pain relievers such as Percocet, OxyContin, and Vicodin, CNS depressants such as Xanax, Valium, and Ativan, and stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin.
• Depending on a woman’s level of alcohol use, her doctor may recommend specialized inpatient detoxification treatment or outpatient treatment.
• Some babies require benzodiazepines, morphine, or methadone to relieve symptoms.
• This reported use is at higher levels than the global average of 0.7% of the general population (UNODC, 2013).
• Along with counseling and behavioral therapy, medications may be used to treat opioid use disorder.

The risks from drinking during pregnancy include problems with the growth of the developing baby and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). FASD is a life-long condition that can cause a mix of physical, behavioral, and learning problems. Using illicit drugs when pregnant can double or even triple the chances of a stillbirth1. These types of drugs include heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and psychedelics like psilocybin. Since drugs pass easily through the placenta and into the developing fetus, babies can be born reliant, and addicted, to the substance their mother used.

• The identification of such nutrients can ameliorate the harmful effects of alcohol and drugs of abuse on fetus, preventing long-term disability.
• When taken under a healthcare professional’s supervision, prescription opioids can be safe for you and your child.
• Accordingly many alcoholics, heavy drinkers particularly can suffer from various degrees of malnutrition.
• Learn steps to take, before, during, and after pregnancy or when trying to avoid getting pregnant.
• After birth, when they no longer get the drugs, it results in a postnatal withdrawal syndrome.

Although some prescription and OTC medications are safe to take during pregnancy, a pregnant woman should tell her doctor about all prescription and over-the-counter medications, and herbal or dietary supplements she is taking or planning to take. This will allow her doctor to weigh the risks and benefits of a medication during pregnancy. In some cases, the doctor may recommend the continued use of specific medications, even though they Alcoholics Anonymous could have some impact on the fetus.

Physical Risks of Drinking While Pregnant

• This could possibly be because of time period of treatment—embryonic versus postnatal—or doses (once again, please see Figure 1 for a description of human and animal development timelines).
• A wide variety of significant structural and neurobehavioral deficits are induced by fetal exposures to abused substances.
• The Navigator helps adults find alcohol treatment for themselves or an adult loved one.
• The clinician’s next step is a conversation regarding the frequency of substance use and whether there is any current use.

For people who appear to have a problem, physicians should provide brief intervention, prescribe treatment and refer to counseling. Understanding the health risks of taking any kind of drug during pregnancy may help you avoid using them. You can also get help from a healthcare professional if you have trouble stopping on your own. Calls to our general hotline may be answered by private treatment providers.

Methamphetamine: burden, mechanism and impact on pregnancy, the fetus, and newborn

For this review, we will provide an overview of some of the findings pertaining to neurobehavioral outcomes. At birth, exposed infants tend to be smaller in body weight, height, and head circumference, effects attributable https://ecosoberhouse.com/ to third and possibly second trimester exposure (Espy et al, 2011; Himes et al, 2013). There is also a greater likelihood of exposed infants to be admitted into the neonatal intensive care unit relative to unexposed controls (Adams et al, 2002). Within the first month of life, exposed infants show signs of poorer self-regulation and require more handling by caregivers (Stroud et al, 2009b). Newborns also demonstrate an attenuated response to auditory stimuli, an effect that can contribute to language and learning impairments later in life (Kable et al, 2009; Mansi et al, 2007).