According to researchers, pregnant women who have been on prescription Opioids during pregnancy stand a higher risk of exposing their babies to the ‘neonatal abstinence syndrome’. This is a drug withdrawal syndrome that is linked to use of illicit drugs during pregnancy.
Some 259 million prescriptions were handed out in 2012 for opioid pain relievers in U.S. alone. According to a recent study, hydrocone and similar opioid pain relievers tend to be commonly prescribed for pregnant women. Consequently, there is a higher risk of the babies suffering from neonatal abstinence syndrome. Researchers from Vanderbilt University, Nashville conducted this study which is published in Paediatrics journal.
Researchers examined the records of a little over 112,000 pregnant women apart from examining data obtained from Tennessee’s Medicaid program for three years.
Kara Aghijlar