Abstract
Newborns exposed in-utero to opiates and/or nonopiates frequently undergo NAS. This study evaluated:1)the relationship between the type of maternal drug use and the incidence of NAS and 2)which of 3 treatment drugs was most effective-- paregoric, phenobarbitol, or diazepam. NAS was assessed by a scoring system related to drug dose. Successful treatment was considered when one drug controlled the NAS. Of the 300 infants, 176(59%) were treated for NAS and 124(41%) required no treatment. Maternal drug use consisted of opiates(33%), non-opiates(14%)and varying combinations of both(53%). Infants exposed to non-opiates in-utero were less likely to undergo abstinence(36%) than those exposed to opiates(58%) or both(70%). The mean number of days to control symptoms of NAS was 7.6, and duration of treatment averaged 38,6 days, The efficacy of treatment drug for NAS depended upon the type of drug exposure in-utero. If maternal drug use included opiates alone, paregoric was the drug most successful in controlling NAS (87% of infants). In maternal non-opiate use, phenobarbital was most effective(100%). In maternal opiate and non-opiate use, paregoric was most effective(88%). Treating an infant with diazepam indicated the need for a second treatment drug in 70% of cases, regardless of maternal drug use (p=.001). These data suggest that:1)effective NAS treatment is related to the type of maternal drug use, 2)there is a higher incidence of NAS in infants prenatally exposed to opiates alone or in combinnation with non-opiates, and 3)diazepam is Ineffective as a treatment agent for NAS.
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Finnegan, L., Ehrlich, S. MATERNAL DRUG ABUSE DURING PREGNANCY AND PHARMACOTHERAPY FOR NEONATAL ABSTINENCE SYNDROME (NAS). Pediatr Res 21 (Suppl 4), 234 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00406
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00406