The number of babies born with signs of opiate withdrawal has tripled in a decade because more prescription-painkiller addiction among pregnant women, researchers say. The number of newborns with withdrawal symptoms increased from about 1 per 1,000 in 2000 to more than 3 per 1,000 in 2009. More than 13,000 babies were affected in 2009. The study was released in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Weaning infants from the drugs can take weeks or months and requires lengthy stays in intensive care units, The Associated Press reports. Hospital charges for treating these newborns increased to $720 million from $190 million between 2000 and 2009. The babies aren't addicted, doctors say; their bodies are just dependent on opiates, making it safe to give them small doses of methadone to wean them.
High cases of newborn drug withdrawal are found in Maine, Florida, West Virginia and parts of the Midwest. The study's lead author, Dr. Stephen Patrick, said the problem is a "public health epidemic," and demands attention from policymakers. Some people think the problem is being overblown, including Columbia University assistant psychiatric professor Carl Hart, who says only a tiny portion of the estimated 4 million U.S. infants born each year. (Read more)
Weaning infants from the drugs can take weeks or months and requires lengthy stays in intensive care units, The Associated Press reports. Hospital charges for treating these newborns increased to $720 million from $190 million between 2000 and 2009. The babies aren't addicted, doctors say; their bodies are just dependent on opiates, making it safe to give them small doses of methadone to wean them.
High cases of newborn drug withdrawal are found in Maine, Florida, West Virginia and parts of the Midwest. The study's lead author, Dr. Stephen Patrick, said the problem is a "public health epidemic," and demands attention from policymakers. Some people think the problem is being overblown, including Columbia University assistant psychiatric professor Carl Hart, who says only a tiny portion of the estimated 4 million U.S. infants born each year. (Read more)
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