Expectant mothers might want to think twice before taking a prescription drug, a new report indicates.
In 2006, 354 babies were born in Florida with withdrawal syndrome, according to data provided by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. That number increased each year after that, until 2010, when it peaked at 1,374.
Prescription drug abuse has been labeled an epidemic by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy on whitehouse.gov.
Mark Hudak, UF professor of pediatrics and division chief for neonatology at the College of Medicine in Jacksonville, said it is important to raise awareness of this growing issue.
"Many women and some adult physicians may not realize that pregnant women who are on prescription narcotics for treatment of pain can potentially 'addict' the fetus and cause the newborn baby to undergo withdrawal after birth," he said.
Avoiding narcotic pain relievers is ideal, he said, but when necessary, it is important for the woman and physician to use the smallest dose of medication necessary to be effective. Non-narcotic pain relievers should always be used first, he said.
Hudak worked with a committee this year to update treatment guidelines for babies with withdrawal syndrome. The update will be published next year.
"This guideline summarizes the recent studies that address different strategies for treating the infants, including using different drugs," he said.
Right now, babies that suffer from the withdrawals are medicated with sedatives and narcotics - in essence, what they are addicted to.
The update, jointly authored by the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Drugs and the Committee on Fetus and Newborns, will contain recommendations for treatment based on the available evidence, he said. It will also show what studies need to be done to make treatment more effective.
He said the statement also addressed how to care for critically ill babies who needed long term sedation/anxiolysis since these infants would also need to be weaned from these drugs.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi recently took action by creating a task force to gather data on drug-exposed babies and develop prevention efforts.
The Gainesville area has agencies to help women in drug-abuse situations, but none are directly targeted at pregnant women on pain medication.
The Women's Resource and Medical Clinic does not screen for drug addiction, said the center's executive director Tania Studstill, 49.
If a woman is open about her drug problems, the clinic will refer her to an agency like Meridian Behavioral Healthcare for counseling.
Hudak has hope for Bondi's plan and said that with the right help from the right professionals, it could make an impact on lowering the number of babies born with withdrawal syndrome.
"Florida appears to be a maelstrom of the problem," Hudak said. "The number of infants discharged from the hospital after birth who are noted to have withdrawal signs on their discharge diagnosis coding has increased by nearly 10-fold over the past 10-15 years."
As many as one baby in 14 at hospitals in Jacksonville are being treated or observed for signs of drug withdrawal, he said.
