Pregnancy and drug abuse

A major problem in the treatment of opiate-dependent patients arises due to illicit drug abuse capted with drug dependence and pregnancy. Drug abuse during pregnancy involves a high risk for the mother as well as for the unborn child. Twenty-three pregnant, opiate-dependent women, were enrolled in a 19-month study of the outpatient clinic for drug addiction. The mean age of the subjects was 26.7 years (SD +/- 4.8; range: 20-37 years), the mean duration of opiate dependence was 61.8 months (SD +/- 47,5; range: 12-204 months). Seventeen women were enrolled in a methadone maintenance program and six women were treated with morphine. The babies mean weight at birth was 2746 g (SD +/- 830.1; range: 940-4370), they had no congenital anomalies and all the maintained babies showed an opiate withdrawal syndrome. The treatment yielded in five subjects to a drug-free condition at delivery: The application of morphine might be an alternative in opiate dependent pregnant women and might reduce the additional consumption of illicit drugs during pregnancy.