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Isabella Brooke Knightly and Austin Gamez-Knightly

Isabella Brooke Knightly and Austin Gamez-Knightly
In Memory of my Loving Husband, William F. Knightly Jr. Murdered by ILLEGAL Palliative Care at a Nashua, NH Hospital

Saturday, October 29, 2011

5 Misconceptions About Methadone Use During Pregnancy

5 Misconceptions About Methadone Use During Pregnancy : Drug & Alcohol Addiction Recovery:

June 13, 2010 by admin
When it comes to having a healthy and successful pregnancy, it is never a good idea to use drugs. But for pregnant women who are addicted to an opiate-based drug, such as heroin, there is actually something safer than quitting cold turkey: methadone.
Methadone is a synthetic opioid that can suppress drug cravings and prevent drug withdrawal syndromes, keeping both the mother and baby safe for the duration of the pregnancy. Methadone can be used during any stage of pregnancy, and should only be administered under close medical supervision at a methadone treatment center or residential treatment facility for drug addiction.
Many women may hesitate to use methadone during pregnancy, believing they are substituting one drug for another. While this may be true, the effects of methadone are much less damaging to a baby than many think.
Here are five misconceptions people have about using methadone during pregnancy:
1. The baby will be born with birth defects or experience developmental problems.
Mothers may be concerned that their children will have learning disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, decreased intellect or other disorders as a result of being exposed to methadone in utero. But there is no solid scientific evidence of any such negative effects on babies exposed to methadone. In fact, long-term studies have shown no significant effects on babies whose mothers use methadone while pregnant.
For those babies born with birth defects or developmental problems, the drug their mother was addicted to is likely to blame. The most critical period of development for a fetus is during the first trimester, and many women don’t realize they are pregnant at that point. For women addicted to drugs, that means they are still using and engaging in high-risk behaviors during this time, exposing their baby to drugs and their dangerous effects.
By the time pregnant women seek methadone treatment, they are usually in their second trimester, which is the safest time to administer the treatment.
2. The baby will become addicted to methadone.
Babies cannot become addicted to methadone. Addiction is characterized by a psychological and physical dependence on a drug. Because babies are unaware that they are being treated with methadone, they cannot develop anything more than a physical dependence on it. While the baby will likely experience discomfort while detoxing from methadone, they will never remember using the drug.
3. The baby will suffer during methadone withdrawal.
When a pregnant woman uses methadone, so does her baby. And, like an adult who has undergone methadone treatment, the baby will need to go through detox and withdrawal from the drug. While withdrawal is never a pleasant experience, doing so in a controlled environment can lessen the chance that the baby will suffer.
Babies whose mothers are addicted to drugs or use methadone will likely experience Neonatal Withdrawal Syndrome upon birth. Symptoms of the syndrome include rapid breathing, excessive crying, increased muscle tone, sneezing, yawning and gastrointestinal issues.
To ease the symptoms, and to more effectively wean babies off of methadone, a treatment center will stabilize the baby and wean them using a substance such as morphine. Morphine is a short-acting drug that allows babies to be more easily weaned off methadone in about two to three weeks.
What is unsafe is the alternative to not helping a baby withdraw from methadone. If left untreated, a baby will suffer and can experience dehydration, jaundice, diarrhea and seizures.
4. The higher the dosage of methadone, the worse the baby’s withdrawal symptoms.
There is actually no relationship between the strength of the dosage and the severity of a baby’s withdrawal symptoms. Because each person reacts to methadone differently, the determining factor is methadone’s effect on that particular baby.
The goal of methadone is to allow the woman to have an easier time during pregnancy and lessened withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings herself. That may mean upping the dosage as the pregnancy progresses, but women should be aware that that alone will have no effect on her baby’s withdrawal experience.
5. It’s okay to quit methadone cold turkey.
Of course, the best way to ensure a healthy baby and pregnancy is to not use any drugs at all. But for women who are being treated with methadone to get over a more damaging drug addiction, the absolute worst thing they can do is to reduce their dosage or stop use completely. Doing so can induce withdrawal symptoms in the baby and cause an unintended abortion.
Methadone can be used throughout pregnancy, and should be used for as long as the mother feels it is necessary. Through the support of medical staff and therapists at a methadone treatment center or residential treatment facility, women who gave birth will eventually be able to end their use of methadone and learn the skills to lead drug-free lives and raise happy and healthy babies.

9 comments:

  1. Wow. I came across your blog because I am doing research on methadone withdrawal. I am so sorry to read about what your family has been through. It sounds really tough, but you sound like a strong person.

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    1. Yes Brielle, I am strong. You have to be these day's. You can't just let people walk over you without putting up a good fight. And thank you for your link. I have seen the effect's of methadone withdrawl first hand. It's not pretty. Good luck with your research.

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  2. I am doing my homework on Methadone withdrawal as my first granddaughter was born to a mother on methadone (she has been on it 6 years) She is breastfeeding and i am worried. No one can say how they are going to wean her off the methadone. does anyone have some advice for me....greatly appreciated

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    1. The ONLY way to fight an addiction is by acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord.Let me testify I been an addict most of my 55 years,at least 21 of those years on methadone off an on.
      When I was trying to get off dope.
      I been to rehabs,secluded myself,etc.
      nothing broke the bonds n chains of my addiction until I recognised what I was doing was hiding from God and worshipping an idol called methadone,or whatever drug i was using to dull my feelings.
      Exodus 20:2 I am the LORD thy GOD
      which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt,out of the house of bondage.
      3:Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.
      So,what is an addiction but bondage?Once I realised,like the prodigal son that my addiction was as an idol,I got on my knees an I asked Jesus to be merciful to me a sinner.After that,It was the easiest
      detox I ever had.Now,it did take time,I didnt do it in one day,but I had Our Heavenly Father gently holding me uo the entire way.You can bet the methadone clinic was 100% opposed to it."You won't feel well",ect."No support.I had paid them 55 and 65 dollars a week for 13 years this last time.But I made it.I been clean two years first of Dec.Praise You Lord Jesus! This is my story,This is My song

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  3. I see I came across this blog a year too late. While I believe that used properly and ADVISED properly by the clinic dispensing the medication there should be more regulations for pregnant users of Methadone. Most counselors employed by these clinics have very limited training in drug addiction. They are thrown in head first and have no idea what they are doing with the lives they have in their hands, let alone the innocent unborn child that ends up in the hospital for 6-8 weeks. It is time to talk to your Representatives and Senators regarding this epidemic nurses are calling Methadone Babies. To the owners of these clinics it is all about the money, they do not care if patients get better or not. Nor do they encourage voluntary withdrawal from this drug. I know patients that have been in the program for many years and it should not take that long. It is time for a better alternative.

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    1. When the Clinic hires Counselor's who try to be Mentor's to recovering Mother's, it can have disastrous effects. Both on the Mother and the family. Counselors who don't believe in HIPPA rights, who violate the trust of the women in the program, who tell the other Mother's in the programs business, who try to become the Mother and Mentor of her chosen young, sickly mother. When the Mother and Family rebel against the take over, the Counselor does everything illegal she can to make sure the newborn is stolen by the State, never admitting the newborn was never tested for the methadone the mother received during her pregnancy. Stating the Morphine IV the Mother received in labor for 19 hours wouldn't have reached the baby because the Methadone didn't. Claiming the Morphine found in the baby was heroin. True case in Nashua, NH. Still living the nightmare!

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    2. let me just say c.p.s. is by far the worse organization ever created on this earth, you have college kids without kids of their own who think they kow something about parenting because they read books, you have an 800 number mainly used for revenge and lies. the org. itself is set up to get more money the more kids they steal, i made the mistake like most of letting them into my home thinking i could clear it up quick since it was all accusations made over the phone....big mistake, they are like cockroaches, hard to get rid of...i could go on all day about the horrors of c.p.s./d.c.s. but if you have ever dealt with them i am sure you know. www.fightcps.com try there if you still need help.

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    3. let me just say c.p.s. is by far the worse organization ever created on this earth, you have college kids without kids of their own who think they kow something about parenting because they read books, you have an 800 number mainly used for revenge and lies. the org. itself is set up to get more money the more kids they steal, i made the mistake like most of letting them into my home thinking i could clear it up quick since it was all accusations made over the phone....big mistake, they are like cockroaches, hard to get rid of...i could go on all day about the horrors of c.p.s./d.c.s. but if you have ever dealt with them i am sure you know. www.fightcps.com try there if you still need help. C.P.S. = MODERN DAY BOOGEYMEN

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    4. Yes, they are the worst organization ever created. Getting paid for every child they steal is a backward system. They should only be paid for families kept together.

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