Newborns Addicted To Pain Pills
- Reported, February 6, 2012
 COLUMBUS,
Ohio. (Ivanhoe Newswire) --Prescription drug abuse is the nation’s
fastest-growing drug problem, with more than seven million people abusing them
and death rates tripling from their abuse in the last decade. But it’s not just
adults we need to be concerned with. The 80’s epidemic of crack babies is being
replaced by something even easier to get your hands on.
“I fell off of a horse and hurt my back and was introduced to oxycodone,” Molly,
a woman who was addicted to oxycodone while pregnant told Ivanhoe.
That was the beginning of a long six-year battle with the prescription
painkiller for 29-year-old “Molly” who asked us to conceal her identity.
It ended with the birth of her baby “Nikki." At her worst…
“I was taking like maybe 20 a day,” Molly said.
Desperate for the euphoric feeling of oxys she began to steal to fuel her
addiction.
“They take over your life. It’s insane like this little pain pill will change
you it just makes you don’t care about anything but yourself,” Molly explained.
About a year ago she went to rehab, but the pain of withdrawal proved too much
and she was soon taking the pills again. Then she found out she was pregnant.
Molly is among a growing number of mothers addicted to prescription painkillers
like oxycodone, oxycontin and vicodin. It’s a trend doctors say is reminiscent
of the crack cocaine epidemic of the 80’s and 90’s.
“Opiate addicted babies are really having a full withdrawal just like any
narcotic addicted person,” Dr. Jonathan Wispe, a neonatologist at Nationwide
Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio told Ivanhoe.
Known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), there are no national statistics to
show how widespread the problem is, but states with the worst problems have
begun to collect data.
“It crosses all spectrums. Stay at home moms, professionals, teachers, nurses,
doctors,” Michelle Waddell, Director of neonatal services at the Children’s
Hospital of SW Florida told Ivanhoe.
Dr. Wispe has seen a 300 percent increase in his cases since 2004.
“It's a terrible problem. It’s complex and it's going to be hard to beat,” Wispe
explained.
Neonatal nurse Michelle Waddell has a similar story at her hospital, where she’s
seen a 700 percent increase in NAS babies in the last five years.
“In all my years of NICU nursing, it’s probably one of the most painful things
that I’ve had to sit back and watch,” Waddell explained.
NAS babies experience withdrawal a few days after being born, just like an adult
would who quits drugs cold turkey.
“They sweat all the time, their heart is racing all the time but first and
foremost they just seem to be miserable,” Wispe said.
The baby can also have seizures and risks sudden death. Compounding the problem,
pregnant women addicted to prescription meds can’t safely go off of them without
medical supervision or they could miscarry. Molly got treatment two months
before her daughter was born.
“I’m still a little nervous. She’s 6 months old and she doesn’t roll over. She
doesn’t laugh,” Molly concluded.
It could be years, even decades before we know the long-term impact for “Nikki”
and thousands of babies like her. Doctors say the treatment for drug withdrawal
in newborns can take a couple of days to a few weeks driving the cost of their
medical care into the tens of thousands of dollars. NAS is so new, no one knows
yet what the long-term impacts of the syndrome will be.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Marketing & Public Relations
(614)355-0495
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