Is anyone familiar with Subutex?

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Specializes in L/D, antepartum, postpartum, nursery.

I am a L/D nurse working in a level 2 nursery. We do not deal with neonatal withdrawal all that often. Is anyone familiar with the drug subutex and its effects on babes? We have a new baby that was exposed the entire pregnancy. Healthy and full term. There is not a whole lot of research out there on this drugs use in pregnancy....but we are watching the baby for withdrawal and doing abstinence scoring just in case. This mom was a opioid addict. The drug blocks opioids and supresses withdrawal and cravings for her. Its active ingredient is buprenorphine. Let me know of any experience...thanks! Jessica

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That's a new one. Never heard or dealt with it.

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Subutex was just starting to be used instead of methadone in the area my NICU serves when I had to go out on medical leave, so I'm not super familiar. Despite what the doctors seemed to be promising the moms-to-be, the NAS babies I cared for (or was anywhere near, NAS babies can be so cranky!) who were exposed to Subutex went through pretty much exactly what the babies exposed to methadone went through.

It actually made me quite angry. In that area, people on methadone maintainence therapry had to go to a methdone clinic, but Subutex could be prescribed by almost any doctor. I think they needed a certain amount of training and were limited in how many Subutex mainainence patients they could have at any one time? Anyway, it seemed some of the moms were being told by their prescribing docs that their babies would not suffer any ill effects, undergo any kind of withdrawal symptoms, would never need to even see the NICU and in fact go home with mom in 2-3 days.

It was very, very frustrating for everyone when the babies were admitted to NICU or Peds when their NAS scores hit the roof. It's been almost 6 months since I've been able to work, so I'm hoping the situation will be a little better when I return.

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Specializes in paediatrics, neonates.

my experiences have been very similar to palesarah's...the babes have withdrawn from subutex in much the same way as from methadone....... :uhoh3:

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