SUBUTEX

[trclilone]

I am anew grandmother that just found out the reason her grandson is in hospital n sick is withdrawals from subutex taken by mother in pregnancy... I hear from the mother dr said withdrawal symptoms unknown or minimal n treated easily after birth. I really think this drug shouldnt be allowed to be given to pregnant.women.. I wanna notify drug company n fda....its so hard to see my grandson suffer from this looking at three weeks in hospital.....praying daily.....

[Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM]

Before anyone shoots this grandmother down, she isn't asking for medical advice.

Congrats on the birth of your new grandson...I am so sorry for what he is going through.

To be honest, the mother is telling the truth..that is what the doctor's tell them, but it is a lie. Subutex withdrawals are some of the worst I have ever encountered in the NICU and I have seen a baby take as long as four months to detox. That also leaves them HIGHLY predispositioned for addiction issues when they get older. No one is a winner.

The medical term (that you can research yourself) is Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome...you can easily Google this or watch YouTube videos...that should tell you what you need to know.

Subutex is also given to people with previous addiction issues...they just trade an illegal drug for a legal one.

SPEAKING IN GENERAL, a mother cannot stop opiates "cold turkey" when she is pregnant. It will cause the baby to have a seizure in utero and can be a fatal event. So unfortunately, this is why the drug is not discontinued when a woman becomes pregnant. It is not safe to do so.

However, I do agree that these doctors are not properly warning patients and anyone on this message board that has ever worked in the NICU can back up what I am saying. I personally believe they should be required to sign something that the law requires on what condition of an infant they'll end up with.

[TiffyRN, BSN, PhD]

I'm so sorry. I work in NICU and know exactly what you are talking about. It's truly heartbreaking to watch and my greatest sympathies go out to you and your grandson.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Welcome to AN!

Congrats Grandma.......I am sorry your family is experiencing this. The information you seek is on the FDA website.....FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) (formerly AERS)