Originally published August 2 2005
Infants struggling with drug withdrawal should be treated with opiates
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A new study states that children born to drug addict mothers should be treated with opiates instead of sedatives.
The finding conflicts with what's been the gold standard for years -- using sedatives for treating such infants born to women who used heroin or methadone while pregnant.
David Osborn, a neonatologist at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, Australia, and his colleagues found opiates are better in ameliorating the withdrawal, facilitating feeding and potentially reducing the likelihood of seizures.
The researchers also found infants treated with opiates regained birth weight more quickly than did those who only received supportive care.
The researchers found use of opiates instead of sedatives or supportive care alone shortens the duration of supportive care by an average of four days.
When compared with diazepam (Valium), opiates reduce the incidence of treatment failure.
However, infants treated with opiates had longer hospital stays than those treated with phenobarbitone, the sedative most often used in such cases.
When sedatives only were compared, phenobarbitone was more likely than diazepam to reduce treatment failure, the researchers said.
The study appears in the July issue of The Cochrane Library.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml