What Should You Do If You Become Pregnant While Being Treated for Opioid Use Disorder?
Do Not Assume That Buprenorphine Is Dangerous.
Studies have suggested that buprenorphine is a safer alternative to both opioids and many other opioid-replacement drugs like methadone.
Pregnant women with an opioid use disorder are typically maintained on opioid medication through pregnancy, and their babies are medically tapered from opioids immediately following birth. Buprenorphine (which is frequently known by its common brand name, Subutex) is a widely used opioid medication considered safe for women during pregnancy.
However, little is known about how the dose of buprenorphine prescribed might affect newborn babies. This study explored if higher doses of buprenorphine during pregnancy lead to greater severity of neonatal abstinence syndrome.
Pregnancy and Women’s Health Resources For Brevard
Agape Pregnancy Center
Free pregnancy testing and referrals for most needs such as housing, safety, food, jobs, education, and counseling.
Department of Health in Brevard - WIC
The purpose of this program is to provide nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and healthy foods to postpartum women, infants, and children to age five.
Pregnancy Care Center at BETA
Pregnancy Care Center at BETA provides free diapers, baby clothing to 2T, baby food and formula, make referrals for other services based on need, provides free pregnancy testing and counselings, and offers an array of parenting and family-safety classes.
Pregnancy Resources
Pregnancy Resources provides free Medical-Grade pregnancy tests, STD Testing and Treatment, Ultrasound, Pregnancy Mentoring, parenting education, and post-abortion support.
Brevard Health Alliance Women’s Health Center
Our services include initial appointments, prenatal care, ultrasounds, labor and delivery care, postpartum care, follow-up appointments, cervical cancer screenings, colposcopies and endometrial biopsies, birth control counseling, birth control prescriptions, insertion and removal of IUDs and Nexplanon, and walk-in appointments for established patients. After-hour clinical advice with Certified Nurse Midwives is available for established prenatal patients only.
What Do I Need To Do?
- Begin prenatal care with your healthcare provider as soon as possible. Regular medical prenatal visits can provide pregnancy screenings for conditions that should be treated to ensure good health for you and your baby.
- If not already on Subutex (Buprenorphine) switch to it.
- Discuss your treatment options with your care team. The risk for relapse is high when people stop taking their treatment medicines, so it is important for many women to continue taking them. Any decisions about treatment should be made carefully with you and your provider.
What to Expect?
- Most hospitals will keep the newborn for a minimum of five days.
- Most patients who are stable prior to pregnancy will need a modest dose increase of buprenorphine (3-5 mg) during pregnancy. This is due to the increase in blood volume through the pregnancy.
- Findings suggest there is no substantial added benefit of reducing buprenorphine dose during pregnancy in terms of likelihood and severity of neonatal abstinence syndrome.
What to Expect?
ADDICTION NO MORE... because at Bell Eve we believe in you!
