ipl-logo

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

891 Words4 Pages

Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in maternal opioid use. Opioid use during one’s pregnancy can result in Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). Data drawn from 28 states in America show that the overall NAS incidences in those states has increased 300% from 1999–2013 (CDC). Babies born with this syndrome are at a high risk of being born too small and underweight (MOD). The baby’s overall health is drastically affected when a woman chooses to use drugs while knowingly pregnant. The federal government should address the growing epidemic of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome by increasing the funding for social awareness and treatment, by creating a specific program for women who are addicted to opioids before becoming …show more content…

Research studies on current addiction treatment show that programs are typically are divided into several general types. Addiction is viewed in the context of an individual’s social and psychological deficits, and treatment focuses on developing personal accountability and responsibility as well as socially productive lives (Drug). While the methods for treatment and individual programs continue to evolve and diversify, there should be more rules and regulations when it comes to treatment. As of right now, long-term residential treatment provides care 24 hours a day, generally in non-hospital settings. Treatment is designed to help residents examine damaging beliefs, self concepts, and destructive patterns of behavior and adopt new, more harmonious and constructive ways to interact with others (Drug). This type of treatment is a step in the right direction in solving the problem, but there is so much more that could be done. Along with developing even more personalized methods for treatment, there should be a set time that a patient must remain under treatment and periodic follow-up check-ins once a person is released as “relapse is common in addiction treatment, with relapse rates being between 40 and 60 percent,” …show more content…

Supply reduction is an essential component when it comes to eliminating Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. “Since 2004, one out of every 10 dollars expended on health care in the United States has been for prescription drugs” (CommonWealthfund). One thing the government could do is make healthcare systems identify, track, and prevent inappropriate patterns of prescribing and use of prescription drugs and integrate prescription drug monitoring into the electronic health record system (Surgeon). “Evidence suggests that in the United States, states with the highest rates of prescription opioid use also have the highest rates of the neonatal abstinence syndrome. Therefore, targeted initiatives to address prescribing practices may help to reduce opioid use in women of childbearing age and prevent the subsequent development of the neonatal abstinence syndrome. Efforts are underway to address the overprescribing of opioids, such as the introduction of programs to monitor opioid-drug prescribing practices, regulation of pain-management clinics, and establishment of opioid dosage thresholds”(NEJM). There should also be evidence-based guidelines when it comes to prescribing opioids in emergency departments, including restrictions on the use of long-acting or extended-release opioids for acute pain. And in a case where it deems the use of the

Show More
Related

Rhetorical Analysis Of Catherine St Louis

899 Words | 4 Pages

Catherine Saint Louis is a writer who is constantly writing about issues in health. This article is titled Pregnant Women Turn to Marijuana, Perhaps Harming Infants, published on February 2, 2017. It tells a story about a young women named Stacey who is smoking marijuana while pregnant. Catherine’s purpose in this article is to spread awareness to the world bringing the dramatic issue of destroying infants little by little that have not yet been born. This is a big issue and women don’t seem to understand it.

Read More

Essay On Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

1028 Words | 5 Pages

There has been an astounding increase in the use of illegal drugs during pregnancy, therefore increasing the number of babies born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. Just a few short years ago, the babies who suffered through Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome were treated with drug therapy with medications such as Methadone, Morphine, or Clonidine in the neonatal intensive care unit. However, the prevalence of drug use in pregnancy and in turn neonatal abstinence syndrome has caused the newborn nursery to turn into a drug rehabilitation center for these babies. Several issues arise with the obstetrical healthcare team when taking care of these patients, such as a negative personal bias resulting from the negative stigma of drug use especially during

Read More

Jordon Peugh Drug Abuse

1476 Words | 6 Pages

To combat recidivism, “the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers, and the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) worked together to develop the first ASAM Patient Placement Criteria.” (Belenko & Peugh, 2004) ASAM gave guidelines for patient placement of five treatment setting (early intervention to intensive inpatient treatment). Despite the popularity of this program, little evidence is known of the validity in term of treatments. Despite enrolling in these programs, success rates still suffer based on outside forces such as “educational deficits and sporadic work histories, which can affect long-term recovery and complicate the transition back to the community.” (Belenko & Peugh, 2004)

Read More

Pregnancy In Opiate Addicts Essay

419 Words | 2 Pages

This is because detoxification places your unborn child at risk and can even cause their death when not done properly. Doctors specially trained in helping opiate addicted females get clean have access to opioid replacement medications. They 'll use things such as methadone to help you get clean without harming your unborn baby. Unfortunately, relapse rates still remain high. Seeking help for you and your unborn child is only the first step down a long road of living without self-medicating yourself.

Read More

Heroin In Pregnant Women Literature Review

669 Words | 3 Pages

Which is not surprising because neonatal abstinence syndrome stems from drug use during pregnancy (Su 2012). In all three cases the infants exhibited early signs of neonatal abstinence syndrome. Some of the symptoms seen were tachypnea, inability to suckle properly, and cerebral dysfunction. These are the trademark symptoms for neonatal abstinence syndrome. The low birth rate was another indicator of a complicated pregnancy.

Read More

Opioid Addiction Persuasive Essay

744 Words | 3 Pages

It has become vitally important for all U.S. citizens to be made aware of this epidemic, and to be informed on the highly addictive traits that accompany any form of opioid or opiate. As well, there are many growing problems facing opioid addicts and how to go about treating individuals who are seeking help for their addiction, mainly due to the controversies concerning MAT or Medically-Assisted Treatment. Ms. Szalavitz writes “The Wrong Way to Treat Opioid Addiction” to argue towards the effectiveness on MAT, and how patients struggling with addiction may require more than just abstinence to fully recover. She wants anyone reading her Op-Ed to be made aware of the importance of MAT and to shed light on its necessity in helping to overcome our nation’s

Read More

Foster Care

1341 Words | 6 Pages

Correspondingly, releasing a baby into the care of a former drug addict runs the risk of relapse and is a danger to the future of the child. Due to lack of proper care, officials remove the child when a mother does not seek sobriety. With the mother undergoing so much change and barely grasping reality, she is in no condition to look after a baby, she must first help herself. Most hospital workers fail to convince mothers to enter into drug-treatment programs, and some mothers refuse the care-most being poor and uneducated women (Condon 2). These mothers are not able to give the right care for their children and risk the child’s safety.

Read More

Safe Injection Sites Essay

560 Words | 3 Pages

Opioids have become an increasing problem in the United States throughout the recent years. According to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in September there were more adults using prescription pain killers than cigarettes and cigars combined (Katel). Massachusetts also attributed opioids to 1,379 deaths in the past year (Katel). An issue this vast and deadly requires an unorthodox method in attempt to restrain it. Though seemingly contrary to the task at hand, safe injection sites could possibly be the method that saves thousands of American lives.

Read More

Essay On Crack Babies

877 Words | 4 Pages

One of America’s rapid growing problems today is crack babies. When you use the term or even hear the term crack babies, you think that the baby have been put on the drug or is even doing it themselves. But as a child, they have no say so or way of determining if they are a crack baby or not. So many pregnant women do drugs every day and the number is just increasing by the hour, it’s absolutely ridiculous. All mother have so much say so in their child’s life.

Read More

Treat Substance Abuse Offenders

324 Words | 2 Pages

In treatment the abuser is taught to break the old patterns of thinking and to learn new skills for avoiding drug use. Offenders with a sever drug problem will need more intense treatment (example, Minimum of 3 month). To start treatment the offender will need

Read More

Essay On Opioids Today

705 Words | 3 Pages

Opioids Today Undoubtedly, the addictive nature of opioids has generated immense controversy in both the medical community and population of the United States. During the last decade, the increase of people addicted to opioids has grown steadily, among them; you can find ordinary people but celebrities, athletes and soldiers thus charging many lives in their path. Despite this, it was not until after several months of political pressure that the current president of the United States, Donald Trump, declared in the middle of 2017 those opioids are responsible of a health crisis in America. The history of the nation shows that with the passage of time, similar crises have appeared that are now experienced, but that despite this, they have not

Read More

Essay On Foster Children

1885 Words | 8 Pages

If people know about all the problems that are attached to infant exposure to drugs and alcohol they would be less likely to be using during pregnancy. If a newborn was prenatally exposed to drugs, alcohol, or a non-prescribed controlled substance there is a high risk of abuse or neglect (Parental Drug Use). If people understood statistics like that they would be so much less likely to start an addiction that could grow out of control and affect their lives later. More than sixty percent of children in the foster system are there because of parental drug abuse (Bever and Stein 1). This statistic shows how many children are affected by parental drug abuse and that eliminating the problem of parental drug abuse would decrease the growing number of foster

Read More

Reflection On The Opioid Crisis

79 Words | 1 Pages

A recurring problem of epic proportions in my community is the opioid crisis. I am deeply saddened watching and hearing stories of how this epidemic is destroying both individuals and families on a daily basis. I have seen the destruction first hand in my high school which inspired me to join SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions). I have both counselled and consoled my fellow students inspiring them to get help and, equally important, caring for them during their

Read More

How Do Drugs Harm A Fetus

1232 Words | 5 Pages

is not safe for the developing fetus or the mother.” This is, to most people, common knowledge: drugs and pregnancy do not mix. Although many still do not know the true face of illegal drug use while in prenatal care. Due to many cases of use, we, as a community, have come to

Read More

Persuasive Essay On Legalizing Marijuana

1067 Words | 5 Pages

The major problem with opioid painkillers is they can and will cause addiction, but they are extremely effective in alleviating pain; consequently, they have put America in a state of extreme crisis. More Americans died of drug overdoses in 2016 than Americans that died in the entirety of the Vietnam War (Lopez). It’s calculated that fifty nine thousand to sixty five thousand people died of overdoses in 2016, with a likely, but not perfect number of sixty two thousand. This tragic epidemic could be slowed or even fixed by the use of marijuana as a painkiller; according to a study funded by the National Institute On Drug Abuse or NIDA there is a connection between the legalization of medical and the decrease of deaths caused by opioid overdose. (NIDA).

Read More

More about Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

Open Document