Opioid use is dangerous during pregnancy, but despite health concerns and warnings, pregnant women are treated for opioid dependence every day. Researchers from the University of Oslo in Norway recently completed a study investigating two possible opioid treatments commonly used in pregnancy in order to determine possible side effects or pregnancy complications that may be associated with the drug combinations. The study was published in the journal Substance Abuse.
Researchers reviewed information collected during seven previous studies on opioid dependence treatment. The studies investigated various treatments, including methadone, buprenorphine, and methadone assisted. The results of the study were compared to a current study on a buprenorphine/naloxone treatment protocol.
Conclusion: Researchers did not find any significant differences in pregnancy or neonatal outcome between the treatments. Future studies are needed to study the difference in physical growth in each treatment group.
Source: Lund IO, Fischer G, Welle-Strand GK, O'Grady KE, Debelak K, Morrone WR, Jones HE. A Comparison of Buprenorphine + Naloxone to Buprenorphine and Methadone in the Treatment of Opioid Dependence during Pregnancy: Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes. Subst Abuse. 2013;7:61-74. doi: 10.4137/SART.S10955. Epub 2013 Mar 14.
