Current trends in narcotic use in pregnancy and neonatal outcomes.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate trends and prevalence of chronic prescription narcotic use during pregnancy and the subsequent neonatal outcomes. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all deliveries at Mayo Clinic from 1998 through 2009; the data was obtained from prospectively maintained obstetrics and neonatal databases. Over the study time period, there were 26,314 deliveries; 167 women used prescription narcotics chronically during pregnancy. The prevalence of women who used chronic narcotics during their pregnancy increased over the time period from 1998-2009 (P < .0001). Neonatal withdrawal syndrome occurred in 10 of neonates (5.6%), and all but 1 of these neonates required pharmacologic treatment for the disease. Chronic narcotic use during pregnancy is increasing in prevalence. Neonatal withdrawal syndrome occurred in 5.6% of the exposed neonates. Although neonatal withdrawal syndrome is uncommon, it is clinically significant. Physicians need to consider the risks and benefits carefully when prescribing narcotic pain medications during pregnancy.