ABCNews.com Interviews Dr. Kraft About Newborns Going Through Withdrawal from Painkillers
Doctors are seeing an increasing number of newborns that are addicted to their mothers' painkillers at birth. These babies are irritable, cry excessively and can develop a number of symptoms including tremors, diarrhea, sweating and vomiting in their first hours to days of life.
In an ABCNews.com article, Dr. Walter Kraft, director of the Clinical Research Unit at Jefferson, explains that morphine is often used for treatment because it's easier to control the dosage for a tiny baby. However, Dr. Kraft and his colleagues have done a preliminary study with buprenorphine, a longer-acting drug that has eased withdrawal for adult addicts. The initial study of 50 newborns suggested the drug reduced treatment time by 30 percent.
Learn more by reading "Newborns Hooked On Moms' Painkillers Go Through Agonizing Withdrawal."
Publication: ABCNews.com
Published: 11/14/2011