Addicted at Birth
The Multidisciplinary Counterdrug Task Force Training: A Partnership Between the Florida National Guard and St. Petersburg College has developed a broadcast focusing on drug addicted infants.

Every day, babies are born addicted to prescription medications. They scream and twitch as their tiny bodies withdraw from the drugs their mothers took during pregnancy. All around the country, this problem grows as the number of prescription addicts rises. What can be done?

The broadcast is one hour long and is called Addicted at Birth. See how doctors, nurses, and other professionals treat these tiny addicts and why it is so expensive and time-consuming. You’ll learn why some pregnant women do not seek help during their pregnancy and why abruptly stopping prescription use can be harmful for both mother and the baby. Hear how law enforcement and other emergency responders play a big role in insuring help for the newborns.

Key Concepts:

• Understand the scope of the problem
• Learn how prescription-addicted babies are treated
• Understand why some pregnant women do not seek help
• See how law enforcement and emergency responders play a role in protecting these babies

For more information or to view the broadcast, please click here.

http://www.mctft.com/telecasts/view_course.aspx?telecastID=2012-03-29-1

Michael Sucher, MD
Medical Director, President and Contract Manager, Greenburg and Sucher PC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjxer0YWvRg

Bath Salts – This terrible and relatively new type of drug is a growing problem across the United States. Here are some links to find out more:

From NIDA:  
http://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/directors-page/messages-director/2011/02/bath-salts-emerging-dangerous-products#.Ty7PYpK1luE.email

From MDPV:
http://www.slideshare.net/Guedde/mdpv-bath-salts-emerging-drug-trends?from=share_email

As promised we are offering this week’s News You Can Use in Newborn Health.

Heart test that saved baby now recommended for all newborns: http://www.king5.com/health/Heart-test-that-saved-baby-now-recommended-for-all-newborns-135614093.html 

A Warning for pregnant women who want a holiday drink: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/pregnant-women-holiday-drinking-fetal-alcohol-syndrome-disorder/story?id=15099090 (FASD)

Acetaminophen concentrations changing; for infant safety check the dosage: http://www.examiner.com/healthy-living-in-huntsville/infant-safety-know-concentration-before-giving-acetaminophen-to-babies?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

At United States Drug Testing Laboratories, Inc., one of our goals is to keep you up-to-date on news in alcohol and substances of abuse testing. Throughout the year we will be gathering information and posting it here. Tuesdays will be for adult/teen alcohol and substance of abuse testing.

To begin, we are excited about a recent paper on phosphatidylethanol testing. Following is a link to the abstract: bit.ly/tnXMZU

In other news:

Grundy County, IL bans synthetic drugs: http://www.morrisdailyherald.com/2011/12/19/grundy-county-bans-synthetic-drugs/aial91x/

Drug Free Homes has a new program that has successfully reduced teen drug use in African American populations: http://www.drugfreehomes.org/2011/12/program-helps-fight-substance-abuse-among-african-american-teens.html

Teen marijuana use on the rise nationally, binge drinking also a local concern:http://www.examiner.com/healthy-living-in-hartford/teen-marijuana-use-on-the-rise-nationally-binge-drinking-also-a-local-concern

Keep an eye on the blog as Thursdays we will present news you can use for newborn health.

Following are links to recent neonatal news reports:

· WSAZ Huntington, W. Va.
Hospitals and treatment centers are overwhelmed as the medical, social and legal challenges regarding addicted moms and newborns spark problems and progress: http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/WSAZ_INVESTIGATES_Drug_Addicted_Pregnant_Women_Reach_Crisis_Stage_133996608.html

· USA Today reports in florida, the number of babies with withdrawl syndrome is up 26% from 2006. http://yourlife.usatoday.com/parenting-family/babies/story/2011-11-13/Doctors-see-surge-in-newborns-hooked-on-mothers-pain-pills/51186076/1

· Babies born at a very low birth weight are more likely to have memory and attention problems when they become adults than babies born at a low to normal weight, according to a study published in the December 6, 2011, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/583427/?sc=dwhp

gy • Maternal exposure to oxycodone during breastfeeding was associated with a 20.1% rate of infant CNS depression…http://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(11)00678-0/abstract?elsca1=etoc&elsca2=email&elsca3=0022-3476_201201_160_1&elsca4=pediatrics 

Drug and alcohol abuse occurs in all segments of society. A recent survey from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that among pregnant women, aged 15 to 44 years 4.4% used illicit drugs in the previous month, 10.8% reported alcohol use, and 4.7% admitted binge or heavy drinking. Substance abuse is a contributing factor to a variety of developmental and behavioral conditions. A substance abusing mother is more likely to neglect her newborn. 

Pregnancy may be the one time in a woman’s life when she would be open to treating important issues like drug and alcohol abuse. Addiction is a serious disease that can improve with treatment. Current identification methods rely on maternal self-report, use of a universal screening tool, or positive urine toxicology results. Maternal self-report may be limited by concerns about social stigma or possible legal implications. Screening tools require skill and training to develop effective interview techniques. Urine toxicology is not an effective tool in identifying alcohol abuse and has limited value with drugs. With the exception of marijuana, urine generally provides a 1-3 day window of exposure for illicit drug use. Therefore; the most effective antenatal drug or alcohol treatment program includes objective drug testing to monitor relapse.

Drug and alcohol toxicology test methods are a key component of any treatment program. USDTL offers customizable drug test panels in a variety of sample matrices, hair, nails, blood, urine, oral fluid, meconium, and umbilical cord sections. The laboratory provides a confirmed test result for a specific drug or metabolite. The unique test panels help identify a growing problem of polysubstance abuse.

Visit our website at https://www.usdtl.com/ for more information.

Our Clinical Projects Manager, Bob Demaree, will be in San Diego at the World Symposium of Perinatal Medicine. Stop by booth number 305 and learn more about our screening tests for alcohol and substances of abuse during the antenatal period.

If you can’t be there, Bob will also be in Washington D.C. this weekend Dec 4-6 for the Hot Topics in Neonatology meeting.

Visit our website: https://www.usdtl.com/ for information about all the services we provide.