Pubdate: Sun, 27 Jul 2003 Source: Messenger-Inquirer (KY) Copyright: 2003 Messenger-Inquirer Contact: http://www.messenger-inquirer.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1285 Author: Javacia N. Harris Associated Press DOCTORS SEEING MORE DRUG-ADDICTED BABIES WHITESBURG -- As a nurse in eastern Kentucky, Diane Watts is all too familiar with the ear-piercing screams of drug addicts suffering through withdrawal. Comforting them through the pain and tremors has become a regular part of her job in the obstetrics unit at Whitesburg Appalachian Regional Hospital. The number of infants born addicted to prescription drugs like OxyContin and methadone has sharply increased over the past year. In the newest twist to the prescription drug epidemic in the mountain region, hospitals have found themselves doubling as detox centers for babies hooked on powerful narcotics. "From May 1998 to May 2002, we delivered three babies that were born addicted," Watts said. "But from May 2002 to May 2003, we saw 24 babies born addicted." The increase in addicted babies is part of the legacy of abuse by adults of OxyContin and other prescription drugs in the mountain region. Scores have been jailed for black-market trafficking in painkillers, and several physicians have been indicted for overprescribing drugs. Watts, the nurse manager of obstetrics and pediatrics at the Whitesburg hospital, said her staff began to notice an increase in the number of babies born addicted to narcotics in November 2002 and began testing all expectant mothers for drugs. Doctors at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center in Lexington also have seen an increase in babies born addicted to opiates. Dr. Henrietta Bada, chief of the division of neonatology, said that in 1997, the neonatal intensive care unit saw two babies exposed to opiates. From 2001 to 2002, that number increased to 20. At Pikeville Methodist Hospital, the percentage of addicted babies jumped from 3 percent of the 200 treated each year in the hospital's neonatal intensive care to 6 percent in the past year, said Dr. Ruth Ann Shepherd, a neonatologist. Watts said caring for drug-addicted babies can be physically and emotionally draining. "You have to hold them a lot," she said. Babies experiencing drug withdrawal are very irritable and hard to comfort. They have this high-pitched cry, and they're very jittery." Drug-addicted babies also have trouble sleeping, eating and even breathing, Watts said. "You can hear this unusual snoring sound when they breathe," she said. Nurses working with these babies comfort the infants as much as possible and keep them in a quiet place, Watts said. Withdrawal symptoms can be severe, including tremors and seizures, she said. Doctors have also seen an increased incidence of sudden infant death syndrome in babies addicted to methadone -- which is the drug most commonly seen at Whitesburg ARH, Watts said. Babies suffering from severe withdrawal symptoms are placed on Phenobarbital, Watts said. The drug can help the babies eat and sleep better and help reduce the excessive sweating that is another withdrawal symptom. Improvements can be seen within 24 hours of the first dose, but the recovery process is long for infants. The babies will be given the medication for at least a month until the symptoms subside. Rachel Breeding, a caseworker at Whitesburg ARH who is responsible for placing drug-addicted babies in safe homes, said drug-addicted mothers and their babies are referred to social workers at the Kentucky Cabinet for Families and Children to determine whether it is safe for the child to go home. Breeding said most infants go home with a close family member, which allows the mother to have an active role in the child's life while she gets treatment for her own addiction. "If the mother is seeking help, she will get it," Breeding said. - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk