Drug Use and Pregnancy

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Drug Use and Pregnancy

09 September, 2020Articles, News

As an expectant mother, you want your baby to be as healthy as possible. Remember that most of what you consume is passed along to your growing baby. While some things are good for your baby, others can be harmful. Alcohol and illegal drugs are known to be particularly dangerous for a developing baby. Any amount of these substances is considered unsafe during pregnancy. You should avoid them altogether while you’re pregnant. Quitting before you get pregnant is ideal, but stopping drug or alcohol use at any point during pregnancy will benefit your baby.

How Does Drug Use During Pregnancy Affect the Baby?

You and your baby are connected by the placenta and umbilical cord. Nearly everything that enters your body will be shared with your baby. This means that any drug you use will also affect your baby. A foetus is very sensitive to drugs and can’t eliminate drugs as effectively as you can. Consequently, the chemicals can build up to extremely high levels in the baby’s system and cause permanent damage.

Taking drugs during pregnancy also increases the chance of birth defects, premature babies, underweight babies, and stillborn births. Exposure to drugs such as marijuana — also called weed, ganja, dope, or pot — and alcohol before birth has been proven to cause behavioural problems in early childhood. These drugs can also affect the child’s memory and attentiveness. In addition, some findings show that babies born to women who use cocaine, alcohol, or tobacco when they are pregnant may have brain structure changes that persist into early adolescence.

The risks associated with drug use during pregnancy depend on various factors, including:

the type of drug used
the point at which the drug was used
the number of times the drug was used

In general, however, using drugs during pregnancy can result in the following:

miscarriage
stillbirth
small size
low birth weight
premature birth
birth defects
sudden infant death syndrome
drug dependency in the baby

Here are some of the specific consequences of drug use during pregnancy:

Low birth weight places an infant at a higher risk for illness, intellectual disability, and even death.
Premature birth increases the risk of lung, eye, and learning problems in the infant.
Birth defects that often occur due to drug use include seizure, stroke, and intellectual and learning disabilities.
Foetuses can become dependent on the drug(s) the mother is using and may experience withdrawal symptoms after delivery.

Drug use during early pregnancy can affect the developing organs and limbs of the foetus. Even one episode of drug use during this period can affect the development of your child. In most cases, it results in a birth defect or miscarriage. Drug use later in pregnancy can affect the development of your baby’s central nervous system. After pregnancy, many drugs can pass through breast milk and harm the baby.

Using any type of illegal drug during pregnancy can have a detrimental effect on your child. Here is some information on the most commonly used drugs and how they can affect a developing baby.

Marijuana

To get the full effect of marijuana, smokers need to inhale deeply and hold the smoke in their lungs for as long as possible. There are many harmful gases in marijuana smoke that can be passed along to your baby, increasing the risk for complications. Smoking marijuana during pregnancy may increase the chances that your baby will have a bowel movement while inside the womb, which can cause early onset of labour and foetal distress. Marijuana use can also result in poor growth, behavioural problems, and breathing problems.

Marijuana use should also be avoided while breast-feeding, as the drug can easily be transmitted to the baby through breast milk.

Cocaine

Cocaine use during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth. It can also cause premature rupture of membranes (water breaks early), early separation of the placenta, and preterm labour. A baby exposed to cocaine is at a higher risk for:

stroke
poor growth
feeding problems
deformed limbs
brain damage
reproductive or urinary system abnormalities
sudden infant death syndrome
long-term behavioural problems

After pregnancy, cocaine can be transmitted to the baby through breast milk, so it shouldn’t be used while breast-feeding.

Opiates (Narcotics)

Opiates, also known as narcotics, include heroin and methadone. Women who use narcotics during pregnancy are at increased risk for preterm labour and delivery. They are also more likely to deliver a stillborn baby or a baby with growth problems. Babies exposed to narcotics in utero are at increased risk for neonatal death.

Heroin

If you use heroin during pregnancy, your baby may be born addicted to the drug. They may experience a severe, life-threatening withdrawal syndrome after delivery. This condition is characterized by the following symptoms:

high-pitched crying
poor feeding
tremors
irritability
sneezing
sweating
vomiting
diarrhea
seizures

Your baby will need special care and medication to treat their withdrawals.

If you share needles, you should be tested for HIV and hepatitis. These infections can also cause complications in your baby.

Like cocaine and marijuana, heroin shouldn’t be used while breast-feeding.

Methadone

If you can quit using opiates altogether, it will be best for you and your baby. However, switching to methadone is better than continued heroin use. Methadone is associated with better pregnancy outcomes than heroin, but babies can still experience the narcotic withdrawal syndrome. Additionally, they may still be at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). For these reasons, it’s best to avoid using methadone during pregnancy. Methadone use of 20 milligrams or less per day is compatible with breast-feeding.

Amphetamines

If you use stimulants, such as crystal methamphetamine (speed), then you are at increased risk for the following problems:

early placental separation
delivery of a baby with growth problems
death of the foetus in utero

Amphetamines shouldn’t be used if you’re breast-feeding.

RESOURCES

https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/alcohol-drugs

https://www.webmd.com/baby/drug-use-and-pregnancy

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Bipolar and Addiction: The Common Confusion

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Home / Posts tagged "Rehab Gauteng" (Page 8)

Bipolar and Addiction: The Common Confusion

04 September, 2020Articles, News

What is bipolar?

Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that was formally called manic depression. It may cause emotional highs and lows. People who suffer from bipolar disorder can experience symptoms such as depression, lethargy, mania or irritability. These emotional outbursts can last for several weeks or longer unlike mood swings or depression. Having bipolar disorder can interfere with a person’s everyday life. There are many treatment options for bipolar disorder and the aim is to control the effects of an episode or mood swings which can be done in many ways such as medication, learning to identify the triggers, psychological treatment and lifestyle advice. Bipolar disorder can be caused by extreme stress, overwhelming problems, life-changing events and genetic or chemical factors. There are two types of bipolar disorder. Bipolar I : one major manic episode which may require hospitalization, bipolar II disorder involves a major depressive episode that lasts more than 2 weeks and may not require hospitalization as it is not intense enough. Why is this information important? Bipolar disorder can often be confused with addiction.

What is addiction?

Addiction is known as a psychological and physical inability to stop consuming a chemical drug, activity, or substance, even though it is causing psychological and physical pain. There are many different forms of addiction, such as food, gambling, sex, drugs, and alcohol. Addiction is related to the obsession of the mind and leads to many behavioural problems. Somebody who has an addiction may have mood swings, be irritable or depressed. An addict of any kind may not be able to control their actions, for example – using a substance or using any other external source that may make them feel better about themselves. Addiction may contain a genetic or chemical component. It is also known to disrupt the regulation of the chemicals within the brain such as dopamine or serotonin. The brain chemicals cannot normalize themselves, meaning that the person is unable to regulate these chemicals themselves and will constantly feel down, therefore needing more of the substance or activity to feel “normal”. When the brain chemicals are unable to regulate, the person may experience manic mood swings or depression.

What is the common confusion?

A lot of times I hear people who come into treatment or for an assessment say, “I am not an addict, I just have bipolar”, or there are people who seek out help from psychiatrists and lie about their addiction problem, the result being that they are incorrectly diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The two conditions may co-occur. The symptoms of bipolar disorder can be very similar to those of addiction. Someone going through a manic episode can look and act like someone on cocaine. Both experience elevated mood and energy levels. A person experiencing a major depressive episode can also have the same symptoms as someone in withdrawal. If a person with an addiction has a co-occurring bipolar disorder, they need the help of someone trained in making a dual diagnosis -because symptoms of both conditions can overlap, it is important to see an experienced specialist. Someone with experience can distinguish between symptoms of addiction and bipolar disorder.

Treating bipolar disorder and addiction

The most important factor here as mentioned above, is that professional help is sought out to determine if the individual does in fact have bipolar disorder, addiction, or both. In this case it would be considered a dual diagnosis. The most successful way of treating bipolar disorder is through cognitive behavioural therapy. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) helps people with addiction and co-occurring bipolar disorder. CBT addresses the thoughts and feelings that people with these conditions face. By examining the thoughts and feelings that lead to manic and depressive behaviours, addicted people with bipolar disorder can better understand their actions. This helps them prepare for cravings and episodes, so they can manage their behaviour.

If you feel that you or your loved one may be suffering with any of the above, please seek out professional help to determine your best way forward before making assumptions. Be honest with your therapist if you are suffering with an addiction problem so that they can diagnose you correctly.

Dominique Le Claire Rossouw