Amphetamine Addiction and Pregnancy

Abstract

The adverse effects of amphetamine addiction during pregnancy and the neonatal period were studied in 69 Swedish women. Almost one-third of the women (Group I) succeeded in overcoming their addiction in early pregnancy. The women in Group I (n = 17), unlike those in Group II (n = 53), received the same amount of prenatal care as the average Swedish woman. An increased rate of preterm deliveries (25%) as well as a higher perinatal mortality (7.5%) was found in Group II. During the neonatal period an increased incidence of mother-infant separation was found since many of the infants (46%) were transferred to pediatric wards for medical and social reasons. All newborns in Group I and 74% of infants born to mothers with continuous amphetamine addiction throughout pregnancy remained in their mother's custody following discharge from the maternity clinic.

Neonatal Ethanol Exposure but not Neonatal Cocaine Selectively Reduces Specific Isolation-Induced Vocalization Waveforms in Rats

“…In rats, the first two weeks after birth represents the ''brain growth spurt'', a period characterized by rapid CNS growth and proliferation that is associated with the 3rd trimester of human pregnancy (Bayer et al, 1993;Dobbing and Sands, 1979). Clinical data has shown that cessation of ethanol (Autti-Ramo et al, 1992;Rosett et al, 1983) or amphetamine (Ericksson et al, 1981) prior to the 3rd trimester is associated with improved infant outcome and it was our prediction that this developmental stage would be particularly sensitive to the behavioral teratogenic effects of drugs such as ethanol and/or cocaine.…”

A review of the clinical pharmacology of methamphetamine

“…Cases of neonatal birth defects associated with prenatal methamphetamine exposure include atresia, hydrocephalus, cardiac defects, epidermolysis bullosa and Down's syndrome [146,147]. However, congential anomolies occur at low frequency (~2-4% of cases) and there are insufficient data to determine whether these defects occur at higher than normal rates [144].…”

“…Nevertheless, various studies have reported that use of amphetamines during pregnancy is associated with low rates of prenatal care [145][146][147], low birth weight [146][147][148], increased frequency of hospitalization for pregnancy complications [146], perinatal mortality [146,149], preterm deliveries [146], maternal anaemia [147], premature membrane rupture [147], pre-eclampsia [146,147], meconium-stained amniotic fluid [146,147], post-partum haemorrhage [145,146], unplanned caesarean delivery [146], vacuum extraction with forceps [146], and neonatal infection [146]. Neonatal amphetamine withdrawal is uncommon, occurring in approximately 2% of affected neonates, and generally resolves spontaneously within a week.…”

Effects of Methamphetamine Abuse Beyond Individual Users

“…A long list of adverse outcomes and malformations have been reported with the use of amphetamine or meth during pregnancy, including cleft lip (Little, Snell & Gilstrap 1988;Schneider & Norton 1979;Milkovich & van der Berg 1977;Nelson & Forfar 1971), cardiac defects (Little, Snell & Gilstrap 1988;Nelson & Forfar 1971;Nora et al 1970;Nora, McNamara & Fraser 1967), low birth weight (Little, Snell & Gilstrap 1988;Oro & Dixon 1987), growth reduction (Smith et al , 2003Chomchai et al 2004;Little, Snell & Gilstrap 1988;Oro & Dixon 1987;Eriksson, Larsson & Zetterstrom 1981 ), reduced head circumference (Chomchai et al 2004;Little, Snell & Gilstrap 1988;Oro & Dixon 1987;Eriksson, Larsson & Zetterstrom 1981), prematurity (Eriksson et al 1978), stillbirth (Eriksson et al 1978), hyperbilirubinemia requiring exchange transfusion (Eriksson et al 1978), cere bral hemorrhage (Dixon & Bejar 1989), low body fat (Little et al 1988), Mongolian spots (Little, Snell & Gilstrap 1988), systolic murmur (Little, Snell & Gilstrap 1988) and unde scended testes (Little, Snell & Gilstrap 1988). A recently published study, which examined 17 -year data from the Hawaii birth defects registry, reported significantly higher than expected rates for maternal prenatal use of meth, co caine, and marijuana among children born with birth defects affecting the central nervous system, cardiovascular system, oral clefts, and limbs (Forrester & Merz 2007).…”