Educational Activities Archives

Opioid use disorder (OUD) can be a fatal addiction with complex implications for new and/or expecting mothers. OUD challenges can lead to many complications for mother and child, including low birth weight, clinical challenges with medical dosing and increased risk of accidental death. In the U.S. alone, a baby is born passively dependent every 15 minutes. To ensure best health outcomes for both mother and child, policies must allow engagement in evidence-based treatment and protect clients from legal ramifications. Hear from a physician, clinic director and an individual with lived experience to broaden understandings about the treatment and policy landscape for pregnant and postpartum women with OUD.

Escalation of perinatal opioid overdose and mortality has become a national public health concern. Prescription opioids are considered a gateway drug to misuse and dependency of other illicit drugs such as fentanyl and heroin. This study explored the 1) the pain-related experiences, 2) the social-ecological factors and experiences, and 3) the healthcare-related experiences of perinatal women who used or misused prescription opioids. The women’s shared experiences provided insights regarding how socio-ecologic and healthcare-related factors intersected with their pain experiences, which will be presented in three major themes of the study. This intersection was collectively identified as contributing to their initiation and perpetuation of misuse which hindered their journey to recovery and motherhood.

“The purpose of this checklist is for the dental patient (or guardian) and the dental provider to review their roles and responsibilities for safely using, storing, and disposing of opioid (or other controlled substance) prescriptions. A controlled substance is a medication or other drug that the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has identified as having a high potential for misuse, addiction and/or dependency.”

“Discussing pain medications with your patients is important to ensure they understand the options to manage their pain. It is important to provide clear and consistent guidance, whether your patient has a history of substance use disorders, may be taking opioids for the first time, or may be at higher risk for misuse or overdose. Treatment of a patient’s pain should be personalized, multidisciplinary, and patient-centered.”

Some women are surprised to learn they got pregnant while using heroin, Oxycontin, Percocet or other pain medications that can be misused (known as opioid drugs). You, along with family and friends, may worry about your drug use and if it could affect your baby.

SAMHSA created this Clinical Guidance to meet an urgent need among professionals who care for women with OUD and substance exposed infants for reliable, useful, and accurate information that can be applied in clinical practice to optimize the outcome for both mother and infant.