Clinical therapeutics
-
Clinical therapeutics · Sep 2019
Comparative StudyNaltrexone Treatment for Pregnant Women With Opioid Use Disorder Compared With Matched Buprenorphine Control Subjects.
The use of the opioid antagonist naltrexone (NTX) for pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD) remains understudied. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in a cohort of NTX-treated women. ⋯ Maintaining women on NTX during pregnancy was associated with favorable outcomes. These results support the need for larger multicenter studies sufficiently powered to detect possible differences between the medications on long-term maternal and child safety and efficacy outcomes.
-
Although an epidemic of opioid-related overdose deaths has continued to increase in the United States for 2 decades, the impact of opioid use disorders (OUDs) on children and families receives minimal attention. The purpose of this commentary was to provide an overview of the impact of the opioid epidemic on children and adolescents, as well as to summarize challenges to improving outcomes for children. ⋯ OUD treatment is effective at reducing parental opioid use and improving child outcomes; however, stigma and cross-system collaboration may limit access to treatment and timely reunification of families. Children are the most vulnerable witnesses of the opioid epidemic, and further research is urgently needed to expand prevention interventions.