BMJ : British medical journal
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Observational Study
Risk of neonatal drug withdrawal after intrauterine co-exposure to opioids and psychotropic medications: cohort study.
Objectives To assess the impact of in utero co-exposure to psychotropic medications and opioids on the incidence and severity of neonatal drug withdrawal. Design Observational cohort study. Setting Nationwide sample of pregnancies in publicly insured women in the US, nested in the Medicaid Analytic eXtract (2000-10). ⋯ The severity of the withdrawal seemed increased in neonates exposed to both opioids and psychotropic medications compared with opioids alone. Conclusions During pregnancy, the use of psychotropic medications in addition to prescription opioids is common, despite a lack of safety data. The current findings suggest that these drugs could further increase the risk and severity of neonatal drug withdrawal.