Grandson born addicted to Suboxon

[MaryDrac]

Mt Grandson was born addicted to suboxon on July 27th. it is now Sept 14th and he is still in NICU! They are stepping him down slowly with morphine. He is very cranky most of the time but seems normal otherwise. My Son was very cranky and collicy as an infant as well with no drugs affecting him. The nurses are telling us that we are going to have to be very patient because he will be like this. He wants to be held all the time. Which I'm told is a good sign.  The nurses say he is not in pain only very high anxiety. Is this true and what problems will he face in his future?

[donewitis]

like snakejones..I am so sorry to hear this and can only imagine what you, and your family are going through...especially your granndson. My heart goes out to this innocent baby..You are all in my prayers.

[snakejones]

I'm so sorry that this has happened. I can imagine you've been frantic with worry! And of course that little baby is anxious and wants to be comforted; adult addicts who go through withdrawal feel the same way. I believe that newborns, being delicate and new to the planet, experience pain to an even greater degree than adults. On top of that, they don't understand the mechanics and time of duration of withdrawal that adults do, and have no coping skills. So to this baby, there's no finish line in sight. Yes, hold him as much as you can. Was he premature or had a low birth weight? That can also affect how long it'll take for him to get well. I am thinking of him, and praying for your entire family.......

[littlebit667]

get online and contact your local "early intervention" program in your city.  It is for children with developmental disabilities.  I  am NOT saying this is what your child has, but being born with drugs in his system may delay some things as his body resets itself without the drugs.  They will do an evaluation of his development and see how he is doing.  If he does not qualify for the program then..great....ask them for some ideas to keep him calm..they may have some other things to consider.  If he seems to have a few delays down the road..call them back.  It is for children birth-3 years.

[dominosarah]

Thanks Ashelen for your input~~

Sounds like the doctors and nurses are taking good care of this little one.  Make sure to write down your concerns so all your questions get answered.  How is the mother doing?  How are you doing with all of this?  Just keep loving him up~~~sara

[Ashelen]

Well the truth is that most doctors will tell you we can't predict what infants feel when they're being detoxed from a drug they were born with. We know that they are anxious and uncomfortable, but beyond that it's hard to say because their nervous systems aren't fully developed yet. It could be easier, or it could be worse...

I am terribly sorry that this happened, but once he is finished with his detox he should be a fairly normal infant and the crankiness/anxiety should dissipate.

From what I understand of suboxone (I do not have personal experience with this but I've talked to several people who had to take it during pregnancy) it's not thought to cause long-term issues....so the hope would be that once he's detoxed he'll have a period of adjustment (like any adult would) and he should be back to normal. Research of this drug being used during pregnancy is still (pardon the pun) in it's infancy, so there just isn't the same knowledge base about it as there is about other opiates/opiate-derivatives. But as most opiates don't cause long-term effects in babies, I would think that suboxone will be the same but that is definitely a question I would ask his pediatrician.

I hope that he's out of the NICU soon but be very glad that they're stepping him down slowly, it's making his life a lot easier!

Best wishes that your family is together soon, and talk to his pediatrician about your concerns.