Can't find answers, please help!

Can doctors give methadone to a baby that is NOT born to a drug addicted mother? What if the baby is premature with some complications plus on other medications? I have researched on the internet and can't find anything about this. All I can find is if the baby was born to drug addicted mothers. I would like to know what other neonatologists think about using this drug on infants. I'm trying to understand this situation I'm in. Thank you!

[Yao Sun, MD, PhD]

Opioid medications (such as morphine, fentanyl, and sometime methadone) are often given to newborn infants, including extremely premature infants, to help control pain and discomfort.  Depending upon the situation, one drug may be preferred over another.  This class of pain medications has a very long history of safe use in premature infants.

Methadone has a very slow mechanism of action and lasts a long time, and thus may be preferred if it is anticipated that the medication will be needed for a long period of time.  You should ask the Neonatologist what they are specifically treating with the methadone so that they can help you understand the reasons for using the medication.

[Mom2littleangel]

Thank you for your time and answer! Not sure if I reply back to you here but I'll try. Can methadone be used to wean babies off of the many other medications they are on? What if I want a second opinion by another doctor in another hospital? How do I do that? Sorry I have a lot of questions.

Thanks!