Question 11: Is it necessary to reduce methadone dose or detoxify women from methadone during pregnancy to protect the fetus?

Answer: No. Women have been safely maintained on stable methadone dosage during pregnancy without adverse long-term effects on their health and the health of their infants. Withdrawal of medication during pregnancy leads to opioid abstinence syndrome, which is harmful to the pregnancy and often leads to relapse to illicit drug use. Dosage change in pregnancy must be carefully evaluated on an individual basis. Some women experience lowered blood levels of the methadone during pregnancy and may need an increase in dosage or split (e.g., twice daily) dosing. It is important to determine the relapse risk for each woman when considering a dosage change because a woman steadily maintained on methadone is more likely to have a healthy pregnancy and infant than a woman who uses alcohol and other drugs. The intermittent periods of withdrawal that typically occur with illicit opioid use and can adversely affect the fetus do not occur when methadone is individually determined and properly administered.

Research Highlights

  • Optimal methadone dosage for pregnant women in methadone maintenance treatment should be based on careful consideration of risks and benefits to both mother and fetus on an individual basis. Individual dose should be evaluated, taking into account the stage of pregnancy, the relapse risk potential of the mother, pre-pregnancy methadone dose, previous experience with methadone, and history of addiction recovery. When the mother does not relapse to illicit drug use, short-term reductions in maternal dose have been effectively administered during the last stage of pregnancy. However, many women in treatment have been successfully maintained on a constant dose and, in some cases, on an increased dose to keep blood levels stable throughout pregnancy (Finnegan, 1991).
  • Some women in treatment experience decreased blood levels of methadone during pregnancy, causing withdrawal symptoms. This decrease in blood levels of methadone during pregnancy can be accounted for by an increased fluid space, a large tissue reservoir that can store methadone, and drug metabolism by both the placenta and the fetus. Pregnant women in treatment with low blood levels of methadone frequently experience a high level of discomfort, withdrawal symptoms, and drug craving and anxiety and may be at high risk of relapse to opioid use and treatment dropout. Determination of methadone blood levels and possibly raising the methadone dosage to maintain sufficient blood levels may be warranted in such cases but must be carefully evaluated. Dosages should be evaluated in conjunction with ongoing medical monitoring of the pregnancy. Since the greatest risks to maternal and infant health occur when women in treatment relapse to illicit drug use, it is important to promote methadone dosage stability during and after pregnancy to optimize both maternal and child health (Kreek, Schecter, Gutjahr, et al., 1974; Pond, Kreek, Tong, et al., 1985).

Methadone Dosage Adjustment During PregnancyFigure 25 outlines the three main considerations regarding dosage for pregnant women in methadone maintenance treatment.

Figure                                    25 illustrates three main considerations                                    regarding methadone dosage adjustment                                    during pregnancy.

Figure 25 illustrates the safety of methadone maintenance treatment for pregnant women and their infants.

 

References

Finnegan L. Treatment issues for opioid-dependent women during the perinatal period. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 1991;23:191-201.

Kreek M, Schecter A, Gutjahr C, Bowen D, Field F, Queenan J, et al. Analyses of methadone and other drugs in maternal and neonatal body fluids: use in evaluation of symptoms in a neonate of mother maintained on methadone. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 1974;1:409.

Pond S, Kreek M, Tong T, Raghunath J, Benowitz NL. Altered methadone pharmacokinetics in methadone-maintained pregnant women. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 1985;233:1-6