Pregnancy and Opiates

[MrJim]

SWIM has started this thread so that he may point out something that was a sidenote in a different post, and he woud prefer to dedicate a whole thread to this subject.

This was the excerpt:

Originally Posted by Laudaphun

SWIMs main oxy hookup had given birth and had a C-section or something, but for whatever reason she was given an (what SWIM assumes to be) I.V. shot of meperidine. The woman, being an oxy addict also reflected on that experience as being intensely pleasurable, she described it as like "just getting a huge breath of fresh air all at once."... .

Please Post any relevant information regarding this in this thread. If We could help just one pregant woman using, we have succeeded.

[MrJim]

I am a firm believer in what goes into ones body is nobodies business but the person. But that baby has no choice.

When SWIM was a teenager one of his best friends whom he shared his severe Diamorphine habit with found out he was adopted. He had no knowledge of this. For the sake of brevity, let's call SWIM's friend a standard Psuedonym, Rob. (Obviously this is not this persons name, but SWIM digresses.)
So Rob was more hooked than SWIM, this was obvious. He would line up 2 full syringes just to get enough at one time. He had been using significantly longer than Swim and he had told SWIM on many occasions that when he found heroin it was like a piece of his body that was always missing had been found. He was whole.
Now, Addicts always love their drugs, but this was something different. This was someone who felt they had finally, after a long time, come home emotionally. He was finally happy and finally satisfied with the life he lived.
And he had this monster habit when he was told that his mother was not his mother - not biologically.
The obvious happened next. He searched out and found his biological mother. Know what she told him?
She told him, amidst tears and apologies, that she gave him up because she was a junkie. And she used to term. She injected heroin throughout her pregnancy and Rob was borne into this world addicted to Heroin.
And here he sat across from her, hopelessly addicted to the drug he was addicted to AT BIRTH.
Rob's later addictions were something that he obviously did to himself - But SWIM can tell you , as well as anyone who has ever had a serious Heroin addiction, that the addiction withers and shrinks. It fades through time. But it never dies. Rob didn't know that the first time he took it would awaken something in him that he, as a prenatal infant, already had coursing through his little tiny prenatal veins.

[Laudaphun]

SWIM would like to see more research on this correlation. It makes a lot of sense to SWIM. SWIM would like to some studies on this, as it is something he's often wondered about. SWIM was said to be a bluish color when born, and had to be smacked a little harder than most infants to get to start breathing... this in later years made SWIM wonder.

SWIM definitely agress though, an inborn child exposed to opiates should make that baby more likely to find opiates pleasurable in adulthood. Also one could agrue at the same time that it could also be caused by a genetic factor passed from the mother to the child increasing the likelyhood for opiate addiction.

[MrJim]

Originally Posted by Laudaphun

SWIM definitely agress though, an inborn child exposed to opiates should make that baby more likely to find opiates pleasurable in adulthood. Also one could agrue at the same time that it could also be caused by a genetic factor passed from the mother to the child increasing the likelyhood for opiate addiction.

That is a good point, Laudafun. It could be the genetic predispostion or it could, in this particular curcumstance, be a genetic predispostion combined with the baby's first addiciton.
That sounds like an awful kids toy, doesn't it? "Baby's First Addicition".
Which Psych text did that quote come from? SWIM has a Psych degree.

[Laudaphun]

Originally Posted by MrJim

Which Psych text did that quote come from? SWIM has a Psych degree.

It came from Human Sexuality Today 3rd Edition, by Bruce M. King... there is a 5th edition out now. SWIM just thought it was funny that the book made no mention of any other risks posed by the use of opiates during pregnancy other than a WD after being born... Perhaps SWIM will write the author and tell him he'd like to have see a little more information on the correlation between mother's use and future use of the child in adulthood, or even teenage years. SWIM has discovered that some authors of college text books do maintain forums, or yahoo grps for example where they can both answer questions from students/teachers, and get feedback on how to improve the next edition. SWIM thinks that's pretty cool of the ones that do that.

[Laudaphun]

In SWIMs textbook, ironically the one he's studying for class right now, has a section on different substances and detriment towards a baby. Compared to all the other drugs, opiates are given a small section and all it basically says is that the baby is born into the world and must go through withdrawl which is very painful for the baby.... here i'll just quote the book.

"Women who are addicted to heroin (or methadone) while pregnant will give birth to infants who are already addited as well. These infants must go through withdrawal after being born, showing sympotms such as fever, tremors, convulsions, and difficulty in breathing. This is extremely painful and can be lifetreatening." -Human Sexuality Today

SWIM really finds that inadequate for a college pychology text book. What about the effect on the child in later years? Apparently little research has been done on this.

[ojos_de_brujo]

Next to the genetic factor, there is also the influence of the environment. It may be difficult to weigh out which factor is more decisive.
Of course in Mr Jim's example it's most probably the experience of opiates in the womb that is the most decisive factor. Since this person was adopted the environmental factors (addictive behaviour of parents, etcetera) aren't important.

Swim is wondering, in case a mother does not use drugs during the pregnancy, and the child is raised in a drug- and violence free loving environment, can a genetic predisposition be overcome?

In Swim's case, many members of her family have/had substance abuse problems and depression issues. Some say this is a genetic problem, Swim thinks it is more likely this is the result of a lot of painful things that happened in Swim's family.
Substance abuse is a coping method Swim learned from parents and grandparents.
If it is learned behaviour, it can be unlearned. (in theory)
Of course, even when leading a fulfilling drugfree life, former (opiate) addicts always have the idea of a 'magic cure' in their head. It's always lurking deep down inside.

[MrJim]

Originally Posted by ojos_de_brujo

Swim is wondering, in case a mother does not use drugs during the pregnancy, and the child is raised in a drug- and violence free loving environment, can a genetic predisposition be overcome?
.

The genetic disposition to ANYTHING can be overcome.
This is how I look at it.
Say you throw a bunch of tacks on the floor of your living room - One tack is a Genetic predisposition, one tack for each particular enviromental circumstances, one tack is the likelihood of these types of drugs being readily available to you, etc.
Now there are a handful of tacks on your living room floor.... Will you stand on one?
Not necessarily, but the longer those tacks are on the floor combined with the more tacks that are spread out on the floor increases the overall likelihood that you will stand on one.
Some people could live in a room full of tacks and may never step on one.
Some people might have only one tack on the ground, but it goes right into their foot. Deep.
Nothing is a guarantee of future behavior, but odds increase as more events conspire towards a certain pattern. Know what I mean?

[ojos_de_brujo]

Mr Jim, Swim gets what SWIY means. Swim already felt like this, but wasn't sure if it wasn't wishful thinking.
Swiy has no idea how much Swiy's post comforts Swim.