Abstract
Benzodiazepine abuse alone is uncommon. The duration of action is significantly variable between specific drugs, so the course of withdrawal can be very variable. The associations between benzodiazepine abuse and an increased rate of congenital defects cited in older case-controlled studies have not been confirmed in newer reports, and long-term child behavioral deficits have not been reported. Preterm delivery is more likely as with maternal abuse of other drugs. Acute withdrawal can be life threatening, and tapering of drug should incorporate symptom-driven protocols. Anesthetic requirements may be increased in the chronically abusing parturient.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Goplan P, Galance JB, Azzam PN. Managing benzodiazepine withdrawal during pregnancy. Case based guidelines. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2014;17:167–70.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Results from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings. NSDUH Series H-48, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 14-4863. Rockville: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; 2014.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Committee opinion number 538: nonmedical use of prescription drugs. Obstet Gynecol. 2012;120:977–82.
Reynolds EW, Bada HS. Pharmacology of drugs of abuse. Obstet Gynecol Clin N Am. 2003;30:501–22.
McLafferty LP, Becker M, Dresner N, et al. Guidelines for the management of pregnant women with substance abuse disorders. Psychosomatics. 2016;57:115–30.
Bergman U, Rosa FW, Baum C, et al. Effects of exposure to benzodiazepines during fetal life. Lancet. 1992;340:694–6.
Eros AE, Zeizel M, Rockenbauer HT, et al. A population-based case-controlled teratologic study of nitrazepam, medazepam, tofisopam, alprazolum, and clonazepam treatment during pregnancy. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2002;101:147–54.
Helmbrecht GD, Thiagarajah S. Management of addiction disorders in pregnancy. J Addict Med. 2008;2:1–16.
Long LP, Johnson B. Addiction: part I. Benzodiazepines—side effects, abuse risk, and alternatives. Am Fam Physician. 2000;61:2121–8.
D’Apoito K. Breastfeeding and substance abuse. Clin Obstet Gynecol. 2013;56:202–11.
Ludlow J, Christmas T, Paech MJ. Drug abuse and dependency during pregnancy: anaesthetic issues. Anaesth Intensive Care. 2007;35:881–93.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Baysinger, C.L. (2018). Benzodiazepine Use. In: Mankowitz, S. (eds) Consults in Obstetric Anesthesiology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59680-8_22
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59680-8_22
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-59679-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-59680-8
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)