274 Methadone
not offer an answer. Nonetheless, some authorities report that pregnancy out-
comes are substantially better for addicts in methadone programs.
A group of clinical observations found that infants from mothers addicted
to heroin had better sucking ability than infants from methadone addicts (in-
cluding those in methadone maintenance programs). Research finds that
breast-feeding by methadone-using mothers does no harm to infants, and one
investigator concluded that methadone in the milk helps ease a dependent
child’s withdrawal symptoms. Investigators have found that infants with fetal
exposure to methadone eat more than normal but do not gain more weight
than normal, a finding that suggests defective ability to use nutrition from
food. A study of two-year-old children found that fetal exposure to methadone
had no influence on ability to focus attention. Examination of school-age chil-
dren who had fetal exposure to methadone found them to have normal scores
in thinking tests and somewhat lower IQs than normal and to be more nervous
and aggressive than typical children. How much of this is related to the drug
and how much is related to tumultuous family life is uncertain. Another
follow-up study found that girls had normal gender behavior, but boys had
more female characteristics in their conduct.
A study found pregnancy outcomes to be much the same among methadone
andcocaineusers.
Additional scientific information may be found in:Darke, S., et al. “Cognitive Impairment among Methadone Maintenance Patients.”Ad-
diction95 (2000): 687–95.
De Cubas, M.M., and T. Field. “Children of Methadone-Dependent Women: Devel-
opmental Outcomes.”American Journal of Orthopsychiatry63 (1993): 266–76.
Fainsinger, R., T. Schoeller, and E. Bruera. “Methadone in the Management of Cancer
Pain: A Review.”Pain52 (1993): 137–47.
Jarvis, M.A., and S.H. Schnoll. “Methadone Treatment during Pregnancy.”Journal of
Psychoactive Drugs26 (1994): 155–61.
Martin, W.R., et al. “Methadone—A Reevaluation.”Archives of General Psychiatry 28
(1973): 286–95.
Rossler, H., et al. “Methadone-Substitution and Driving Ability.”Forensic Science Inter-
national62 (1993): 63–66.
Schneider, J.W., and S.L. Hans. “Effects of Prenatal Exposure to Opioids on Focused
Attention in Toddlers during Free Play.”Journal of Developmental and Behavioral
Pediatrics17 (1996): 240–47.
Specka, M., et al. “Cognitive-Motor Performance of Methadone-Maintained Patients.”
European Addiction Research6 (2000): 8–19.