Alcohol, Drugs and Medication in Pregnancy

The Long Term Outcome for the Child

Philip M. Preece, Edward P. Riley

• Publisher: Mac Keith Press
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN:
  9781898683889
• eBook ISBN:
  9781898683889
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Neurology

Exposure to intrauterine drugs, alcohol and medicines can have profound effects on the child's behaviour and propensity to behavioural disturbances. Some agents alter anatomic structure; others alter the chemical balance of neurotransmitters and may thus alter the regulation of brain function. This book documents the outcome and consequences for children exposed to intrauterine drugs, alcohol and medicine and explores strategies to support these children and those who care for them, including statutory agencies.The international team of contributors sets out to inform the reader of the potential risks to infants exposed to a range of intrauterine chemicals that are potentially neuroactive, including medicinal drugs such as antiepileptics, antidepressants and antipsychotics, as well as drugs of abuse, including alcohol, opiates, and recreational drugs such as cannabis and tobacco. They review the teratogenic action of some of the chemical processes and the relationship of exposure to the stage of pregnancy.In setting out the evidence for outcomes, the authors demonstrate that decisions about future care and management can and should be made early, with a secure understanding of the effect of this early exposure. This should allow professionals to provide protective management and prevent the delays in intervention and decision making that have so often been seen in this area of medical and social care.

Table of contents

• CONTENTS
• AUTHORS’ APPOINTMENTS
• 1 INTRODUCTION
• 2 EPIDEMIOLOGY OF DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE DURING PREGNANCY
• 3 NORMAL AND ABNORMAL EMBRYOGENESIS OF THE MAMMALIAN BRAIN
• 4 EPILEPSY IN PREGNANCY AND THE EFFECT OF PRENATAL ANTIEPILEPTIC MEDICATION
• 5 NEURODEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN EXPOSED TO ANTIDEPRESSANT AND ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATIONS DURING PREGNANCY
• 6 DIAGNOSIS OF FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME: EMPHASIS ON EARLY DETECTION
• 7 THE EFFECTS OF PRENATAL ALCOHOL EXPOSURE ON BRAIN AND BEHAVIOUR
• 8 EFFECTS OF DRUGS OF ABUSE ON THE FETUS: COCAINE AND OPIATES INCLUDING HEROIN
• 9 CANNABIS USE DURING PREGNANCY: ITS EFFECTS ON OFFSPRING FROM BIRTH TO YOUNG ADULTHOOD
• 10 IN UTERO EXPOSURE TO THE POPULAR ‘RECREATIONAL’ DRUGS MDMA (ECSTASY) AND METHAMPHETAMINE (ICE, CRYSTAL): PRELIMINARY FINDINGS
• 11 THE SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF MATERNAL SMOKING DURING PREGNANCY
• 12 MANAGEMENT OF THE EFFECTS OF PRENATAL DRUGS IN CHILDREN OF DRUG-ABUSING PARENTS
• 13 PRENATAL AND POSTNATAL INTERVENTION STRATEGIES FOR ALCOHOL-ABUSING MOTHERS IN PREGNANCY
• 14 COGNITIVE AND BEHAVIOURAL INTERVENTIONS TO AMELIORATE THE EFFECTS OF FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDERS IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS: PROMOTING POSITIVE OUTCOMES
• 15 FETAL TERATOGEN SYNDROMES: PSYCHIATRIC ASPECTS AND MANAGEMENT*
• 16 RECOMMENDED MANAGEMENT COMMON MEDICAL PROBLEMS PREGNANCY: ADVICE FROM SPECIALIST AGENCIES
• INDEX