Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder During Pregnancy: Buprenorphine or Methadone?

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In 2011, 5% of pregnant women 15 to 44 yo reported opioid/illicit drug use during pregnancy, and this percentage is rising. Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a chronic disease associated with adverse effects on maternal and fetal health, such as physiologic withdrawal at birth, low birth weight, congenital abnormalities, and higher relapse rates. Pregnant women treated for OUD with medication-assisted-treatment (MAT) have significantly reduced adverse effects. MAT is the standard treatment of OUD in along with counseling/therapy. Opioid agonists, namely buprenorphine and methadone, are common treatments, as they prevent opioid withdrawal symptoms, improve adherence to prenatal care, and reduce the risk of relapse. CASE: Patient is a 26 year old G2P1 female presenting with buprenorphine, heroin, and methamphetamine use during pregnancy. She had a vaginal delivery of a healthy baby girl at 40+2 weeks (APGARs 8 and 9). She used heroin during the first trimester of pregnancy and started buprenorphine treatment at 5 months’ gestation. Pregnancy complicated by a 3 weeks in a rehab center at 8 months following relapse on methamphetamine. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Research is being conducted on the risks and benefits of buprenorphine vs methadone as MAT. Buprenorphine overall has better maternal and neonatal outcomes when compared to methadone. Mothers taking buprenorphine during their pregnancy were more likely to start MAT prior to or earlier in pregnancy and had longer gestations compared to methadone. In regards to neonatal outcomes, methadone has been associated with higher rates of neonatal mortality and congenital anomalies when compared to buprenorphine. NAS generally is less severe with buprenorphine, and newborns require treatment significantly less often and for a shorter duration. Newborns exposed to buprenorphine are associated with greater birth weight but more gastrointestinal abnormalities. With the increase in OUD during pregnancy, research regarding the most effective MAT is timely and critical.