Prescription painkillers, widely used by childbearing age women, double birth defects risk

Many women are unaware that prescription opioid-based medications such as codeine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, or morphine, used to treat severe pain, may increase the risk for serious birth defects of the baby's brain, spine, and heart, as well as preterm birth when taken during pregnancy. Use of these medications also can cause babies to suffer withdrawal symptoms when born, a condition known as neonatal abstinence syndrome or NAS, a growing problem in US birthing hospitals.



from Today's Healthcare News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/18gdq3h