title: Management of drug dependency, overdose, and withdrawal in the obstetric patient.
abstract: This article discusses the approach to pregnant patients with substance use problems, a growing problem in obstetric practice. Two alternatives used to detect patients with problematic substance use are discussed: (1) historic screening, which depends on the patient to self-report about her substance use; and (2) toxological assays for substances or their metabolites in the patients' body fluids. Management of women using cocaine and alcohol is also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina, School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, USA.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Thorp
mesh_terms: D003042:Cocaine; D062787:Drug Overdose; D000431:Ethanol; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D015995:Prevalence; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol; D003042:Cocaine