Pregnancy and birth under maintenance treatment with diamorphine (heroin): a case report.
BACKGROUND
Heroin-assisted treatment (HAT) is a new form of treatment for heroin-dependent patients not responding to conventional interventions such as methadone maintenance treatment. No pregnancies or births under HAT have been reported until now.


METHODS
The pregnancy course of a 31-year-old severely dependent multi-morbid woman receiving HAT and the birth of a healthy baby after premature delivery is described. HAT helped to reduce the use of illicit substances both before and during pregnancy. The neonatal abstinence syndrome was clinically well compensated.


CONCLUSIONS
HAT seems to be feasible in pregnant women and normal birth is possible under HAT, which therefore may act as a harm reduction measure for polydrug-using pregnant women not responding to methadone maintenance treatment.
Hartwig
Christina
C
Zentrum fur Interdisziplinare Suchtforschung der Universitat Hamburg (ZIS), Klinik fur Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Universitatsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Haasen
Christian
C
Reimer
Jens
J
Garbe
Werner
W
Lichtermann
Dirk
D
Wuellenweber
Linde
L
Dilg
Christoph
C
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D003932:Heroin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009357:Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*
D003932:Heroin