Use of tincture of opium compared to oral morphine for the treatment of neonatal abstinence syndrome.

Suzannah Kokotajlo, Christine A Robinson, Amy Presti

Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.

Journal of opioid management 2013 Jan-Feb

filter terms:

To evaluate the difference in time until medical clearance when comparing tincture of opium (TO) to oral morphine (OM) in the treatment of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Retrospective chart review conducted from May 2007 to July 2011. Level III Neonatal Intensive Care unit at Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, New Jersey. Clinical Drug Utilization reports identified 26 neonates who were treated with TO and 25 neonates who were treated with OM for NAS. No patients were excluded. Patients were treated with either TO or OM for the indication of NAS. The primary outcome is to compare the time it takes for a baby being treated with TO versus OM for NAS to be medically cleared for discharge. The median time until medical clearance for those treated with TO was 29.5 days compared to 37 days for those treated with OM (p = 0.14). There was no statistically significant difference in the time it takes for a baby being treated with TO versus OM for NAS to be medically cleared for discharge. There are a number of safety benefits in using OM compared to TO. Until further data are collected, it is appropriate to continue treatment of neonates with NAS with OM.

Citation

Suzannah Kokotajlo, Christine A Robinson, Amy Presti. Use of tincture of opium compared to oral morphine for the treatment of neonatal abstinence syndrome. Journal of opioid management. 2013 Jan-Feb;9(1):62-70