Symptom-based approach treats opioid withdrawal in newborns with minimal drug exposure

A clinical study shows that a symptom-based treatment for babies with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS)—a highly prevalent condition wherein opioid exposure during pregnancy leads to withdrawal after birth—could speed up their recovery. To treat babies with moderate to severe symptoms of NOWS, doctors often administer opioid medication, lowering the dose over time. Many doctors commonly use this scheduled dosing approach. However, the new study found that providing "as-needed" doses of opioid medications based on each baby's signs of withdrawal helped them stop the medicine sooner and go home earlier.