more on DANGEROUS DRUGS

(by Poppy)

Several years ago, in 2010, I posted Dangerous Drugs, in which I explored my thoughts and concerns about the adverse effect of opiate drugs on a baby's ability to function normally in the first few days of life.  In that post the narcotic (opiate) drug endone came under the spotlight, as it was being (and still is) used liberally in early postnatal settings, particularly after caesarean births or when women complain of perineal pain.



[Note to readers:  If you would like to check the information about any drug, you can search the myDr medicines site.  For example, Endone tablets. ]


In 2012 I completed an accredited course in Pharmacology, the Graduate Certificate in Midwifery at Flinders University, and subsequently received endorsement of my registration as a midwife prescriber, and obtained my own prescription pads.  I and many other Australian midwives have used social media for discussion of prescribing issues, in the Midwife Prescriber group.


Any medicine that contains opiates (including over the counter medicines such as panadeine [paracetamol+codeine]) is metabolised into morphine as well as other substances, and has a similar analgesic action to endone for the mother, and is transmitted via breast milk to the baby.  There is a great deal of variability in the way an individual metabolises opiate medicines, transferring the substances from the stomach, via the liver, to the blood stream, and to pain receptor sites.  The existence of ultra-rapid metabolizers of codeine should be noted by any midwife or doctor or pharmacist who prescribes or recommends oral opiates for women who are breastfeeding, and the medicine should not be used if the baby appears affected (excessively sleepy/lethargic) after being fed with mother's milk.  (??? aren't babies supposed to be sleepy after breastfeeding?  Yes - not lethargic though.)


Pethidine (meperidine)
After that rather lengthy introduction, today I would like to focus on another opiate, pethidine, or meperidine (Demarol) in some countries.

Peer reviewed medical literature has for more than a decade drawn attention to the neurotoxic effect of metabolites of pethidine, in both the adult and in the breastfed infant.  In 2006, the New Zealand Medical Journal published a paper by Shipton, stating that "Pethidine is no longer considered a first-line analgesic. ... Clinicians around the World recommend its removal from health systems
or restriction of its use." (p1)

Anderson published A Review of Systemic Opioids Commonly Used for Labor Pain Relief (Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health, 2011), and stated that,
"Meperidine [Pethidine] and its metabolites accumulate in colostrum and breast milk and may be associated with newborn neurobehavioral alterations and unfavorable effects on developing breastfeeding behaviors. Wittels et al43 conducted a prospective, randomized study of breastfeeding women who underwent cesarean births and compared intravenous PCA administration of meperidine to intravenous PCA administration of morphine. Meperidine was associated with significantly more neurobehavioral depression in breastfeeding newborns on the third and fourth days of life when compared with the behavior of the newborns in the morphine cohort (P .05), despite similar overall doses of morphine and meperidine." (page 227)


A question posted at the Midwife Prescriber site a week ago indicated that pethidine is currently used liberally in labour and postnatally, except in public hospitals in New South Wales, where I understand its use has been restricted.  Old habits die hard!


Here's a recent case (true story) -

A woman who is a well informed registered professional, having her second baby by elective caesarean for transverse lie, at a public teaching hospital in Melbourne:

• requested that the IV be inserted in a vein on her left arm rather than the back of her hand, because she wanted freedom to hold and feed her baby after the birth.
• was surprised that the young anaesthetic doctor was very reluctant to do this - had to insist - and eventually got what she requested
• asked not to be given pethidine which is the standard in that hospital, preferred morphine via a PCA, as she was aware of concerns about metabolisation of pethidine, and transfer to colostrum, and felt she could have more control over the amount of drug in her system this way
• once again found that she had to argue with the anaesthetic doctor in order to achieve this preference. No valid reason was given for the hospital's preference of pethidine. The doctor said that "the midwives don't like PCA and don't know how to manage it" (which I think is nonsense)
• and after this doctor had (albeit reluctantly) complied with the woman's wishes, said to the woman. "You're right you know, we don't like using pethidine. It's a 'dirty drug'. And not siting the IV on the back of your hand is a no brainer."

This story illustrates unprofessional behaviours, particularly by the anaesthetic doctor, who was probably doing exactly what she or he had been told to do.  As a teaching hospital, one would expect evidence to be critically examined and applied.  If pethidine is not the best available medicine, it should not be used.  Passing the blame to the midwives is outrageous.  Most of the midwives working in hospitals have not studied pharmacology, and do not have authorisation to prescribe.  The person who signs the medications chart is the person who takes responsibility for the prescription.  If there are problems with the equipment, sort that out.


Drugs such as pethidine, morphine, endone, OxyContin, and others are DANGEROUS DRUGS.  They are kept in the DANGEROUS DRUG cupboard in hospital wards, and protocols must be followed to ensure that these medicines are signed out and administered correctly.  They are called DANGEROUS DRUGS because they are DANGEROUS!

The challenge is that when a dangerous drug is required, such as after major surgery, what is the least dangerous option for the mother and her new baby?

DANGEROUS DRUGS?

ps [added 17 November 2012]
This US FDA website gives reliable guidance on codeine ultra-rapid metabolisers.



A baby's ability to breastfeed is one of the key 'performance indicators' that I observe after birth.

The majority of my work is with women and babies who are free of medication, giving birth to healthy babies at Term. Babies behave in the normal physiological fashion when the mother takes her child to her breast, and they remain together, skin to skin, for the next couple of hours. Babies seek the breast, making licking and rooting movements and moving in a distinctive way until they are in place and can take the breast and suckle effectively. This process is known as the breast crawl.

When a woman giving birth requires surgery she is given drugs. The anaesthetist and the obstetrician will prescribe whatever they consider to be necessary.

I am concerned about the current drug of choice for postnatal pain relief, Endone.

In the past year I have worked with three women who received Endone postnatally, and I believe I have observed a strong sedative effect of the drug on two of these babies. They became quite uninterested in the breast after the first breast feed, which had been unremarkable.

Recently another client of mine had a caesarean for obstructed labour, and I talked with her and the midwife in the postnatal ward 12 hours after the birth. The analgesia ordered was Endone (for 48 hours), Panadol and Voltarin. We agreed that if she was needing Endone she would breastfeed first, then take the drug. She has progressed very well with breastfeeding, went home on the third day - in fact this baby does a little breast crawl like a pro for every feed!

I am now checking for research literature specifically on Endone (oxycodone) and breastfeeding. Other midwives have said they share my concerns. A quick Google search came up with a very clear statement: "Do not take ENDONE during pregnancy or during breastfeeding as it may cause difficulty in breathing in an unborn or newborn child." [at http://www.mydr.com.au/medicines/cmis/endone-tablets]




A colleague who lives in regional Victoria told me that one of the local hospitals uses Endone less than the others, and that the local GPs, who provide anaesthetic services for the hospital, are still giving spinal morphine 1mg which works so well that very few women require more than Panadol and Voltaren.

I spoke to the pharmacist at a tertiary materntiy hospital in Melbourne, and he gave me some more information. He agreed that it's a very potent opioid that has a high transfer ratio into the milk, and variation from person to person as to how they metabolize Endone into morphine substances - hence variation in effect. He said the doses given appear to be pretty hefty.

The medical justification seems to be relatively short half life - 3-6 hours; that it's only used for 48 hours, claiming that the majority of babies are not sedated, and that the amount of colostrum the baby gets is pretty negligible anyway !!. Read here breastfeeding isn't something 'we' care much about!


The Lactmed site notes that "Newborn infants seem to be particularly sensitive to the effects of even small dosages of narcotic analgesics, particularly in the first week of life."

Dr Tom Hale, a world-respected expert and author on medications and mother's milk, has a forum

Hale states that "Oxycodone is a categoryL3... moderately safe, to be used only if the potential benefit to mother justifies potential risk to baby, and it has a half life of 3-6 hrs." Potential benefit to mother justifies potential risk to baby. I wonder how many mothers are given the opportunity to consider the risk/benefit before they swallow the tablet?



A newborn infant has important work to do, including learning how to breast feed. A newborn infant who is being systematically sedated through dangerous drugs that are passing from mother's blood to mother's milk, is being put at risk of breastfeeding delay leading to dehydration, jaundice, and a subsequent cascade of interventions, each with their own package of risks. The mother, receiving powerful sedation, is also likely to experience iatrogenic (physician-induced) difficulties with bonding and establishing breastfeeding.

I have often mused on the fact that "would you like something to help with the pain?" really means "would you like me to give you a dangerous drug?" I wish I knew a friendly cartoonist.

The anaesthetists and obstetricians really need to be questioned about this.
We live in a culture of acceptance of 'doctor knows best'. Women who undergo surgery for birth place an enormous trust in their surgeons and the other medical people - we need to act in their interests and on behalf of their babies.

I would like to ask that anyone reading this blog who works in the system, and who observes any cases where the baby of a mother receiving Endone in the early postnatal days appears sedated or performs poorly at breastfeeding, please draw attention to it. Speak to the obs and anaes departments, and point out what you observe. Ask them if they are aware of other such problems. Speak to the midwife manager of the unit, and ask her if she would support an internal audit of use of Endone. Find out what application is needed to get data from the general records. How often is it prescribed? What doses? (the pharmacy should be able to tell you this) Does the hospital have a protocol for the use of Endone? (you may find this on the hospital's intranet) What is the rate of supplementation of breastfeeding babies who were born by Caesarean (all the Baby Friendly hospitals should be able to give this data easily. Feeding on discharge is recorded on the Victorian perinatal statistics, so there could be some initial comparisons done.)

And while we're on the topic, I think some midwives are telling women in early labour to take some Panadeine and go to bed. Has anyone else heard this? In that case the codeine part of the drug will be added to the opioid soup in baby's system in the early days.


This is just not good enough!