There’s a growing body of evidence supporting the idea that alcoholism can be passed to one’s children genetically.  So too, an addiction to drugs like crack cocaine.  But recently, medical facilities in the US have reported an overwhelming number of cases of babies hooked on the same prescription drugs that were abused by their mothers during pregnancy.

In Florida alone, 635 babies were born addicted to prescribed medications in 2010  –  the same meds their  mothers were over-using while pregnant.  And it seems that infants can go through a similar withdrawal experience to adult drug abusers trying to get clean.

“They go through withdrawal symptoms,” said Mary Osuch, head nurse at Broward General Medical Center’s neonatal intensive care unit. “They’re crampy, miserable. They sweat. They can have rapid breathing. Sometimes, they can even have seizures.”

What makes the problem even more worrying is that pregnant women who are found to be addicted to prescription medication cannot simply go off the drugs immediately.  Apparently, they need to be weaned off slowly under medical supervision, to prevent the baby going into withdrawal…in the womb.

[Source: CNN]