Frequency and associated risk factors of non-fatal overdose reported by pregnant women with opioid use disorder

• Main Authors: Sarah M. Bagley, Howard Cabral, Kelley Saia, Alyssa Brown, Christine Lloyd-Travaglini, Alexander Y. Walley, Ruth Rose-Jacobs
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2018-12-01
• Series: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice
• Subjects: Opioids; Overdose; Pregnancy; Naloxone
• Online Access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13722-018-0126-0

Abstract Background Little is known about opioid overdose or naloxone access among pregnant women. Objectives The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of non-fatal overdose, risk factors for overdose, and naloxone access among third trimester women in treatment for opioid use disorder. Methods We collected baseline data from a case management parental-support intervention study. To explore the association of variables with past year overdose, we used Wilcoxon rank-sum test, Chi square or Fisher’s exact tests. Results Among 99 participants, 14% (95% CI 7–21%) reported past year overdose and 67% (95% CI 57–76%) had received overdose education and a naloxone kit. Younger age was the only variable associated with past year overdose. Conclusions In this sample, past year non-fatal overdose was common, younger age was a risk factor, and most participants had received a naloxone kit. Further work is needed to understand whether younger age is a risk factor in the general population of pregnant women with opioid use disorder and to identify other potential risk factors for overdose in this population.