Methadone Exposure Questions

[wannabemom2]

Hi everyone,

My husband and I are currently in the "search" phase of domestic adoption.  We were recently contacted by a birthmother that has been on methadone for the past five years.  She has not taken any other drugs besides the methadone.  Her first son who is now two-years-old was born was she was taking methadone and so far he has no other issues besides asthma, which, of course, cannot be necessarily attributed to the methadone. 

We are well aware of the risk of NAS and that alone is not a "deal-breaker" for us?  However, we do not feel as well-informed about long-term effects.  Some sources have told us that there are none while others have said there is no way of knowing whether or not there are. 

So, here's my real question to people who may have experience with babies only exposed to methadone and no other drug:

If we are not truly open to a special needs adoption, should we adopt this baby?

Now, I need to further explain that we know that no baby is guaranteed to be "special-need-free."  Of course, it is always a possibility and if our baby whoever he/she is did have special needs, we would love him/her just the same. 

Alright.

Thanks so much.

[RiverTam]

My BFF adopted a baby who was exposed to methadone in utero. She is a nurse and her husband is a doctor. They have high expectations for their children, and they didn't think the risks of methadone related problems were that high.  Her DS is now 5 and seems fine.

BFF did a lot of research when they were adopting.

[wannabemom2]

RiverTam,

Thank you so much for your insight.  I appreciate it. 

[RiverTam]

You should look at the research very carefully. They might have just gotten lucky.

When they were looking at adopting their DS, they were concerned about increased risks of NAS and low birth weight, but also increased risks for learning disabilities, anxiety and aggression in kids exposed to methadone. The studies show that kids exposed to methadone have increased risk for those things and maybe as many as 40% will require special education services. At the same time, no one knows if that risk is environmental or from the methadone exposure. They felt okay with that outcome if it happened for their DS so they went ahead. 

Good luck.