Does Naltrexone Decrease the Time Required for Paregoric Treatment in Newborns Passively Addicted to Opiates? 1065

Background: Although the number of cases of passively-addicted newborns is increasing, there has been scant development of treatment alternatives for these infants. Evidence from in vitro cell culture and in vivo animal studies by S. Crain and associates suggests that Naltrexone, an opiate antagonist, can inhibit opiate excitatory activity when given in microdoses. Naltrexone has also been used successfully in the treatment of adult addiction, but there are no reported studies using Naltrexone in the treatment of passively addicted newborns. The aims of this study were to test the hypothesis that Naltrexone microdose supplementation of paregoric treatment for neonatal withdrawal could reduce the duration of treatment required and to examine the safety of Naltrexone for these infants.