Prescription drug abuse during pregnancy can result in babies being born with opiate addiction

The abuse of prescription medication has a grip on many of America's youth. However, some individuals are born with an opiate addiction because their mother abused drugs throughout the pregnancy, The New York Times reports.

Expecting mothers who are addicted to painkillers such as OxyContin and Vicodin often must seek methadone treatment - normally used to treat heroin addiction - in an effort to reduce cravings and keep withdrawal symptoms in check. As a result, infants are born with stiff limbs, tremors and diarrhea during their first days out of the womb.

However, many doctors are opposed to treating pregnant opiate addicts because there is no universally accepted standard of care for the babies.

Parental involvement may help many young women avoid this situation by showing them the dangers of prescription drug abuse and the impact pregnancy can have on a young developing body.

The 2009 Monitoring the Future Survey reveals that nearly 15.4 percent of students between grades eight through 12 used prescription drugs non-medically in the year prior to the survey.