Risk of neonatal abstinence syndrome associated with the use of different medications during pregnancy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) can occurs in neonates following prenatal exposure to a number of medications including opioids, benzodiazepines and SSRIs. It is characterized by symptoms including high-pitched crying, increased muscle tone, poor feeding, fever, and vomiting. Interestingly, not all neonates exposed to any given medication will develop NAS. This systematic review and meta-analysis seeks to estimate the risk of NAS associated with the use of different medications during pregnancy. This will allow better comparison of the risk across different medications and help clinicians/patients understand the risk associated with each medication.