Severe abuse of psychotropic drugs during pregnancy with good perinatal outcome.

A case of severe abuse of phenothiazines, benzodiazepines and barbiturates and smoking 40 cigarettes a day throughout pregnancy is described. Intoxication requiring hospitalization occurred 3 times during pregnancy. The mother was hospitalized for the last 10 days of pregnancy and only lorazepam and oxazepam were given in order to improve the co-operation of the mother and to alleviate fetal withdrawal symptoms. At 39 weeks a healthy baby boy of 3150 g was delivered. Obvious withdrawal symptoms in the neonate appeared at the age of 20 hours. Due to repeated drug intoxications of the mother after discharge, the baby was located in a custody home. At his postnatal examination at the age of 3 months the baby appeared somatically and neurologically unaffected. A slight muscular hypotonia of lower limbs was suspected, though. At check-ups at the age of 6 and 12 months the baby was normal in all respects.