A recent medical study reveals an alarming increase in the amount of narcotic painkillers that are being prescribed to pregnant women. Researchers involved with the study are calling for more research to be done to determine what health risks these strongly addictive drugs may have on the women’s unborn children.

The study was conducted at Harvard Medical School by analyzing the medical data of more than 500,000 pregnant women who had been prescribed opioids for pain and discomfort. This data came from a commercial insurance plan from which the women were enrolled. The average age of the women was 31 years old.

Some of the factors the research team looked at included the most common medications prescribed, the most frequent medical complaints for which the drugs were prescribed, and what, if any, difference did geographical location make.

The most common condition doctors prescribed these narcotics for was back pain—almost 40 percent. Other medical complaints that doctors felt necessitated opioids were joint pain, abdominal pain and fibromyalgia.

The most common drug prescribed was hydrocodone (Vicodin), which was given to 6.8 percent of the women. Six percent were given codeine, 2 percent were given oxycodone (Oxycodone), and propoxyphene (Darvon) was given to another 1.6 percent.

The heaviest concentration of prescriptions were given to women who lived in the southern part of the country, with Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi each having rates at 20 percent or more.

The lead researcher, Dr. Brian Bateman, wrote, “Nearly all women experience some pain during pregnancy. However, the safety of using opioids … remains unclear. Ultimately, we need more data to assess the risk/benefit ratio of prescribing these drugs to women and how it may affect their babies.”

If you have been prescribed medication that has caused serious side-effects, or a medication has caused your condition to worsen, contact an experienced Westport medical malpractice attorney to find out what compensation you may be entitled to for pain and loss.

A review conducted by USA TODAY reveals how each year there are over 100,000 medical workers who are addicted to or are abusing prescription narcotics. This means that doctors, nurses, medical technicians, and other health care aides working in hospitals and nursing homes could be putting patients’ lives at risk.

Prescription drug addiction has reached epidemic proportions in this county. According to the review, that epidemic is now also deeply embedded in the medical community, with oxycodone and fentanyl as two of the most common drugs abused by medical workers. Because of the medical knowledge these worker have, they are often able to hide their addictions better than an addict who is not in the medical community.

The publication used data collected from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. According to the agency, in 2007 there were approximately 103,000 medical workers abusing prescription drugs every year. However, other studies have indicated that that number could actually be much higher. This suggests that one in ten medical workers will struggle with addiction at some point.

Part of the problem is that many states lack safeguards which would require a medical facility to report to law enforcement when a medical employee has been fired for stealing or abusing narcotics. This allows the abuser to go from facility to facility for employment. And when a medical worker is stealing drugs for his or her own use, they are putting thousands of lives in danger.

It is also rare for hospitals and medical boards to seek disciplinary actions. In fact, USA TODAY analysis reports that between 2010 and 2013, only less than 750 physicians nationwide “lost hospital privileges or had their licenses revoked or restricted for being unable to practice safely because of drug or alcohol abuse.” One recommendation to help improve this situation, however, is through education and teaching ways to identify drug use to both prevent and treat addiction.

If you believe a loved one in nursing care has suffered from complications caused by negligent medical care, please contact a Westport medical malpractice attorney to discuss compensations he or she may be entitled to for pain and loss.