The Kentucky Cabinet for Health Services issued a statewide advisory Tuesday to doctors about the danger of “cold turkey” detox for OxyContin-addicted pregnant women.

        The most serious complication of withdrawal can be a miscarriage, according to the cabinet advisory, and it recommends medical personnel obtain an immediate consultation with a substance-abuse specialist when treating women addicted to the frequently abused prescription narcotic painkiller.

TO GET HELP

State health officials said Northern Kentucky residents struggling with an OxyContin addiction can get help by calling Transitions at (859) 291-1043.

        The cabinet issued the advisory because of the heightened concern of OxyContin abuse, said Carol Stange, women's program administrator for the state Division of Substance Abuse. She does not know of any particular case of a pregnant woman who had complications in her pregnancy because of an OxyContin addiction.

        An article in the Feb. 7 edition of the Enquirer reported on the growth of this addiction in the Tristate and its connection to a spree of drugstore holdups.

        OxyContin, known on the street as “Oxy” or “OC,” is a synthetic opiate — a class of drugs that include codeine. It has become one of the most abused prescription pharmaceuticals in some areas of the country from Greater Cincinnati to rural areas of eastern Kentucky, western Virginia and southwestern West Virginia.

        A spokesman for the Ohio Department of Health said it does not plan on issuing a similar advisory.

        Officials at Transitions Inc., a Northern Kentucky agency that provides services for drug addicts, reported treating 10 people for OxyContin addiction at its detox center. One was a pregnant woman.

        Four of about 35 women living at Transitions' long-term residential treatment program for women, which is located in Covington, reported abusing OxyContin. None of the women is pregnant.

        Karen Hargett, assistant executive director of Transi tions, said its hard to determine exactly how many people have an addiction to OxyContin. That's because addicts usually abuse a number of drugs, from alcohol to heroin.

        The federal government recommends methadone treatment for OxyContin-addicted pregnant women, said Ms. Stange.

        Northern Kentucky, however, has no methadone treatment centers. There are only two publicly funded centers in Kentucky, one in Lexington and the other in Louisville.

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