Benzodiazepine use during pregnancy is known to cause neonatal abstinence syndrome as well as exacerbate symptoms when combined with other drugs. In this ToxTime, we will discuss the prevalence of benzodiazepines in umbilical cord tissue and co-exposure with other substances of misuse. Join Donna Coy, Laboratory Director, for USDTL’s presentation on Benzodiazepine analytes.

Dr. Donna Coy is the Laboratory Director for USDTL with over 10 years of experience in the forensic toxicology field. Dr. Coy is a certified Toxicological Chemist through the National Registry of Certified Chemists and currently serves on the Board of the Midwest Association for Toxicology and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (MATT). Dr. Coy has co-authored several peer-reviewed scientific articles and qualified as an expert witness in over 200 family and civil court proceedings.

USDTL is a business-to-business laboratory that is a leader in newborn toxicology, alcohol biomarkers, and substances use testing for all stages of life. We are on a mission to ensure the hardest cases do not go without resolution by specializing in niche areas of forensic drug and alcohol testing.

0:00 Introduction
0:38 About Dr. Donna Coy
2:05 Overview
2:28 Benzodiazepines
4:36 Benzodiazepine Metabolism
5:32 Designer Benzodiazepines
7:30 General Substance Use Data
8:16 SUD and Pregnancy
10:01 Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
12:04 Benzodiazepines and Pregnancy
14:23 NAS and Benzodiazepines
17:13 Umbilical Cord Tissue
18:33 Comparison to Other Drugs Data
19:25 USDTL Benzodiazepine UCord Panels
19:58 USDTL Benzodiazepine Prevalence
20:27 Benzodiazepines and Co-Exposure
21:36 Benzodiazepines and NAS
22:20 Outro