The City of Middleton, Ohio, is feeling the effects of the opioid crisis like so many other municipalities in the US. Under a proposed plan by a City Council member, people who dial 911 for help for a person who is overdosing on opioids may be told that help is not on the way. Councilman …
Ohio Community Considering Tough Policy for Repeat Overdose Calls to 911 Read More »
More long term studies are being published on the effects of opioids in the United States. As researchers are able to obtain a broader scope of the damage, the data is revealing more about what could help combat the opioid crisis. For instance, a new report shows that women are being admitted into emergency rooms …
Women More Likely to be Hospitalized for Opioids than Ever Before Read More »
At the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine’s annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, researchers presented a new study that warns against prescribing opioids for minor pain. The room full of doctors and medical professionals listened to Kit Delgado, an assistant professor of Emergency Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania, explain how even small amounts …
Study: Even Short-Term Opioid Use can Cause Dependency Read More »
Despite the general understanding that combining opioids and benzodiazepines can be deadly, doctors throughout the country are still prescribing the two drugs together to patients, and addicts are still abusing them simultaneously as well. In fact, the trend seems to be rising, as more people are winding up in the emergency room or worse. In …
Research Warns of Dangerous Opioid and Benzodiazepine Combinations Read More »
Researchers at UCLA School of Medicine recently compiled a study monitoring the mortality rate among more than 2,500 patients with opioid use disorder in a general healthcare setting, such as a primary care physician or hospital. What they found was that the patients were seemingly slipping through the system either undetected or inadequately treated. Nearly …
High Mortality Rate for Opioid Use Indicates Gaps in Healthcare System Read More »
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has made a renewed appeal for prescription drug drop-off sites to be established across the state. These sites will be dumping stations where the public can safely dispose of unused prescription medications. Leftover Medications may be used in Pharm Parties This measure was put in place to combat the practice …
NJ Governor Renews Fight Against Prescription Drug Abuse Read More »
Deaths caused by drunk driving used to be the biggest cause of accidental deaths in our country. However, in recent years, accidental overdoses have climbed to the top, and so has car crashes where one or both of the drivers were under the influence of drugs. The Governor’s Highway Safety Association is working with other …
Drugged Driving Deaths Outnumber those Caused by Alcohol Alone Read More »
One of the most under-utilized ways to monitor narcotic painkillers and the people who take them are prescription monitoring programs. These tools, often run by individual states with varying levels of participation, monitor who has been given prescriptions for different kinds of drugs, why they were prescribed and when. They help track potential misuse of …
Monitoring Tools Prove Effective in Cutting Opioid Prescriptions Read More »
In the constant effort to create effective and safe treatments for people addicted to opiates such as heroin and prescription painkillers, researchers may have found a new way to prevent against further abuse. While medications geared towards reducing heroin abuse have proven successful in many circumstances, a group of researchers recently uncovered a new path …
New Research into Opiate Addiction Seeks Non-Opioid Medications Read More »
In an ongoing effort to learn more about addiction and to protect veterans, a research team from the University of Michigan and Department of Veterans Affairs has conducted a study to determine what sort of indicators can increase the likelihood of suicides among veterans. Their ultimate goal is to help prevent these factors and decrease …
Study Examines Suicide Rates Among Veterans with Substance Abuse Problems Read More »
The opioid crisis is a serious matter in the United States, which has seen considerable coverage in the press recently. The epidemic is being approached from many different angles, including prescription drug monitoring programs for doctors and pharmacists. However, people addicted to drugs are often resourceful in finding other ways to obtain them, and according …
Addicts Found Using Pets to Obtain Drugs from Veterinarians Read More »
Emergency departments and doctors’ offices are traditionally where many people get their prescription painkillers. Because of this, policy makers and healthcare officials have taken a closer look at physicians when it comes to the prescription narcotic problem in the United States. For instance, many hospitals have instituted policies where doctors do not give more than …
Varying Painkiller Prescribing Practices in Hospitals Examined Read More »