Drugs Used to Combat Opioid Addiction Are Winding up in Children’s Hands
Opioid addiction is on the rise and with addiction comes the prescription drugs to combat it. Burprenorphine is one of the most common drugs used to treat opioid addiction, according to a recent medical article. In fact, the number of patients being prescribed burprenorphine has swelled 444-fold in the last decade compared to providers actually prescribing it, which was only 67-fold, according to information by the Utah Controlled Substance Database.
As more prescription drugs are making their way into American homes, the chances for children to be exposed to them is higher than ever. A recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention addressed the importance of educating patients about their prescriptions, their affects on children and how to properly store them. Researchers with the Utah Poison Control Center, Utah School of Medicine’s Department of Family Preventive Health and the Utah Department of Health are urging medical professionals to take all precautions necessary to keep their patients informed.
While burprenorphine prescriptions increased so did the number of accidental exposures. The UPCC reported than there was an average of 36 exposures to children from 2009 to 2011. Most of the cases involved children ages six years and under. In many cases, the children required medical attention and even treatment at a medical facility. In a few rare cases, the exposure to burprenorphine proved fatal, killing two adults and one teenager.
Death is a very real consequence but not a common one. Children who ingest burprenorphine could experience delayed or persistent respiratory depression for at least 24 hours or more. Drowsiness, miosis, agitation and tachycardia are some of the effects a child under six years old could suffer. But a child doesn’t have to swallow the tablet to feel its affects. Just sucking on the burprenorphine can actually create a faster absorption than if ingested.
Alcohol Advertising Bans Do Not Appear to Reduce Underage Drinking
The combination of youthful unwise choices and mind-altering substances like alcohol is dangerous enough to concern not only parents, but society as a whole. Consequently, there is an ever running stream of research into how best to curb adolescent alcohol use. The problem is that the research frequently yields contradictory conclusions. One of those controversies exists over the usefulness of prohibiting alcohol advertising in preventing teen alcohol consumption. Does limiting or eliminating alcohol ads make it less likely that kids will use alcohol?
The answer is complex. To begin with there are plenty of other contributing influences which would need to be effectively factored out in order to get a clear picture of how advertising affects alcohol use. Studies which look for what primarily impacts a young person’s likelihood of abusing alcohol repeatedly point to the influence of parents and close friends as of primary importance. Another factor which has been shown to influence alcohol use is price. When alcohol is expensive, fewer kids can afford to indulge. Of course, adults who consume alcohol would not necessarily welcome higher prices in the name of teen prevention.
Another question which needs to be answered is just how influential advertising is in affecting our purchasing habits. Plenty of research shows that while advertising may be effective in getting us to try another brand of a product, it rarely creates new demand for the product. In other words, consumers may be influenced to buy a less expensive or more expensive brand of perfume, but advertising has not been shown to create new perfume users. In the same way, alcohol companies are advertising to get drinkers to switch labels more effectively than they are in winning over new drinkers. Beer drinkers, wine drinkers, vodka drinkers may each be swayed to try another kind of their chosen beverage by effective marketing, but no studies show that advertising wins over new wine or beer drinkers.
Prohibiting alcohol advertising during certain hours was tried in the Netherlands in recent years. From early morning until nine at night, the Dutch made it illegal to advertise alcohol on television or radio. Compliance with the ruling was judged to be practically universal, yet the ban did next to nothing to impact teen alcohol use in that country. Experts suggest that the ban failed because teens tend to populate the largest segment of after nine p.m. tv viewers. By driving alcohol ads to late night tv, the advertisers were actually more effective in reaching a younger audience.
When we are faced with a clear concern, the temptation is to do something rather than do nothing. No one is suggesting doing nothing, of course. But, it is wise to choose interventions which have the best chance of being effective. So far, placing limits on alcohol advertising has not proven to be an effective plan.
Parents Play Crucial Role in Teen Substance Abuse
Two research studies can give parents something to celebrate. For parents who lament that their children are more easily influenced by friends rather than them, these findings reveal that parents are the greater influence when children choose to use or avoid alcohol or drugs. But influence by parents and other family members can also be detrimental when children see their parents or siblings abuse substances. Full Story
Negative Messages About Drugs May Not Deter Use
For decades, the messages in television and print advertising have advised audiences about the dangers of substance use. Images of frying eggs, blackened lungs and rotted teeth have been used as a way to convince student and adult populations of the negative consequences that can come with unhealthy choices. Full Story
Alcohol’s Harmful Effects on Senior Adults
The Alzheimer’s Association reports that 5.4 million Americans suffer from this type of dementia. They believe that by 2050 nearly 16 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s. Other senior citizens will inevitably battle some memory loss due to aging. Younger adults are already looking ahead to what they can do to prevent some of this cognitive loss. Full Story
Drugs Used to Combat Opioid Addiction Are Winding up in Children’s Hands
Opioid addiction is on the rise and with addiction comes the prescription drugs to combat it. Burprenorphine is one of the most common drugs used to treat opioid addiction, according to a recent medical article. In fact, the number of patients being prescribed burprenorphine has swelled 444-fold in the last decade compared to providers actually prescribing it, which was only 67-fold, according to information by the Utah Controlled Substance Database.
As more prescription drugs are making their way into American homes, the chances for children to be exposed to them is higher than ever. A recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention addressed the importance of educating patients about their prescriptions, their affects on children and how to properly store them. Researchers with the Utah Poison Control Center, Utah School of Medicine’s Department of Family Preventive Health and the Utah Department of Health are urging medical professionals to take all precautions necessary to keep their patients informed.
While burprenorphine prescriptions increased so did the number of accidental exposures. The UPCC reported than there was an average of 36 exposures to children from 2009 to 2011. Most of the cases involved children ages six years and under. In many cases, the children required medical attention and even treatment at a medical facility. In a few rare cases, the exposure to burprenorphine proved fatal, killing two adults and one teenager.
Death is a very real consequence but not a common one. Children who ingest burprenorphine could experience delayed or persistent respiratory depression for at least 24 hours or more. Drowsiness, miosis, agitation and tachycardia are some of the effects a child under six years old could suffer. But a child doesn’t have to swallow the tablet to feel its affects. Just sucking on the burprenorphine can actually create a faster absorption than if ingested.
Alcohol Advertising Bans Do Not Appear to Reduce Underage Drinking
The combination of youthful unwise choices and mind-altering substances like alcohol is dangerous enough to concern not only parents, but society as a whole. Consequently, there is an ever running stream of research into how best to curb adolescent alcohol use. The problem is that the research frequently yields contradictory conclusions. One of those controversies exists over the usefulness of prohibiting alcohol advertising in preventing teen alcohol consumption. Does limiting or eliminating alcohol ads make it less likely that kids will use alcohol?
The answer is complex. To begin with there are plenty of other contributing influences which would need to be effectively factored out in order to get a clear picture of how advertising affects alcohol use. Studies which look for what primarily impacts a young person’s likelihood of abusing alcohol repeatedly point to the influence of parents and close friends as of primary importance. Another factor which has been shown to influence alcohol use is price. When alcohol is expensive, fewer kids can afford to indulge. Of course, adults who consume alcohol would not necessarily welcome higher prices in the name of teen prevention.
Another question which needs to be answered is just how influential advertising is in affecting our purchasing habits. Plenty of research shows that while advertising may be effective in getting us to try another brand of a product, it rarely creates new demand for the product. In other words, consumers may be influenced to buy a less expensive or more expensive brand of perfume, but advertising has not been shown to create new perfume users. In the same way, alcohol companies are advertising to get drinkers to switch labels more effectively than they are in winning over new drinkers. Beer drinkers, wine drinkers, vodka drinkers may each be swayed to try another kind of their chosen beverage by effective marketing, but no studies show that advertising wins over new wine or beer drinkers.
Prohibiting alcohol advertising during certain hours was tried in the Netherlands in recent years. From early morning until nine at night, the Dutch made it illegal to advertise alcohol on television or radio. Compliance with the ruling was judged to be practically universal, yet the ban did next to nothing to impact teen alcohol use in that country. Experts suggest that the ban failed because teens tend to populate the largest segment of after nine p.m. tv viewers. By driving alcohol ads to late night tv, the advertisers were actually more effective in reaching a younger audience.
When we are faced with a clear concern, the temptation is to do something rather than do nothing. No one is suggesting doing nothing, of course. But, it is wise to choose interventions which have the best chance of being effective. So far, placing limits on alcohol advertising has not proven to be an effective plan.
Parents Play Crucial Role in Teen Substance Abuse
Two research studies can give parents something to celebrate. For parents who lament that their children are more easily influenced by friends rather than them, these findings reveal that parents are the greater influence when children choose to use or avoid alcohol or drugs. But influence by parents and other family members can also be detrimental when children see their parents or siblings abuse substances. Full Story
Negative Messages About Drugs May Not Deter Use
For decades, the messages in television and print advertising have advised audiences about the dangers of substance use. Images of frying eggs, blackened lungs and rotted teeth have been used as a way to convince student and adult populations of the negative consequences that can come with unhealthy choices. Full Story
Alcohol’s Harmful Effects on Senior Adults
The Alzheimer’s Association reports that 5.4 million Americans suffer from this type of dementia. They believe that by 2050 nearly 16 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s. Other senior citizens will inevitably battle some memory loss due to aging. Younger adults are already looking ahead to what they can do to prevent some of this cognitive loss. Full Story
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The Addiction Primer: Everything You Need to Know to Get Help for a Loved One
A very inexpensive yet indispensable guide for anyone struggling with a loved one's addiction. Chapters on intervention, what to expect from rehab, and information on how addiction impacts the family.
