Prescription Drug Abuse
Parkinson’s Drugs Fueling Addiction
Medications used to treat Parkinson’s disease may make patients more susceptible to compulsive behaviors, which can lead to addictions. The drugs are from a class called dopamine agonists, and the problem with them may be severe enough to warrant the Food and Drug Administration’s most serious warning label: the black-box warning. Full Story
Indiana’s Drug Monitoring Program Results in Fewer Prescriptions for Scheduled Meds
In the face of a national epidemic of prescription drug abuse, many states are rolling out prescription drug monitoring programs, or PDMPs. The systems are essentially online databases of patient information that track use of scheduled medications.
Learn the Signs of Prescription Drug Abuse
There is no denying prescription painkiller abuse is one of the biggest problems Americans face. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that over 10 million people admit to using painkillers for recreational use in the past year. Those addicted to opiates face many health problems, including brain damage, which leads to chronic brain disease. Family members or loved ones who suspect a person is using prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons can help them get the help they need by learning the signs.
Peer Pressure for School Kids to Take Drugs Still Pervasive
Look at a school class photograph and you will see that teens don’t like to be unique. Most of the teens in any group picture will have similar hairstyles, wear similar clothing and even strike similar poses. They’re in the midst of discovering their identity, but until then there’s safety in the herd, which can work for or against your teen.
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Teens Advised to Stop Taking Stimulants as “Study Drugs”
The pressure that teens face as they maneuver through high school and into applying for college often results in sleep issues, anxiety and other problems. In order to fit in adequate time for extracurricular activities, which can boost a student’s chances of college acceptance, students often struggle to devote enough time to academics.
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Seniors Selling Prescription Drugs for Food
The prescription drug epidemic is getting a lot of coverage in the media, but some stories still have the power to take you by surprise. According to a report from Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, senior citizens are increasingly turning to prescription drug dealing to meet their living expenses. The tale is shocking but has a deeper, profound sadness because of what seniors are feeling they have to do in order to have a steady supply of money—not to mention the moral bankruptcy of the dealers who take medicine that elderly people obviously need in order to meet their clients’ drug demands. It isn’t a throwaway headline about “grandma the drug dealer.” It’s a sad indictment of the state of society. Full Story
Oxycodone Abuse Rampant in U.S.
Oxycodone is a narcotic pharmaceutical that’s prescribed to treat pain raging from moderate to severe. It treats pain by depressing the central nervous system. When taken under the supervision of a physician, this powerful medication may alleviate suffering and increase quality of life in people struggling with chronic pain. However, Oxycodone abuse is rampant in the US, and has become such a severe problem that officials are calling it an epidemic. Full Story
New York City ERs Crack Down on Oversupply of Painkillers
New York City may be setting a precedent when it comes to waging war on the nation’s prescription drug addiction. It’s no secret that opioid analgesics have become a cult favorite among the population, with over 200 million prescriptions written every year. 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.
Misuse of Pharmaceutical Drugs by Older Adults
The face of drug addiction is changing. While many associate drug addiction with young people tempted into an alternative lifestyle by the experience of getting high, recent rises in pharmaceutical drug misuse have resulted in addiction in unlikely segments of the population. Full Story