Posts tagged with ‘painkiller addiction’
People Engaged in Illicit Drug Use at Higher Risk for Suicide
Suicide is a great tragedy. It not only ends a life which may have been healed, but it devastates families and extended communities. Anguish over missed signals and an inability to help can haunt those who remain for years. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) issued its latest report on drug use in America, finding that drug abuse is one of the leading risk factors for suicide.
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.
Painkillers A Preemptive Measure For Athletes to Cope With Pain
Federation International Football Association (FIFA), the international group that oversees association football, is concerned that young ballers will follow in the footsteps of their predecessors when it comes to using medication to perform through pain. Full Story
A Plan For Monitoring Pain Medication
Many addictions to prescription painkillers begin as a legitimate need for relief. An injury may lead to chronic pain, requiring more treatment than what can be achieved through over-the-counter pain pills. Armed with a prescription, a patient begins to feel relief. Full Story
Report Shows Opioid Abuse is on the Rise
There are reportedly more cases of chronic pain sufferers and prescription drug addicts than ever before. Is one inhibiting the other? Learning to treat both is a double-edge sword. An online news article talks about the details in a recent Espicom report that elaborate on how pharmaceutical companies, medical professionals and law enforcement agencies are combating the growing problem. Because therapy for chronic pain can have side effects and sometimes no results, more people are turning to prescription meds. Full Story
Teen Substance Use is Problematic Now and Later
For parents who had given in and joined the societal shoulder shrug over teen experimentation with substances, a new report should put some strength into the parental backbone. The report comes from CASA, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University and deals with use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco by American teens. Full Story
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