OPIOIDS
Cough Suppressant Now a Leading Cause of ER Visits for Young People
One of the most common predictors of drug addiction is using mind-altering substances in one’s youth. A recent study has shown that children and teens are increasingly being sent to the ER for overdoses of cough suppressants.
When Opioid Dosages Escalate, Risks for Addiction Increase
According to research data, there are new findings that suggest that as a doctor prescribes more opioids to a patient, the risks for addiction, overdose, and other adverse outcomes increase.
Dental Opioid Prescribing—A Risk Factor for Opiate Addiction
When people think of prescription opioids, one of the first images they might get is of a doctor in a lab coat, handing a patient a bottle of pills. And yes, medical doctors are a common source of opiate prescribing. But they are not the only source. Dentists also prescribe opiates.
Opiates Show Little Effect At Easing Post Surgical Pain in Male Only Procedure
A recent article in U.S. News reported on a new study published in The Journal of Urology. The data suggests that taking opiate-based painkillers after a vasectomy does not improve pain control. Furthermore, taking such drugs after a vasectomy is also linked to the persistent use of such medicines in the months following surgery…
Opioid Prescribing to Young People Still Ongoing
For years, finding data on young adult and adolescent opioid prescribing was more akin to a deep sea treasure hunt than a cursory scan of the internet. There just wasn’t a lot of information out there. But now that’s changing. People are becoming more aware of adolescent opioid prescribing.
Treating Pain While Avoiding Addiction—How Can We Help Pain Patients and Also Reduce Opioid Consumption?
An article in the Washington Post from early April 2019 focuses on Kirsten Gillibrand, a Senator from New York and a possible contender for the presidential candidacy in 2020. The article discusses Gillibrand’s efforts to curb the opioid crisis and the criticism she has received in doing so.
New Research Shows Opioid Overuse Harms Hormone Levels
It seems like every year we hear about another adverse side effect of pharmaceutical opioid drugs. Yes, there is the rampant death toll from these drugs. The fact that pills are supposed to help people and instead end up killing them is a frequent headliner in news and media.
Synthetic Opioids — The Drugs Responsible for Most of the Overdose Deaths in 2017
The U.S. struggles in the grip of an opioid crisis—perhaps the worst addiction epidemic that our nation has ever seen. And in the last few years, a new strain of opioids has entered the scene, creating a surge in the addiction crisis and a resulting spike in the death toll.
Dealers Add Fentanyl to Cocaine to “Make it Better, Make the Junkies Come Back Faster”
With powerful fentanyl being found in cocaine, methamphetamine, counterfeit pills and Spice, it’s a more life-threatening world in which to abuse drugs than ever before.
How Our Underestimation of Opioids Lead to an Epidemic
At this point, it is pretty clear to me that the United States of America is suffering from a crippling and extremely derisive opioid addiction epidemic. Sometimes, we have a hard time swallowing this bitter truth.