Opioid epidemic may have cost US governments $37.8 billion in tax revenue. sciencedaily.com. April 11, 2019. Summary: The opioid epidemic may have cost U.S. state and federal governments up to $37.8 billion in lost tax revenue due to opioid-related employment loss. Sobredosis de metadona y otros opioides (CDC) The opioid epidemic may have cost U.S. […]
Too Often, Opioid Abuse Runs in the Family, Study Shows. By Amy Norton. consumer.healthday.com. February 25, 2019. When parents abuse prescription painkillers, their teenagers may follow their example, a new study finds. Sobredosis de metadona y otros opioides (CDC) The study of thousands of U.S. teenagers found that kids were 30 percent more likely to […]
Pain and substance abuse interact in a vicious cycle. eurekalert.org. January 14, 2019. Experiencing pain can motivate individuals to use substances and might make it harder to quit. Pain and substance use interact in a vicious cycle that can ultimately worsen and maintain both chronic pain and addiction, according to a research team including faculty […]
Opioids fueled a doubling of suicides and overdoses in the US. sciencedaily.com. January 7, 2019. Summary: Turning the tide demands improvements to pain care, mental health care and medication-assisted opioid addiction care. Suicides and drug overdoses kill American adults at twice the rate today as they did just 17 years ago, and opioids are a […]
Urine drug testing may be important in early phases of addiction treatment. sciencedaily.com. December 20, 2018. Summary: A new study shows that urine drug testing can be a useful tool to treat patients with opioid use disorder in a primary care setting.A new study performed by Boston Medical Center (BMC) and faculty at the Boston […]
More pregnant women are using meth and opioids, study finds. sciencedaily.com. November 29, 2018. Usage rates among moms-to-be have spiked in the past decade, with a disparate boost among pregnant women who live in rural counties. Summary: Amphetamine and opioid use in pregnancy increased substantially over the last decade in the United States, a new […]
Scientists take big step toward finding non-addictive painkiller. eurekalert.org. August 29, 2018. With the support of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, scientists at Wake Forest School of Medicine have been working to find a safe, non-addictive pain killer to help fight the current opioid crisis in this country. Sobredosis de metadona y otros opioides […]
Doctors reduced opioid prescriptions after learning a patient overdosed. sciencedaily.com. August 9, 2018. When clinicians are given information about a patient’s overdose, they prescribe fewer powerful painkillers. Summary: Doctors confronted with information about patient deaths by opioid overdose became more careful in prescribing the painkillers once they learned the risks first-hand. A new study shows […]
Legalized medical cannabis lowers opioid use, study finds. sciencedaily.com. April 02, 2018. Summary:US states that have approved medical cannabis laws saw a dramatic reduction in opioid use, according to a new study. States that have approved medical cannabis laws saw a dramatic reduction in opioid use, according to a new study by researchers at the […]
Study reveals abnormalities in infants born in withdrawal after opioid exposure in utero. eurekalert.org. January 22, 2018. A new study of infants born in withdrawal due to opioid exposure in utero shows a dramatic increase in torticollis – an abnormal twisting of the neck. Many of the infants also had plagiocephaly – a flattening of […]
Often, Opioid Abuse Becomes a Family Affair. medlineplus.gov. December 11, 2017. Opioid addiction often starts in the family medicine cabinet, a new study warns. If someone is taking prescription opioids for pain, such as OxyContin, it’s more likely that others living in the home will also get an opioid prescription, the researchers found. "Prescription opioid […]
ERs Prescribing Opioids at Lower Doses, Shorter Durations. By Mary Elizabeth Dallas. medlineplus.gov.* September 26, 2017. Patients who receive these prescriptions are less likely to progress to long-term use, study shows. Emergency room doctors write lower-dose, shorter-term prescriptions for opioids than other doctors do, new research shows. The study, led by scientists at the Mayo […]
Opioid ODs Have Cut Into U.S. Life Expectancy: CDC. medlineplus.gov.* September 20, 2017. Doctors must start treating addiction, expert says.Rising death rates from opioid abuse are chipping away at Americans’ life spans, a U.S. government study finds.Between 2000 and 2015, researchers found, U.S. life expectancy increased overall — from nearly 77 years to 79 years.But […]
More U.S. Kids Landing in ER With Opioid Addiction. medlineplus.gov. September 15, 2017. Researcher calls findings an emerging public health issue. A growing number of children and teens are turning up in U.S. emergency departments dependent on opioids — including prescription painkillers and heroin, a new study finds.Researchers found that in 2013, nearly 50,000 ER […]
What You Can Do to Help Fight the Opioid Epidemic. By Robert Preidt. medlineplus.gov. September 13, 2017. A surgeon’s group offers a blueprint for safer pain management. Proper disposal of prescription painkillers and use of safe alternatives to manage pain could help combat America’s opioid abuse epidemic, doctors say. "Today, we are in the midst […]
Fentanyl Drives Rise in Opioid-Linked Deaths in US. medlineplus.gov. August 31, 2017. The synthetic drug is more powerful than heroin or morphine. Fentanyl, a synthetic narcotic, is a key player in America’s continuing epidemic of opioid-related overdose deaths, two new studies report.Opioid OD deaths began increasing early this decade as people addicted to prescription painkillers […]
Increasing risk of drug withdrawal in newborns as US opioid epidemic accelerates. sciencedaily.com.August 02, 2017. Increases in prescribing of both psychotropic medications, opioids to pregnant women are a major concern, say experts.Taking a combination of opioids (strong prescription painkillers) and psychotropic medications (widely used to treat mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression) during […]
Doctors Still Overprescribing Opioids in US.medlineplus.gov. July 31, 2017. Nearly 92 million Americans used a powerful prescription painkiller in 2015, survey shows. More than one out of three average Americans used a prescription opioid painkiller in 2015, despite growing concerns these medicines are promoting widespread addiction and overdose deaths, a new federal study shows.Nearly 92 […]
7-Fold Spike Seen in Opioid-Linked Fatal Car Crashes. medlineplus.gov. July 31, 2017. Two decades of U.S. data show another way these prescription medications are taking lives.In yet another sign of just how deadly the U.S. opioid epidemic has become, researchers report a sevenfold increase in the number of drivers killed in car crashes while under […]
3 Simple Steps Might Reduce Opioid OD Deaths. medlineplus.gov. June 28, 2017. First step: Don’t give addicts a prescription for opioids or anti-anxiety medications, review recommends. In 2015, America’s opioid epidemic took the lives of more than 33,000 people, but three simple steps might cut that number by about a third, a new study suggests.Those […]
When Is an Opioid Safe to Take?medlineplus.gov. une 26, 2017. Doctors say it can treat intense pain, but patients should stay on the drug for shortest time possible.Many people in pain are apprehensive about taking an opioid painkiller to ease their suffering, and rightfully so.Widespread use of opioids for pain has led to an epidemic […]
As U.S. Heroin Use Reaches 20-Year High, Cost to Society Soars. By Robert Preidt. medlineplus.gov.* June 14, 2017. Tab is nearly $51,000 for each heroin user, far more than many chronic illnesses. Heroin use cost the United States more than $51 billion in 2015, a new study shows. The financial toll includes heroin-related crime and […]
Opioid Use by Iraq, Afghanistan War Vets Mirrors Rest of U.S.: Study. By Robert Preidt. medlineplus.gov. April 27, 2017. Researchers conclude that use of the painkillers is ‘an American problem,’ not a VA problem.U.S. veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars use opioid painkillers at rates similar to that of the general population, a new […]
Heroin Epidemic Expands Its Grip on America. medlineplus.gov. March 29, 2017.Use of the narcotic grew 5-fold in a decade, helped by scourge of prescription painkiller abuse.Heroin use in the United States jumped fivefold over a decade, and young, white males are the epidemic’s most likely victims, a new study finds. One addiction specialist blamed the […]