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More Americans are taking painkillers than ever. According to a report released by the Associated Press, retail sales of five major pain killers increased by 90 percent from 1995 to 2007. The biggest increase was seen in oxycodone, the main chemical used in the drug OxyContin. Of course any prescription drug carries a risk of side effects, but if you are one of the many taking OxyContin or other opioid painkillers, you may want to listen up.
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Experts Call for Stronger Educational Standards for Physicians in Preventing Prescription Drug Abuse
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December 29, 2010In the past three days, an estimated 6,000 teens began using a prescription drug without a prescription. Thousands of adults will get medications through illegal drugstores online, which numbered around 800,000 in 2007. Thousands more patients will receive prescriptions for controlled substances from their doctors, even though they have a history of abuse or may have serious mental illnesses that are undiagnosed or unrecognized by their doctor.
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Music Therapy Explored to Reduce Patient Reliance on Prescription Painkillers
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December 16, 2010Healthcare professionals and major hospitals in the U.S. are taking another look at a technique for patient rehabilitation with ancient roots – music therapy. While some hospitals may have tried art, drama or music therapy programs years ago, many cut these programs to try to reduce costs and in response to a push for managed healthcare.
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Youth in the United States have had the benefit of drug education through school programs beginning in elementary school. They are educated about street drugs, warned about addiction, side effects and the social fallout when a person becomes addicted. However, the trend of using prescription drugs for non-medical purposes has been increasingly popular among teens.
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Prescription medications can lend significant relief to patients truly in pain or suffering from chronic conditions. For others, these medications are the portal to addiction. According to a recent WBIR report, this addiction is driven largely by doctors’ efforts to address pain.
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New Regulations Mean Nursing Home Patients May Wait For Pain Prescriptions
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November 17, 2010A painkiller that used to be delivered to the room of a nursing home resident might now involve a call, a fax, or a wait period of several days. As the Drug Enforcement Agency escalates the War on Drugs, a recent New York Times articles says efforts to curb abuse of narcotic drugs are making it hard for some older adults who live in nursing homes to get prescriptions filled for pain medications.
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The number of available drugs offered over the counter provide ample opportunity for misuse of common pain relievers. Cough and cold medicine often contains pain relievers, and used in conjunction with ibuprofen, an individual may use well over the recommended daily dosage of a pain reliever. In addition, there is no regulation of sales of substances like ibuprofen, so misuse is a common risk.
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Understanding the use of drugs among all segments of the population is important for ensuring that the appropriate treatment options are available where they are needed. While most treatment center concentration is centered on urban areas, there are significant needs in rural communities as well.
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Companies in the United States have had the right to test employees for illegal drug use for years. In a landmark decision published twenty years ago, the US Supreme Court acknowledged the danger employees pose to the bottom line when under the influence of illicit or illegal drugs.
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Florida has a problem and it is evidenced by the numbers. In 2009, 1,185 people in the state died from ocycodone use; 39 deaths occurred within Volusia County; 13 deaths were claimed by Flagler County.
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Is it an overbroad generalization to declare that there is nothing some US companies won’t try to outsource in order to increase profit? I think not. Gone are the days of “Made in the USA”; instead, we could run around our houses, reading the labels on things bought at Walmart and Target and playing a modified version of the license plate game.
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Self-medicating is a process that has been around for generations. Whether the individual doesn’t want to see a doctor, can’t afford the visit or simply can’t find the time, the alternative is to treat an ailment to the best of his or her ability.
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The drug epidemic in this country is changing. It is no longer just a cocaine or heroin problem; now individuals are turning to the medicine cabinet to seek a high they previously thought was out of their reach. As a result, prescription drugs have become the new target for crime.
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Demerol is a common pain-relieving drug because it acts quickly – but like other narcotic drugs for pain relief, it should be administered carefully because it can become addictive, especially for people with prior problems with substance abuse.
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A Nationwide Prescription Monitoring Program Could Reduce “Cocktail” Overdoses: The Case of Anna Nicole Smith
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August 26, 2010While anyone can be susceptible to the overwhelming feelings that can accompany the pressures of life, not everyone deals with them in the same manner. Some may find solace in good exercise; others may find simplifying their life is the right means to a calm existence; still others will turn to the relief they feel with prescription medication. Although the latter approach can be part of important medical treatment, it can also put a life at risk when it goes unchecked or expands to include highly addictive, mood-altering drugs.
