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Seniors Taking Multiple Prescriptions Are at Risk for Prescription Drug Abuse
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November 22, 2011Over a 10-year period, from 1997-2008, prescription medications and illicit drug use increased by 96 percent for those aged 65 to 85 and by 87 percent for seniors over 85, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Continue Reading
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The increase in deaths related to prescription opioid therapy has prompted clinicians, regulators, and patient advocates to better understand the causes behind them. Continue Reading
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It is common knowledge that pain killers tend to be some of the most abused prescription medications available today. Opioids, specifically are some of the worst with regard to habit formation, leading to addiction. Opioids are part of a group of pain killers that include the likes of Vicodin, OxyContin, and Percocet that work by suppressing the perception of pain in the central nervous system. Recipients develop an increased pain tolerance. The drugs also produce a sense of euphoria that lends itself to dependency.
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At some point following treatment for substance abuse or co-occurring mental health disorder, whether it’s a few months or years afterward, there may be a time when you are ready to wean off prescribed medication. Of course, you’ll only do so under the direction and monitoring of your doctor, but when the time comes, you’ll want to take appropriate action to safely dispose of all those post-treatment medications.
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Hospital Admissions for Drug-Related Conditions Increase Among Middle-Aged People
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November 4, 2010Hospital admissions for adverse drug reactions have doubled between 1997 and 2008, according to a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
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FDA Cracks Down on Online Sales and Distribution of Illegal Prescription Drugs
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October 18, 2010In an effort to curtail the online sale and distribution of counterfeit and illicit prescription medications to Americans, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) participated in a week-long sweep of illegal manufacturers, suppliers, and businesses worldwide that promote and profit from false pharmaceutical and medical products.
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While the level of illicit substance abuse among active servicemembers in the U.S. military has remained relatively steady over the years, misuse of prescription drugs and other legal substances has been on the rise, according to the U.S. Department of Defense’s Health Promotion and Preventative Services Policy.
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DEA’s Prescription Drug Take-Back Campaign Collects Tons of Prescription Medications
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October 1, 2010The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Prescription Drug Take-Back campaign successfully accumulated tens of thousands of pounds in returned prescription drugs across the U.S. in a single day.
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Director of the Office on National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Gil Kerlikowske spoke before the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse on Wednesday, September 22, calling the nation’s prescription drug abuse epidemic a public health problem that “crosses all party lines, income levels, and races.”
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A new study showed that Vivitrol, a drug designed to help recovering alcoholics wean themselves off alcohol, can also be helpful in treating people who are addicted to opioid painkillers, such as Vicodin and OxyContin. However, the Food and Drug Administration recommends that more research be conducted, as the small study involved patients who were somewhat different than the target audience. The agency said they would ask a panel of outside experts whether this study was enough positive evidence to allow the wider use of Vivitrol.
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U.S. Attorney General Discusses Opiate Drug Abuse with Vermont Officials
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September 14, 2010U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was one of hundreds of attendants at Vermont’s Opiate Abuse Conference held September 10 at the Statehouse, where he spoke on what he called “one of the greatest public safety and public health epidemics of our time: opiate drug abuse.”
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Several factors can contribute to developing an addiction, and researchers have come closer to solving the mystery of why some people become addicts and others don’t.
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A new research study from University at Buffalo found that 31 out of 75 patients hospitalized for opioid abuse said they became addicted to drugs that were prescribed by their doctor to treat pain. Twenty-four patients said they started using a friends’ leftover pills or stole from someone else. The other 20 patients said they became addicted to drugs they bought on the street. 92 percent of the patients ended up buying heroin and other drugs off the street, as they are easier to obtain and cheaper than prescription drugs.
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With prescription drug abuse on the rise, more states are taking extra measures to protect the public. As of July 2010, 44 states have either an operational prescription drug monitoring program (PMP) or have enacted legislation for a PMP. Some states have also implemented prescription drug mail-back programs, in which residents can return unused prescription medications to authorities using free return envelopes from their pharmacies. Now, several counties nationwide are making prescription lock boxes available to consumers so patients can prevent prescription drug abuse from happening in their own home.
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In an attempt to curb “doctor shopping,” or going from doctor to doctor in search of multiple prescriptions for dangerously addictive medication, Massachusetts health officials have approved a plan that will give doctors and pharmacists access to an online database that keeps track of patients’ prescriptions.
