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Opioid Overdose Prevention Programs Save Lives
Category: News Tags: painkiller abuse, prescription drug abuse prevention, prescription drug overdose
Opioid overdose prevention programs (OOPPs) are organized, community-centered efforts designed to decrease the chances that people who abuse opioid narcotic drugs or medications will die of an overdose. These programs have gained increasing popularity across the U.S., partly in response to the fairly common abuse of prescription opioids and rising rates for heroin use. In a study review published in June 2014 in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, researchers from the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine used a large-scale analysis to assess the effectiveness of OOPPs in preventing narcotics overdoses. These researchers concluded that opioid overdose prevention programs typically work well when their members receive proper training.
Young Male Athletes at Increased Risk for Drug Abuse
Category: News Tags: athletes, painkiller abuse
Studies have shown how participating in organized sports can yield many benefits to adolescents, including protecting them against drug or alcohol abuse. However, a study conducted by researchers at the Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWG) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, suggests that sports injuries associated with high school athletics may mean that taking part in these sports increases the risk of prescription drug abuse and addiction. The study was published in the March 2014 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.
The Prescription Drug Problem at the Heart of the Heroin Problem
Category: News Tags: painkiller abuse
Unlocked medicine cabinets are closely tied to the increase in heroin use documented in the United States. When prescription medications become too hard to come by, heroin is the cheap alternative that produces a similar high. An article documents case after heartbreaking case of teens that became hooked on prescription opioids and then switched to heroin.
Legitimate Opioid Prescriptions Can Be First Step on Road to Drug Addiction
Category: Facts Tags: painkiller abuse, prescription drug abuse prevention
Most Americans are all too familiar with the brand names of powerful prescription painkillers. Drugs like Percocet, Dilaudid, OxyContin and Vicodin are so well known that patients frequently ask for them by name. Many patients facing discomfort will do whatever it takes and consume whatever they can get in order to avoid more pain. Our nation constitutes just five percent of the world’s population, yet we consume 80 percent of all opioids.
Electronic Pill Dispenser Works Only on Doctor’s Order
Category: News Tags: ADHD medication abuse, painkiller abuse, prescription drug abuse prevention
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health revealed that in 2009, one third of Americans aged 12 and over who abused drugs for the first time started by using prescription drugs non-medically. The prescription drug problem in the U.S. has been referred to as an epidemic, and numerous efforts are currently underway to combat the issue. A novel approach has emerged from Brigham Young University involving electronic pill dispensers, which allow access to medication only at times pre-approved by a doctor. This offers new hope in the fight against prescription drug abuse, tackling the problems of overly frequent dosing and other family members having access to the medicine with a simple dispensing mechanism.
Children as Young as 12 Addicted to Both Pain Meds and Benzodiazepine
Category: News Tags: painkiller abuse
On their own, narcotic pain medications can be highly addictive; when used in combination with the medication benzodiazepine it becomes worse. Reports say the numbers of people seeking addiction treatment for these medications have grown exponentially – more than 560 percent during between 2000 and 2010.