Opioid Painkillers: FDA Now Requires ‘Black Box’ Warning
Drug overdose is the number one cause of accidental death in the United States, with an estimated 47,055 deaths from lethal overdoses in 2014. Opioids represent the bulk of these deaths, with 29,468 deaths (63%) due to prescription opioid painkillers or heroin. State and local governments have been scrambling to take action against opioid abuse […]
What is Naloxone & What is it Used For?
Millions of Americans are addicted to heroin or prescription opioid painkillers. Prolonged use of these drugs can lead to physical dependence, in which the body comes to rely on the presence of opioids to function normally. Naloxone hydrochloride has emerged as a major method of combating opioid abuse. The drug, which is commonly called naloxone, […]
Troubling Opioid Epidemic: ABC News Special Reports
Addiction is often described as a hidden illness because of the “hush hush” attitude surrounding its diagnosis and treatment. Despite the fact that 23.5 million Americans suffer from drug or alcohol abuse, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, stigma still prevents many of these individuals from getting the help they need. Opioid addiction […]
CDC Hopes to Prevent Opioid Dependence with New Guidelines
In the face of a growing opioid epidemic in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released new guidelines for prescribing opioids. The opioid abuse problem is multifaceted and complex. One piece of the problem is physicians overprescribing potent opioid painkillers for a range of conditions. The new CDC guidelines are […]
Heroin Injection Sites: Helping or Harming?
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, rates of heroin overdose have more than quadrupled since 1999. This sharp uptick in the heroin abuse problem in the United States has caused public health officials to notice. Suddenly, local and federal government officials are looking for ways to tackle the heroin addiction problem more seriously. […]
W-18: The Underground Opioid 100x Stronger Than Fentanyl
Opioids have been used for centuries for their analgesic and sedative properties. Some opioid compounds are found in nature, such as the opioid alkaloids found in poppy plants. In the past decades, however, pharmaceutical companies developed numerous types of synthetic opioids. Laboratory-derived opioids represent the bulk of prescriptions for opioid painkillers. Now, more and more […]
Opiate Addiction Prevention: Massachusetts Limits Prescriptions to 7 Days
It has been nearly 45 years since President Nixon declared the War on Drugs, but recent statistics suggest that the United States is losing battle after battle. Rates of opioid addiction are higher than ever, with the number of prescription medications being dispensed quadrupling since 1999. Deaths from heroin overdose are also on the rise. […]
90% of Opiate Overdose Survivors Receive Refills
The Rising Rates of Opiate Overdose Rates of opiate overdose have skyrocketed in the United States over the past few decades. Prescription painkillers are the leading cause of opioid misuse and overdose. In fact, emergency departments treat more than 7,000 people every single day because of misuse of prescription medications, reports the Centers for Disease […]
Is an Opiate Implant the Next Opiate Addiction Treatment?
The Naloxone and Buprenorphine Implant If you are reading this, and you or a family member is suffering with opiate abuse, know that you are certainly not alone. There are 1.9 million Americans living with an addiction to opioids and prescription drugs, according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, and other estimates put this […]
Opiate Withdrawal Symptoms Make Recovery Difficult
More than 2.1 million Americans suffer from addiction to prescription opioid painkillers, drugs such as Tramadol, Vicodin, and even Suboxone, which, like Methadone, is used to treat opiate addiction. Additionally, another 500,000 more suffer from heroin addiction. Only a fraction of people gets professional treatment for their condition. According to the National Institute on Drug […]
