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 […]
The Powerful Impact of Gut Health on Anxiety and Emotion
Would you be surprised to learn that you actually have two brains? One is the brain inside of your head, but the location of the other may come as a surprise: the gut. Although not a brain in the technical sense of the word, your gut is home to millions of neurons. These form rich […]
Draft CDC Guidelines on Prescribing Opioids has Patients Worried
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been at the center of a controversy brewing over updated prescribing guidelines for physicians. The CDC guidelines offer recommendations for primary care physicians who prescribe opioid painkillers to patients with chronic pain problems. This has been an area of concern for the CDC and other national […]
