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Headaches Take Soldiers Away From War
Posted 28 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Oct. 28 – Headaches are a leading reason for medical evacuation of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan and for the falling number of active-duty troops in those countries, a new study says. Neurological illness is one of the top three causes of non-combat-related loss of unit strength among U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and headaches are the most common neurological problem, according to the Johns Hopkins-led team of researchers. Post-concussion headaches and migraines are the most common forms of headache requiring evacuation, and physical trauma was the cause of nearly half of the debilitating headaches. Only one-third of troops who are sent home because of headaches return to duty in either place, the researchers found. They reviewed the medical records of all 985 military personnel who were medically evacuated from Iraq and Afghanistan between 2004 and 2009 with a ... Read more
Related support groups: Methadone, Headache, Oxycodone, OxyContin, Hydrocodone, Morphine, Fentanyl, Opana, Subutex, Codeine, Dilaudid, Opana ER, Roxicodone, MS Contin, Nucynta
Accidental Medication Poisonings in Kids on the Rise
Posted 16 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Sept. 16 – Despite ongoing prevention efforts, a growing number of young children are being accidentally poisoned with medications, according to new research. The study, which was based on data reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers between 2001 and 2008, found that medication poisoning among children aged 5 and under increased by 22 percent, although the number of children in the United States in this age group rose by only 8 percent during the study period. "The problem of pediatric poisoning in the U.S. is getting worse, not better," Dr. Randall Bond, of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, said in a hospital news release. In conducting the study, which is scheduled for publication in the Journal of Pediatrics, the researchers reviewed information on over 544,000 children who landed in the emergency department due to medication poisoning ... Read more
Related support groups: Suboxone, Xanax, Methadone, Oxycodone, Percocet, OxyContin, Hydrocodone, Vicodin, Morphine, Klonopin, Norco, Lisinopril, Fentanyl, Lortab, Ambien
Over Half of Adverse Drug Reactions in Hospitals Are Preventable: Study
Posted 9 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Sept. 9 – More than one-half of all adverse drug reactions treated in hospitals and emergency care are preventable, according to a new study. In addition, prior research has shown that many preventable drug reactions – which include drug overdoses and internal bleeding associated with the improper use of blood thinners and painkillers – are life-threatening, said the Swedish researchers. This widespread problem, which is even more common among the elderly, has important implications for health care systems, they said. There are many reasons for the high numbers of preventable adverse drug reactions, according to Katja Hakkarainen, a pharmacist from the Nordic School of Public Health, Gothenburg. These may include "poor coordination of care, lack of time and knowledge among health professionals, and lack of patient education," she said in an International Pharmaceutical ... Read more
Related support groups: Suboxone, Methadone, Oxycodone, Percocet, OxyContin, Hydrocodone, Vicodin, Morphine, Norco, Fentanyl, Lortab, Tylenol, Opana, Subutex, Codeine
When Teens Abuse Prescriptions, Addiction Often Follows
Posted 1 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Aug. 1 – More than one in five teens who have been prescribed a controlled medication such as Oxycontin for pain or Ritalin to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are misusing the drugs, a new study has found. And these kids are more likely than others to abuse other substances and to start giving or selling drugs to their peers, the researchers said. Still, it's important to remember that most kids do take their medications as prescribed, the team added. "The fact that we can now say the majority of secondary school kids who are prescribed opioids and other controlled medications [do not abuse then] is important because the field doesn't want to go back to having so much fear associated with these medications that we then underprescribe them," stressed Sean Esteban McCabe, lead author of a study on teens and controlled medications appearing in the August issue of ... Read more
Related support groups: Pain, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), OxyContin, Opiate Dependence, Ritalin, Substance Abuse
Long-Term Opioid Therapy Often Leads to Addiction
Posted 29 Jul 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, July 29 – Addiction to prescription drugs is common among patients with chronic pain, with 35 percent of patients receiving long-term treatment with opioids now meeting the criteria for addiction, a new study has found. In conducting the research, published in the July issue of the Journal of Addictive Diseases, researchers interviewed 705 people undergoing long-term opioid therapy for non-cancer pain between August 2007 and November 2008. The study found that addiction to prescription pain medication – such as morphine, OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin – happens often among those with the following risk factors: younger than 65; a history of opioid abuse; withdrawal symptoms; and substance abuse treatment. Anti-social personality disorder, the researchers noted, is another risk factor for this type of addiction. Moreover, even after the American Psychiatric Association ... Read more
Related support groups: Pain, Suboxone, Methadone, Oxycodone, Percocet, OxyContin, Hydrocodone, Vicodin, Opiate Dependence, Morphine, Norco, Fentanyl, Lortab, Opana, Subutex
Surge in Number of Americans Treated for Prescription Painkiller Abuse
Posted 23 Jun 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, June 23 – Rehab admissions related to alcohol, opiates (including prescription painkillers) and marijuana increased in the United States between 1999 and 2009, according to a new national report. However, fewer people sought treatment for problems with cocaine and methamphetamine or amphetamines, the researchers noted. One of the most staggering increases over the 10-year study period: opiate admissions, mostly due to use of prescription opioids, which include painkillers such as oxycodone (Oxycontin) or Vicodin (hydrocodone). The findings showed that 96 percent of the nearly 2 million admissions to treatment facilities that occurred in 2009 were related to alcohol (42 percent), opiates (21 percent), marijuana (18 percent), cocaine (9 percent) and methamphetamine/amphetamines (6 percent). The report from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ... Read more
Related support groups: Pain, Suboxone, Methadone, Oxycodone, Percocet, OxyContin, Adderall, Hydrocodone, Vicodin, Morphine, Norco, Fentanyl, Lortab, Subutex, Codeine
FDA Looks to Crack Down on Misuse of Opioid Painkillers
Posted 19 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, April 19 – U.S. health officials unveiled Tuesday a new plan to try to curb misuse of extended-release and long-acting opioid pain killers such as OxyContin, morphine and methadone. The new Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) is part of a larger multi-agency initiative announced Tuesday by the White House to reduce overall prescription drug abuse in the United States. "This new REMS will provide tools to doctors and other prescribers for appropriate pain management to reduce risks and at the same time preserve access for patients and appropriate management of pain for those suffering from moderate to severe pain," said Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the agency that launched the new program. For now, the initiative will be limited to extended-release and long-acting products, ... Read more
Related support groups: Suboxone, Methadone, Oxycodone, Percocet, OxyContin, Hydrocodone, Vicodin, Morphine, Norco, Fentanyl, Lortab, Opana, Subutex, Codeine, Dilaudid
Patients on Higher Doses of Prescription Painkillers More Apt to Overdose
Posted 6 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, April 5 – Patients who are prescribed higher doses of opioid painkiller drugs (such as Oxycontin or Vicodin) are at increased risk of death from overdose than those given lower doses, a new study finds. In fact, the study, published in the April 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, found no increased risk for patients who take opioid painkillers both as-needed and as regularly scheduled doses. "Between 1999 and 2007, the rate of unintentional overdose death in the United States increased by 124 percent, largely because of increases in prescription opioid overdoses," wrote Amy S.B. Bohnert of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Ann Arbor, Mich., and colleagues in a journal news release. "Achieving a better understanding of the factors contributing to prescription opioid overdose death is an essential step toward addressing this troubling and dramatic ... Read more
Related support groups: Suboxone, Methadone, Oxycodone, Percocet, OxyContin, Hydrocodone, Vicodin, Morphine, Norco, Fentanyl, Lortab, Opana, Subutex, Codeine, Dilaudid
Follow-Up Deemed Lacking for People Taking Opioids
Posted 10 Mar 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, March 9 – Though opioid painkillers, such as oxycodone, can lead to addiction and overdose, people who take them are frequently not tracked by the primary care doctors who prescribed the drugs, a new study has found. "Our study highlights a missed opportunity for identifying and reducing misuse of prescribed opioids in primary care settings," the study's lead author, Dr. Joanna Starrels, an assistant professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, said in a college news release. "The finding that doctors did not increase precautions for patients at highest risk for opioid misuse should be a call for a standardized approach to monitoring," Starrels said. The researchers studied the records of more than 1,600 people who took prescription opioids for chronic pain for an average of two years. Ideally, such patients would have regular urine drug tests, ... Read more
Related support groups: Suboxone, Methadone, Oxycodone, Percocet, OxyContin, Hydrocodone, Vicodin, Morphine, Norco, Fentanyl, Lortab, Opana, Subutex, Codeine, Dilaudid
Study Finds Third of Cancer Patients on Opioids Are Confused
Posted 3 Mar 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, March 3 – About a third of cancer patients taking opioid painkillers experience cognitive problems such as confusion, disorientation and forgetfulness, a new study finds. Research analyzing 1,915 cancer patients from 17 health-care centers around Europe indicated that 32.9 percent on high-strength opioid drugs such as morphine scored lower on observer-rated mental tests measuring orientation to time and place, attention and word recall, among other skills. Patients with lung cancer were nearly 50 percent more likely to experience cognitive problems, which researchers attributed to the symptom load involved in their diagnosis. But study author Geana P. Kurita cautioned that the association between opioid use and poor mental function does not prove that painkillers cause the problem. "The design allows us to analyze the potential factors that can interfere with cognitive ... Read more
Related support groups: Suboxone, Methadone, Oxycodone, Percocet, OxyContin, Hydrocodone, Vicodin, Cancer, Morphine, Norco, Fentanyl, Lortab, Opana, Subutex, Codeine
CDC Links Prescription Painkillers in Pregnancy to Birth Defects
Posted 2 Mar 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, March 2 – Moms-to-be who take prescription opioid painkillers such as codeine, hydrocodone or oxycodone (Oxycontin) may increase the risk of birth defects in their newborns, according to a new U.S. government report. Taking these types of analgesics just prior to pregnancy or in the early stages of pregnancy was linked to a modest risk of congenital heart defects in an ongoing population study, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The risk for spina bifida, hydrocephaly, congenital glaucoma and gastroschisis was also heightened, the report said. "Women who are pregnant, or thinking about becoming pregnant, should know there are risks associated with using prescription painkillers," said CDC Director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, in an agency news release. "They should only take medications that are essential, in consultation with their health care ... Read more
Related support groups: Oxycodone, Percocet, OxyContin, Hydrocodone, Vicodin, Norco, Lortab, Codeine, Roxicodone, Endocet, Cheratussin AC, Hydromet, Vicoprofen, Tylenol with Codeine, Tussionex Pennkinetic
Retired NFL Players More Likely to Take Painkillers
Posted 31 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Jan. 28 – Retired professional football players use opioid painkiller drugs four times more than people in the general U.S. population, a new study shows. Researchers asked 644 former NFL players who retired between 1979 and 2006 about their overall health, level of pain, history of injuries and concussions, and use of prescription pain drugs. Seven percent of the retired players said they were currently taking opioid painkillers, which include morphine, Vicodin, codeine and oxycodone, said the researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "We asked about medications they used during their playing careers and whether they used the drugs as prescribed or whether they had ever taken them in a different way or for different reasons," principal investigator Linda B. Cottler, a professor of epidemiology in psychiatry, said in a university news release. "More ... Read more
Related support groups: Pain, Methadone, Oxycodone, OxyContin, Hydrocodone, Morphine, Fentanyl, Opana, Subutex, Codeine, Dilaudid, Opana ER, Roxicodone, MS Contin, Nucynta
Oxycontin, Other Opioid Painkillers Tied to Higher Health Risks
Posted 13 Dec 2010 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Dec. 13 – Two new studies suggest that Medicare patients who take opioid painkillers such as codeine, Vicodin or Oxycontin face higher health risks, including death, heart problems or fractures, compared to those taking non-opioid analgesics. However, it's not clear if the painkillers are directly responsible for the differences in risk, experts said, and other factors could play a role. And one pain specialist who's familiar with the findings said they don't reflect the experiences of doctors who've prescribed the drugs. In one study, researchers examined a database of Medicare recipients in two states who were prescribed one of five kinds of opiod painkillers from 1996-2005. They looked at almost 6,300 patients who took one of these five painkillers: codeine phosphate, hydrocodone bitartrate (best known in its Vicodin form), oxycodone hydrochloride (Oxycontin), propoxyphene ... Read more
Related support groups: Oxycodone, Tramadol, Percocet, OxyContin, Hydrocodone, Vicodin, Norco, Lortab, Codeine, Ultram, Roxicodone, Darvocet-N 100, Endocet, Cheratussin AC, Hydromet
Prescriptions for Stimulants, Painkillers Soaring Among Youth
Posted 30 Nov 2010 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Nov. 30 – The number of prescriptions for controlled medications such as opioids and stimulants has nearly doubled in adolescents and young adults since 1994. The trend, reported in the December issue of Pediatrics, mirrors a similar increase in misuse of these drugs, with adolescents and young adults' illicit use of prescription drugs now outstripping all other illicit drug use except marijuana. The researchers couldn't attribute the increased misuse directly to more prescriptions, but did urge both physicians and patients to be vigilant when considering the use of drugs such as Oxycontin or Ritalin. "Our study did not look at the relationship between prescribing and misuse, but the increased prescribing increases the potential availability [of these drugs]," said study author Dr. Robert Fortuna, an assistant professor of internal medicine and pediatrics at the University of ... Read more
Related support groups: Suboxone, Methadone, Oxycodone, Percocet, OxyContin, Adderall, Hydrocodone, Vicodin, Morphine, Norco, Fentanyl, Lortab, Phentermine, Opana, Subutex
Study Identifies Risks for Painkiller Addiction
Posted 2 Sep 2010 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Sept. 2 – The mystery of why some people are more likely to become addicted to opioid painkillers has been partially unraveled by the Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania. Its researchers found that the group most vulnerable to addiction has four main risk factors in common: age (being younger than 65); a history of depression; prior drug abuse; and using psychiatric medications. Painkiller addiction rates among patients with these factors are as high as 26 percent. For the study, they interviewed and analyzed DNA from 705 patients with back pain who were prescribed opioid painkillers – a class that includes such narcotics as morphine and codeine – for more than 90 days. The researchers also studied a gene on chromosome 15 that has been linked with alcohol, cocaine and nicotine addiction. The data suggested that DNA mutations on a gene cluster on chromosome 15 may also ... Read more
Related support groups: Suboxone, Methadone, Oxycodone, Percocet, OxyContin, Hydrocodone, Vicodin, Opiate Dependence, Morphine, Norco, Fentanyl, Lortab, Opana, Subutex, Codeine
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