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Related terms: Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction, Opiate Addiction
Opioid-Linked Hospitalizations Rising Fastest for Women: Study
Posted 6 days ago by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, June 21, 2017 – Opioid-related hospitalizations among women in the United States increased far faster than among men between 2005 and 2014, a federal government report says. Among women, hospitalizations involving opioid painkillers or heroin rose 75 percent, compared to 55 percent among men, according to the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The surge among women during that 10-year period meant that by 2014 males and females were being hospitalized at a similar rate – about 225 hospitalizations per 100,000 people. "As the report makes clear, over the past decade, opioid abuse has affected both sexes and all age groups. The crisis, however, looks different in different places," AHRQ Director Gopal Khanna noted in an agency news release. In 2014, hospitalization rates among women were highest in West Virginia, Maryland and Massachusetts, exceeding 350 ... Read more
Related support groups: Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Percocet, OxyContin, Vicodin, Norco, Opiate Dependence, Lortab, Opiate Withdrawal, Roxicodone, Drug Dependence, Endocet, Acetaminophen/Hydrocodone, Percocet 10/325, Vicoprofen, Substance Abuse, Acetaminophen/Oxycodone, Hydromet, Roxicet, Tussionex Pennkinetic
Cocaine, Other Drugs Detected in Carrie Fisher's System After Her Death
Posted 7 days ago by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, June 20, 2017 – Autopsy results reveal that a cocktail of illicit drugs was in actress Carrie Fisher's system after her death on Dec. 27, but it remains unclear what role they may have played in her death. The autopsy report released Monday says Fisher, who died at 60, may have taken cocaine on Dec. 20, three days before she became ill on a Dec. 23 flight from London to Los Angeles, the Associated Press reported. Fisher died four days later at UCLA Medical Center, in Los Angeles. According to the autopsy results, traces of other illicit drugs – including heroin, other opiates and MDMA (ecstasy) – were found in Fisher's system, but it wasn't clear when they had been ingested. The findings were based on toxicology tests done when the actress was first admitted to a Los Angeles hospital, the AP said. As for the official cause of death, the report says the "Star Wars" actress ... Read more
Related support groups: Opiate Dependence, Opiate Withdrawal, Heroin, Drug Dependence, Substance Abuse, Toxic Reactions Incl Drug and Substance Abuse, Substance Abuse - Cocaine, C-Topical Solution
Opioid Abuse Jumps 6-Fold for U.S. Youth, Too Few Get Treated: Study
Posted 8 days ago by Drugs.com
MONDAY, June 19, 2017 – The rate of opioid addiction among Americans age 25 and under rose nearly sixfold from 2001 to 2014. But few young addicts get medical treatment that might prevent overdose or relapse, a new study finds. Only about 27 percent of youths treated for addiction to prescription painkillers or heroin receive either buprenorphine or naltrexone, two recommended anti-addiction medications, researchers reported. "These medications are considered the evidence-based standard of care for opioid addiction by the American Academy of Pediatrics," said lead researcher Dr. Scott Hadland. He's an assistant professor of pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine. Buprenorphine (Buprenex, Suboxone) has been shown to reduce cravings, while naltrexone (Revia, Vivitrol) blocks the high from opioids, he said. The most effective treatment includes medication plus counseling to ... Read more
Related support groups: Suboxone, Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Percocet, OxyContin, Vicodin, Norco, Opiate Dependence, Lortab, Subutex, Contrave, Heroin, Roxicodone, Drug Dependence, Butrans, Buprenorphine, Naltrexone, Endocet, Acetaminophen/Hydrocodone, Percocet 10/325
Addicts Try to Avoid Deadly Fentanyl, But Many Tragically Fail
Posted 11 days ago by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, June 16, 2017 – New research suggests that more than half of all drug overdose deaths may be caused by the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl. But most opioid addicts are not actively seeking out the potentially lethal painkiller. Instead, they're terrified by the increasing contamination of the illicit drug supply by fentanyl, investigators said. "I never found the idea that fentanyl was some sort of honeypot that people were scrambling to get hold of very compelling," said study author Jennifer Carroll, a medical anthropologist at Brown University's Warren Alpert Medical School in Providence, R.I. "I hope we can begin chipping away at the narrative that the opioid crisis is driven by people chasing some sort of ultimate high. That's an idea that has never matched reality." Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illicit drug heroin as well as prescription pain relievers ... Read more
Related support groups: Fentanyl, Opiate Dependence, Opiate Withdrawal, Heroin, Drug Dependence, Duragesic, Substance Abuse, Poisoning, Actiq, Fentora, Duragesic-100, Toxic Reactions Incl Drug and Substance Abuse, Subsys, Duragesic-25, Fentanyl Transdermal, Substance Abuse - Cocaine, Duragesic-50, Fentanyl/Ropivacaine, Duragesic-12, Abstral
Medical Costs Soar for U.S. Babies Born Addicted to Opioids
Posted 12 days ago by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, June 15, 2017 – The number of U.S. newborns hospitalized for opiate withdrawal has spiked sharply in recent years – and so has the cost of treating them, a new study shows. In fact, the national bill for caring for these fragile newborns now runs in the hundreds of millions of dollars, the study found. Researchers have known that the U.S. epidemic of painkiller abuse is extending to infants. Recent studies have charted a steep rise in so-called neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), the researchers said. Most often, newborns suffer the condition because their mother took opioid painkillers – such as OxyContin or Vicodin – during pregnancy. Babies are born dependent on the drugs and quickly develop withdrawal symptoms. That can mean a host of problems, from tremors and seizures, to breathing difficulty, to diarrhea and poor feeding. Last year, a federal study found that the ... Read more
Related support groups: Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Tramadol, Methadone, OxyContin, Vicodin, Fentanyl, Opiate Dependence, Morphine, Codeine, Opiate Withdrawal, Opana, Subutex, Dilaudid, Opana ER, Roxicodone, MS Contin, Drug Dependence, Butrans, Ultram
As U.S. Heroin Use Reaches 20-Year High, Cost to Society Soars
Posted 13 days ago by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, June 14, 2017 – Heroin use cost the United States more than $51 billion in 2015, a new study shows. The financial toll includes heroin-related crime and imprisonment. It also includes treatment for addiction as well as chronic infectious diseases contracted through heroin abuse (such as HIV, hepatitis B and C, and tuberculosis), according to researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago. The total also includes the cost of treating newborns with heroin-related medical conditions; lost productivity on the job and overdose deaths, the researchers said. "The opioid crisis didn't happen overnight," said study co-author Ruixuan Jiang, a pharmacoeconomist at UIC. In a university news release, she said the number of U.S. heroin users doubled from 2000 to 2013. Study co-author Simon Pickard, a professor of pharmacy systems, has been tracking the rise in heroin use for ... Read more
Related support groups: Opiate Dependence, Opiate Withdrawal, Heroin, HIV Infection, Drug Dependence, Hepatitis B, Tuberculosis, Substance Abuse, Toxic Reactions Incl Drug and Substance Abuse, Substance Abuse - Cocaine
Nearly 10 Million U.S. Adults Suffer From Mental Illness
Posted 15 days ago by Drugs.com
MONDAY, June 12, 2017 – Nearly 10 million American adults have a serious mental illness, and a similar number have considered suicide during the past year, according to a new government report on the nation's behavioral ills. The report also said that 15.7 million Americans abuse alcohol and 7.7 million abuse illicit drugs. The nation's growing opioid epidemic was also a focus in the report. The researchers found that 12.5 million people are estimated to have misused prescription painkillers such as oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet) or hydrocodone (Vicoprofen). Despite the growing number of Americans with mental health problems, about a third of those who need help aren't getting it, said researcher Dr. Beth Han. She's from the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality at the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). "These are real increases," ... Read more
Related support groups: Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Percocet, OxyContin, Vicodin, Norco, Opiate Dependence, Lortab, Opiate Withdrawal, Smoking, Roxicodone, Drug Dependence, Alcohol Dependence, Endocet, Acetaminophen/Hydrocodone, Alcoholism, Percocet 10/325, Vicoprofen, Substance Abuse, Hangover
FDA Asks Maker of Opioid Painkiller Opana ER to Pull Drug From Market
Posted 18 days ago by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, June 9, 2017 – Sales of reformulated Opana ER, a prescription opioid painkiller, should be halted in the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says. In its request Thursday for Endo Pharmaceuticals to voluntarily withdraw the drug, the FDA said the benefits of the drug may no longer outweigh the risk of abuse. It's the first time the FDA has moved to take an opioid pain medication off the market due to the public health threat of abuse. The FDA's analysis of data gathered after the drug was approved showed that injection abuse of reformulated Opana ER (oxymorphone hydrochloride) was linked with a serious outbreak of HIV and hepatitis C, as well as cases of a serious blood disorder called thrombotic microangiopathy. In March 2017, an FDA advisory committee concluded that the benefits of reformulated Opana ER no longer outweigh its risks. "We are facing an opioid ... Read more
Related support groups: Opiate Dependence, Opana, Opana ER, Drug Dependence, Substance Abuse, Toxic Reactions Incl Drug and Substance Abuse
FDA Requests Removal of Opana ER for Risks Related to Abuse
Posted 19 days ago by Drugs.com
June 8, 2017 – Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requested that Endo Pharmaceuticals remove its opioid pain medication, reformulated Opana ER (oxymorphone hydrochloride), from the market. After careful consideration, the agency is seeking removal based on its concern that the benefits of the drug may no longer outweigh its risks. This is the first time the agency has taken steps to remove a currently marketed opioid pain medication from sale due to the public health consequences of abuse. “We are facing an opioid epidemic – a public health crisis, and we must take all necessary steps to reduce the scope of opioid misuse and abuse,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. “We will continue to take regulatory steps when we see situations where an opioid product’s risks outweigh its benefits, not only for its intended patient population but also in regard to its potential fo ... Read more
Related support groups: Opiate Dependence, Opiate Withdrawal, Opana, Opana ER, Drug Dependence, Oxymorphone, Substance Abuse, Toxic Reactions Incl Drug and Substance Abuse, Numorphan, Numorphan HCl
Heart Infections Spike as Injection-Drug Abuse Climbs: CDC
Posted 19 days ago by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, June 8, 2017 – There's another alarming consequence to America's heroin and prescription painkiller epidemic: an increase in a serious heart infection called endocarditis, U.S. health officials report. Young, white injection drug users in rural areas are increasingly being hospitalized with both drug dependence and endocarditis, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. "Endocarditis, or infection of the valves of the heart, due to needle sharing has been on the rise; and the rise has been directly associated with the increase in opioid use in the United States," said Dr. Satjit Bhusri, a cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. He wasn't involved in the current research, but reviewed the study's findings. Bhusri explained that sharing unclean needles can introduce bacteria into the body. Those bacteria, he said, "have an attraction to grow on ... Read more
Related support groups: Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Tramadol, Percocet, Methadone, OxyContin, Vicodin, Norco, Fentanyl, Opiate Dependence, Morphine, Codeine, Lortab, Opana, Subutex, Dilaudid, Heroin, Opana ER, Roxicodone, MS Contin
Vaccine Blocks Drug Heroin High in Tests on Monkeys
Posted 20 days ago by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, June 7, 2017 – A vaccine designed to block a heroin "high" worked in monkeys, which could open the door to human clinical trials, researchers say. This is the first vaccine against an opioid proved to be effective at this stage of testing, according to the development team at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. The vaccine already worked in rodents. For the new trial, four rhesus monkeys given three doses of the vaccine had an effective immune response that neutralized varying doses of heroin. The effect was strongest in the first month but lasted more than eight months after vaccination. It caused no adverse side effects, according to the researchers. The study was published June 2 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. "We believe this vaccine candidate will prove safe for human trials," study leader Kim Janda said in a Scripps news release. Janda ... Read more
Related support groups: Opiate Dependence, Heroin, Drug Dependence, Substance Abuse, Toxic Reactions Incl Drug and Substance Abuse, Vaccination and Prophlaxis
Elite High Schools Breed Higher Risk of Addiction: Study
Posted 1 Jun 2017 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, May 31, 2017 – Privilege doesn't necessarily offer protection from drug addiction, new research suggests. Teens at elite U.S. high schools seem to face a higher risk of addiction as young adults, the study found. "We found alarmingly high rates of substance abuse among young adults who we initially studied as teenagers," said study author Suniya Luthar, a professor of psychology at Arizona State University. "Results showed that among both men and women and across annual assessments, these young adults had substantial elevations, relative to national norms, in frequency of several indicators – drinking to intoxication and of using marijuana, stimulants such as Adderall, cocaine, and club drugs such as ecstasy," she said in a university news release. The study included more than 500 students from affluent communities in the Northeast. They were assessed when they were high ... Read more
Related support groups: Anxiety, Anxiety and Stress, Opiate Dependence, Drug Dependence, Substance Abuse, Toxic Reactions Incl Drug and Substance Abuse, Acute Alcohol Intoxication
Did a 1980 Letter Help Spark the U.S. Opioid Crisis?
Posted 31 May 2017 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, May 31, 2017 – Today's U.S. opioid epidemic is rooted in a 1980 letter to a medical journal that played down the potential for painkiller addiction, a new report states. The 101-word letter, written by Boston University Medical Center researchers, asserted that "despite widespread use of narcotic drugs in hospitals, the development of addiction is rare in medical patients with no history of addiction." That single letter – published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine – went on to be cited in hundreds of later scholarly articles as supporting evidence that long-term use of narcotic painkillers rarely caused addiction, said Dr. David Juurlink. He is a scientist with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center in Toronto, Ontario. "The surge in opioid prescribing we have seen over the last 20 years is due in no small measure to doctors being reassured about the safety ... Read more
Related support groups: Pain, Oxycodone, Back Pain, Hydrocodone, Percocet, OxyContin, Vicodin, Norco, Opiate Dependence, Lortab, Opiate Withdrawal, Roxicodone, Drug Dependence, Endocet, Acetaminophen/Hydrocodone, Percocet 10/325, Vicoprofen, Substance Abuse, Acetaminophen/Oxycodone, Hydromet
New FDA Head Outlines 'Forceful Steps' Against Opioid Crisis
Posted 23 May 2017 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, May 23, 2017 – The new U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner has called on senior agency officers to develop "more forceful steps" to control the U.S. opioid epidemic. On Tuesday, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, President Trump's pick for the agency, announced the formation of an opioid policy steering committee to explore and develop additional approaches to confront the crisis. One solution, he said, is to cut back on unnecessarily prolonged painkiller use. Longer use increases the risk of opioid addiction. "The majority of people who eventually become addicted to opioids are exposed first to prescription opioids," Gottlieb said in a blog post on the FDA site. Misuse of potent painkillers such as OxyContin (oxycodone) and Vicoprofen (hydrocodone/ibuprofen) sends 1,000 Americans to emergency rooms each day. Opioid-related overdose deaths have quadrupled since 1999, he said. ... Read more
Related support groups: Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Tramadol, Percocet, Methadone, OxyContin, Vicodin, Norco, Fentanyl, Opiate Dependence, Morphine, Codeine, Lortab, Opiate Withdrawal, Opana, Subutex, Dilaudid, Heroin, Opana ER, Roxicodone
Checking Patient's Drug History May Help Curb Opioid Abuse
Posted 23 May 2017 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, May 23, 2017 – Doctors can help stem the U.S. opioid epidemic by checking their patients' drug history before prescribing powerful painkillers, a new study suggests. Addicts frequently "doctor-shop" in an attempt to obtain opioids such as OxyContin (oxycodone), Percocet (oxycodone/acetaminophen) and Vicodin (hydrocodone/acetaminophen). But, nearly every state now has a database tracking opioid prescriptions, Cornell University researchers said. Doctors can use these databases to check their patients' past prescriptions and identify likely drug abusers. "The main issue is getting providers to change their prescribing behavior. The majority of opioids that people abuse start in the medical system as a legitimate prescription," said study co-author Colleen Carey. She's an assistant professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell's College of Human Ecology in Ithaca, N.Y. ... Read more
Related support groups: Pain, Oxycodone, Back Pain, Hydrocodone, Percocet, OxyContin, Vicodin, Norco, Opiate Dependence, Lortab, Opiate Withdrawal, Roxicodone, Drug Dependence, Endocet, Acetaminophen/Hydrocodone, Percocet 10/325, Vicoprofen, Hydromet, Roxicet, Acetaminophen/Oxycodone
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Opiate Dependence, Toxic Reactions Incl Drug and Substance Abuse
