There are a number of databases that track drug prescriptions, but physicians aren’t using them as much as they should, say researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. According to a release from the school, a survey of 420 primary care physicians found that 72 percent indicated they were aware of their… Continue reading Doctors and Drug-Abuse Monitoring
Tag: drug abuse
Retirees Need Help in Addressing Substance-Abuse Issues
Researchers say that older Americans suffering from substance abuse often do so not because of retirement alone but because of many circumstances, such as the death of loved ones, that occur at that stage of life. Currently, close to three million Americans aged 55 and older suffer from alcohol abuse — and that is expected… Continue reading Retirees Need Help in Addressing Substance-Abuse Issues
Drug Abuse Among Seniors
By Judy Kirkwood
The problem of older adults abusing prescription and illicit drugs hasn’t gotten enough attention says Dr. Gaya Dowling, acting chief of science policy branch at NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse). “When we think of drug abuse, we think of young people,” says Dowling. But there has been an undeniable rise in the number of patients over 50 who require intervention and treatment. Many more remain in the shadows, undiagnosed.