Whether it’s due to opioids, alcohol poisoning or the overconsumption of another drug, there’s a public-health crisis involving overdoses. People of all ages, from all backgrounds, are unintentionally dying from overdoses due to addiction as well as misuse or abuse of substances like opioids and alcohol. In 2017, more than 190 million prescriptions were written… Continue reading Battling the Overdose Crisis
Tag: opioids
Understanding Adverse Drug Reactions
For most treatable health conditions, patients expect to take at least one prescription drug if not multiple depending on the condition or the severity of the health issue being treated. Most people, however, don’t anticipate experiencing any sort of adverse drug event (ADE). It is difficult to imagine a drug injuring someone in the process… Continue reading Understanding Adverse Drug Reactions
Heart Patients Who Are Given Opioids Less Likely to Seek Follow-Up Care
Heart disease patients who were prescribed opioids at hospital discharge were less likely to follow up with their healthcare provider or to participate in heart rehabilitation than patients who were not prescribed the drugs, new research shows. The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, comes as the nation’s opioid epidemic continues,… Continue reading Heart Patients Who Are Given Opioids Less Likely to Seek Follow-Up Care
Alcohol, Not Drugs, Most Popular Among College Students
A federal survey on substance use among teens transitioning to adulthood showed that 13 percent of non-college young adults report daily, or near daily, use of marijuana. Among full-time college students, alcohol use is much more common. Those figures come from The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and its latest Monitoring the Future (MTF)… Continue reading Alcohol, Not Drugs, Most Popular Among College Students
Using Multiple Methods to Manage Pain After Joint Replacement Reduces Opioid Prescriptions and Resulting Complications
A multimodal approach to pain management (using two or more different methods or medications to manage pain) rather than using opioids alone was associated with a decrease in opioid use, opioid prescriptions and common opioid-related complications in patients undergoing total hip or knee replacements, according to a study published March 1st 2018 in the Online… Continue reading Using Multiple Methods to Manage Pain After Joint Replacement Reduces Opioid Prescriptions and Resulting Complications
Fewer Hip and Knee Replacement Patients Are Relying on Opioids Alone
Opioid use in patients recovering from hip and knee replacement decreased by one-third between 2006 and 2014, reflecting success in efforts to promote several methods of managing pain rather than opioids alone, according to research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2017 annual meeting. The study of more than 1 million hip and knee replacement patients is… Continue reading Fewer Hip and Knee Replacement Patients Are Relying on Opioids Alone
Medicare Has Few Limits on Opioid Prescriptions
Although federal guidelines recommend restrictions of prescription opioids to Medicare patients, Medicare plans place few restrictions on the coverage of prescription opioids, according to new research from Yale. The findings were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The risk of opioid overdoses rises when individuals are prescribed opiates at high dosages. While the Centers… Continue reading Medicare Has Few Limits on Opioid Prescriptions
Study: Breast-Cancer Patients on Opioids Less Likely to Follow Treatment Regimen
Breast cancer patients who take opioids to manage their pain are less likely to adhere to a potentially lifesaving treatment regimen, according to new research. The treatment, adjuvant endocrine therapy, commonly known as hormone therapy, is used to prevent the cancer from returning after surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Opioid use, however, was “significantly associated”… Continue reading Study: Breast-Cancer Patients on Opioids Less Likely to Follow Treatment Regimen
What to Ask Your Doctor before Taking Opioids
Editor’s note: The use and abuse of prescriptions has risen to alarming numbers, especially among senior citizens. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in 2015 nearly one-third of Medicare beneficiaries received at least one prescription for commonly abused opioids such as Oxycontin. The results of overuse range from addiction to death.… Continue reading What to Ask Your Doctor before Taking Opioids
The Illness of Chronic Pain
A sprained ankle can be a real pain. But injuries like sprains, bone fractures, pulled muscles, cuts, and even minor burns are everyday pain and a normal part of life. While the pain may be acute, it’s not lasting, and the discomfort eventually subsides and resolves over time. On the other hand, if pain lingers… Continue reading The Illness of Chronic Pain
New Guidelines on Prescribing Opioids
Editor’s Note: The abuse of prescription opioids is one of the most crucial public-health issues today. According to the latest statistics from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as many as one in four non-cancer patients who are prescribed painkillers in a primary-care setting is addicted to drugs. Every day, more than… Continue reading New Guidelines on Prescribing Opioids
Teaching Clinicians Safe Opioid Prescribing
Educating clinicians on how to prescribe opioids safely can help decrease opioid misuse among chronic pain sufferers. That’s the finding of research done at Boston University Medical Center and published online in August 2015 in the journal Pain Medicine. The study confirms that education can empower clinicians to make more informed clinical decisions about initiating,… Continue reading Teaching Clinicians Safe Opioid Prescribing
One in Four Patients Prescribed Opioids Progresses to Long-Term Use
Opioid painkiller addiction and accidental overdoses have become far too common across the United States. To try to identify who is most at risk, Mayo Clinic researchers studied how many patients prescribed an opioid painkiller for the first time progressed to long-term prescriptions. The answer: 1 in 4. People with histories of tobacco use and… Continue reading One in Four Patients Prescribed Opioids Progresses to Long-Term Use
Can Meditation Cure Cravings for Painkillers?
People who are addicted to prescription painkillers can reduce cravings by learning to enjoy other parts of their life, according to a new study. The research, published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine, was conducted by Eric L. Garland, associate professor at the University of Utah College of Social Work. He and his colleagues looked… Continue reading Can Meditation Cure Cravings for Painkillers?
Doctors Prescribing Fewer Opioids for Pain
Concerns about prescription drug abuse and addiction may affect prescribing habits, according to a survey done at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests. and published in the December 8th 2014 issue of “JAMA Internal Medicine”. A release from Johns Hopkins notes that nine in 10 primary care physicians say that prescription drug… Continue reading Doctors Prescribing Fewer Opioids for Pain