Mixing Drugs and Alcohol: An Unsafe Decision Having just one drink while taking drugs of any kind, including prescription medications, can have a significant impact on your health. Some mixtures of drugs and alcohol can even have lethal consequences. It is critical to be aware of the hidden dangers of...
Prescription opioids are not to be taken lightly. Drugs like OxyContin, Percocet, and Vicodin are prescribed at unbelievably high rates, even amid an opioid addiction epidemic. While such drugs can alleviate pain, they are highly addictive and can dramatically alter the course of one's life. Last week, we shared the...
Opioid use disorder most often begins with prescription painkillers, either prescribed by a doctor or diverted from a friend or family member. Opioid narcotics like oxycodone and hydrocodone are highly addictive. The former medication has made a lot of news in recent years owing to the litany of lawsuits...
Opioids are most often prescribed for the management of chronic pain. However, new research suggests that these medications may actually increase a person’s sensitivity to pain over time. This phenomenon, called hyperalgesia, provides further caution to healthcare providers about the long-term prescription of opioid pain medication.Opioid-Induced HyperalgesiaThe word hyperalgesia...
As the American addiction epidemic rages on, the catalyst of which is believed to be opioids, it's easy to forget the age-old history of pain-killing narcotics. Not that the origins of opium-based drugs have any bearing on the lives of addicts, but acknowledging previous attempts to rein in addiction...
Despite the warnings and some 130 overdose deaths per day in America, surgeons still prescribe painkillers at alarming rates. A new report from Kaiser Health News (KHN) and Johns Hopkins shows that they are prescribing many times the recommended number of opioids.Surgeons continue to prescribe far more opioids for...
The number of overdose deaths involving fentanyl was stable in 2011 (1,663) and 2012 (1,615), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Then, there were 18,335 fentanyl-related overdose deaths in 2016. The dramatic rise is staggering enough to give anyone pause. The opioid crisis in America...
The U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate reached bipartisan alignment on the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act in the twelfth hour of September. Now roughly a month later, the White House has given its stamp of approval on the legislation which aims to combat the opioid...
