Tag Archives: Prescription Drug Addiction

Which Drug Use Cues Play a Role in Prescription Opioid Dependence?

Researchers and addiction specialists are well aware that people affected by physical dependence and drug addiction commonly have a susceptibility to certain social and environmental cues that make ongoing substance use and relapses during substance treatment more likely. However, fairly little is known about the specific drug cues that motivate people physically dependent on prescription […]

Open Payments Website Shows Billions in Payments to Doctors

Do drug companies have your doctor on the payroll? More than half a million American doctors and nearly 1,360 teaching hospitals were paid $3.5 billion over five months last year by pharmaceutical and medical device companies, a new federal website has revealed. Some of the companies are among the bigger makers of prescription opiates that […]

Missouri Holds Out on Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs

A prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) is an official database of information on prescribers and recipients of controlled substances. The idea is that when doctors and pharmacists can see exactly who is obtaining prescription drugs, the public’s ability to abuse those drugs will be minimized. The database is also open to law enforcement. A recent […]

Ex-Players Say NFL Handed Out Painkillers ‘Like Candy’

The National Football League has been sued by more than 600 retired players, who have charged that they were wrongfully doped with addictive painkillers to keep them on the field at the expense of their health. This marks the second time in a week that makers of opiate drugs have been pulled into lawsuits. On […]

Counties Sue Drug Makers, Allege ‘Campaign of Deception’

The district attorneys of two California counties have sued five giant pharmaceutical companies, charging that they fraudulently marketed highly addictive drugs meant for terminal cancer patients as safe for chronic pain relief. The resulting explosion in prescription painkillers, the plaintiffs allege, has contributed to the nation’s alarming spike in opiate overdose deaths.

Rogue Internet Drug Sellers Pose Risk to Global Public Health

A new report from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) should serve as a wake-up call to consumers searching for and buying their medications online. Illegal online drug sellers are the most frequent conduits of counterfeit drugs and pose a continued threat to global public health, the report titled Internet Drug Outlet Identification […]

Study Finds Spike in Opioid Use During Pregnancy

By Jeanene Swanson — The use and misuse of prescription opioids by pregnant women has increased from 1.2 per 1,000 hospital live births in 2000 to 5.6 in 2009 in the last 10 years. What’s even more unsettling is that even in light of these statistics, several recent studies have found that doctors are prescribing […]

‘Every “Never” I Ever Said Came True’: Transitions From Opioid Pills to Heroin Injecting

Intravenous heroin users rely on a needle and syringe to inject the powerful opioid narcotic heroin directly into the bloodstream. In addition to the risks for drug addiction common to all people who take the drug, IV users have increased risks for serious or fatal bloodborne infections such as hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS. In a […]

Super Painkiller Zohydro Could Lead to More Overdose Deaths

A new super-potent narcotic painkiller called Zohydro is set to enter the marketplace and critics fear the country will see a spike in opioid addiction and overdose deaths as a result. Zohydro, which was approved by the FDA last year in a controversial decision, is an extended release formula of pure hydrocodone. In spite of the warnings from […]

Doctors Top Source of Abused Opioids, CDC Says

A new federal study has found that U.S. doctors are the leading source of prescription painkillers for hardcore addicts — those at highest risk for overdose. Amid epidemic abuse of prescription painkillers, which leads to more deaths than heroin and cocaine combined, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention findings upend notions about where the […]

When the Doctor Is the Addict

Self-medication and prescription drug abuse are problems that almost all doctors have to deal with in some form or another. Self-medication is defined by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as “the selection and use of medications by individuals to treat self-recognized or self-diagnosed conditions.” The practice of self-medication is risky for a variety of […]

Prescription Drug Abuse During Pregnancy

Prescription drug abuse always has the potential to cause physical and emotional harm to an addict and his or her loved ones. This type of substance abuse is serious enough that it often requires professional addiction treatment in order to recover. However, when the addict is a pregnant woman, the risk of harm extends to […]

ADHD Drug Abuse Can Have Deadly Consequences

ADHD, which stands for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, is not uncommon in children in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5.2 million children have been diagnosed with the disorder. Twelve percent of boys and close to 5 percent of girls  in the U.S. are diagnosed with ADHD.

Does Cannabis Use Change Outcome of Opioid Dependence Treatment?

Opioid dependence is the term used to describe a reliance on the effects of opioid drugs or medications. In some cases, dependent people go on to develop the drug cravings and dysfunctional behaviors associated with opioid addiction. Opioid-dependent people often use cannabis in the form of marijuana, hashish or hashish oil. In a study published […]

Number of Painkiller-Addicted Newborns Soars

The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in Knoxville is busy this year. Every day, there are more than a dozen babies born who are hooked on painkillers and other drugs. It’s an alarming trend that has health officials worried. They’re calling it an “epidemic” that could become commonplace across […]

Center for Investigative Reporting: As VA Opiate Overdoses Skyrocket, Veterans’ New Enemy Is Addiction

The federal agency entrusted with the health and well-being of America’s military veterans has over-prescribed them with opiates, a pain-killer fix to more complex problems, according to a new report by the Center for Investigative Reporting. The national non-profit news organization found, based on records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and other data, […]

FDA Wants Tighter Restrictions on Hydrocodone Painkillers

In a major policy shift, the federal Food and Drug Administration seeks to place stronger restrictions on a class of prescription painkillers that contain hydrocodone, the highly addictive painkiller that has grown into the most widely prescribed drug in the U.S. The changes are expected to take place as early as next year. The FDA […]

‘Jersey Shore’ Star Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino Reveals Painkiller Addiction

The cast of MTV’s “Jersey Shore” is hardly comprised of role models. Mainly known for name-calling, fighting and drunken antics, the show is car-crash reality TV. It’s the sort of show people watch with their jaws hanging open in shock at the notion that people like that actually exist. The news that Mike Sorrentino—better known […]