SCCAdmin Federal drug data provided exclusively to NPR show seizures of meth by authorities have spiked, rising 142% between 2017 and 2018. There are many paths to meth use. Some drug users say they take it to pick themselves up after taking downers: heroin or fentanyl. Those on the streets say they take it to stay … Read more
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with any advertisers on this site. If you spend the day wincing from arthritis, back pain, a recent surgery or serious headaches, your doctor might suggest that you try a powerful opioid medication. But that’s not your only option, and it shouldn’t be your first. Nearly a third of … Read more
The Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force calls for patient-centered and comprehensive approaches to pain management. An individualized, patient-centered approach to pain management could help improve care outcomes and patient experience while still addressing the opioid crisis, according to a proposed report from the Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force (Task Force). The … Read more
A recent poll suggests many doctors aren’t warning elderly patients of the risks when prescribing painkillers. As the body ages, it often aches. In the United States, 81 percent of adults over 65 endure multiple chronic conditions such as arthritis, hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes. There also can be emotional pain from the loss of relatives and … Read more
Prescriptions for two drugs used to treat opioid addiction increased significantly from 2016 to 2018 for people on Medicare, according to a federal report out Wednesday. About 174,000 Medicare beneficiaries received such a medication – either buprenorphine or naltrexone – to help them with recovery in 2018, according to the Office of Inspector General in the Department … Read more
(HealthDay News) – A social marketing campaign in California designed to reduce stigma about mental health issues appears to have encouraged more people to seek care for their symptoms of mental distress, according to a study published online June 26 in the American Journal of Public Health. Read full article here!
Eight teens were hospitalized in July with seriously damaged lungs in Wisconsin, the state Department of Health Services reported Thursday. “We suspect that these injuries were caused by vaping,” said Dr. Michael Gutzeit, chief medical officer at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin where the teens were admitted, at a press conference. Their symptoms, including cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue, … Read more
(CNN)Netflix has promised to curb depictions of smoking in new programs following a report that pointed a finger at its hit series “Stranger Things,” whose first two seasons featured tobacco in every episode. “Going forward, all new projects that we commission with ratings of TV-14 or below for series or PG-13 or below for films, … Read more
Earlier this year, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene announced that it would begin ordering all restaurants and bars in the city to stop selling CBD-infused products, citing an FDA ruling from December saying that it is “unlawful to add CBD to food or drink.” Read full article here!
Overdoses of powerful painkillers called opioids kill more than 115 people per day in the United States. More than 42,000 people died from opioids in 2016, five times more than in 1999. The reason? Since several of these powerful painkillers became available in pill form several decades ago, doctors have been prescribing more than patients … Read more