New studies explored whether medical professionals are adhering to stricter opioid prescribing rules and regulations. While rules and regulations are often made in the interest of public safety, that doesn’t mean they are always followed hard and fast. Such is the case with certain rules regarding opioid prescriptions, according to the Boston Globe. The paper… Continue reading Are Opioid Prescription Regulations Actually Working?
Tag: opioid epidemic
Trump To Jeff Sessions: Sue Drug Companies For Opioid Crisis Role
The Attorney General said he would take action on Trump’s requests. President Donald Trump has instructed Attorney General Jeff Sessions to file a federal lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies in Mexico and China, claiming that they have played a role in the US opioid epidemic. Last week, according to the New York Post, the president threw… Continue reading Trump To Jeff Sessions: Sue Drug Companies For Opioid Crisis Role
St. Louis Pushes To Expand Medication-Assisted Treatment For The Uninsured
The city’s current healthcare program for the poor and uninsured does not cover mental health or addiction services. St. Louis officials are asking a federal agency to expand access to medication-assisted treatment under a program that provides healthcare services to uninsured individuals in the city. The Gateway to Better Health program, which is federally funded,… Continue reading St. Louis Pushes To Expand Medication-Assisted Treatment For The Uninsured
Fentanyl Found In Startling Number Of Heroin Samples In Canada
“Something like 60% of the drugs that we check are not what people think they are,” said the author of a new drug-testing study. Drugs in Vancouver, Canada may be even more dangerous than normal, according to a new pilot project. The project from the B.C. Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) found that more than… Continue reading Fentanyl Found In Startling Number Of Heroin Samples In Canada
More ERs Are Providing Withdrawal Meds As First Step To Recovery
Patients in need are receiving buprenorphine to address their withdrawal symptoms. Kicking an opioid habit comes with a host of physical withdrawal symptoms so severe that people often end up in the emergency room. There, they are usually treated for diarrhea or vomiting, but not the underlying issue. Now, however, more emergency rooms around the… Continue reading More ERs Are Providing Withdrawal Meds As First Step To Recovery
Are Construction Workers Hit Hardest By Opioid Addiction?
A new survey examined the occupations of those who died from opioid-related causes. It’s been considered a problem for years, and a new study in Massachusetts has proven that the construction industry is the worst affected from opioid-related overdose deaths. Architecture and engineering are the only careers with higher death rates among women than men.… Continue reading Are Construction Workers Hit Hardest By Opioid Addiction?
Could Informing Doctors Of Patients' Opioid Deaths Curb Prescribing?
How are doctors’ prescribing behavior affected when they’re notified of their own patients’ opioid-related deaths? Some California doctors have recently received letters that changed how they prescribed opioids, according to new research. The letters informed doctors of the deaths of patients to whom they had prescribed opioids, according to the Washington Post. Such letters were… Continue reading Could Informing Doctors Of Patients' Opioid Deaths Curb Prescribing?
Fentanyl, Other Synthetic Drugs Drive National Overdose Rates Up
Nearly 30,000 Americans died from overdoses stemming from fentanyl and other synthetic opioids in 2017. Driven in large part by widespread opioid use, the number of drug overdoses nationwide shot up nearly 10% last year, according to preliminary federal figures. The U.S. clocked more than 72,000 drug fatalities in 2017, the Centers for Disease Control… Continue reading Fentanyl, Other Synthetic Drugs Drive National Overdose Rates Up
Experts Develop Post-Surgery Opioid Guidelines To Curb Overprescribing
“Our feeling is we shouldn’t just be using draconian, one-size-fits all prescribing,” said one expert from Johns Hopkins. Surgeons at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore have developed opioid prescribing guidelines that are specific to 20 common surgeries, in an effort to reduce overprescribing. “This work reflects that surgeons want to be a part of the… Continue reading Experts Develop Post-Surgery Opioid Guidelines To Curb Overprescribing
Opioid Crisis Has Peaked, Former Cleveland Clinic CEO Suggests
The doctor says that while opioid prescribing is down, synthetic opioids are now driving the opioid epidemic. The former CEO of the Cleveland Clinic said that the opioid epidemic has peaked now that more healthcare providers and laypeople are aware of the dangers of opioid painkillers. “I think we’ve peaked,” Dr. Toby Cosgrove said… Continue reading Opioid Crisis Has Peaked, Former Cleveland Clinic CEO Suggests