Posts tagged with ‘prescription drug addiction’
Prescription drug abuse is defined as using prescription drugs for non-medical reasons, such as to get high. Prescription drug abuse is especially common among teens and young adults, who often steal medication from their parents or their friends’ parents, usually without their knowledge. The most commonly abused prescription drugs are opioids such as codeine, oxycodone, and morphine; central nervous system depressants such as barbiturates and benzodiazepines; and stimulants such as dextroamphetamine and methylphenidate.
Parkinson’s Drugs Fueling Addiction
Medications used to treat Parkinson’s disease may make patients more susceptible to compulsive behaviors, which can lead to addictions. The drugs are from a class called dopamine agonists, and the problem with them may be severe enough to warrant the Food and Drug Administration’s most serious warning label: the black-box warning. Full Story
Heroin-Assisted Treatment: A Closer Look at a Forbidden Possibility
In drug maintenance therapies for opioid addiction, less dangerous narcotics called methadone and buprenorphine are substituted for heroin and prescription painkillers. Doses are administered in a clinical setting and over time an attempt is made to phase out the maintenance drugs and eliminate opioid dependency entirely. Legally obtained methadone and buprenorphine have become increasingly popular with addiction specialists looking to guide their patients back to good health, as drug replacement therapy has been shown to produce excellent results in both controlled studies and real-world conditions.
But on a worldwide basis, methadone and buprenorphine are not the only options for treatment professionals interested in trying drug maintenance therapy. In a half-dozen European countries, heroin itself, in synthetic form, is also being used as a replacement drug to help addicts control their heroin dependency. Full Story
Indiana’s Drug Monitoring Program Results in Fewer Prescriptions for Scheduled Meds
In the face of a national epidemic of prescription drug abuse, many states are rolling out prescription drug monitoring programs, or PDMPs. The systems are essentially online databases of patient information that track use of scheduled medications.
Understanding Global Shifts in Drug Use Can Guide Prevention Efforts
The U.N.’s newly released World Drug Report 2014 supplies critically important information on global drug use. The U.N. estimates that in 2012, 243 million people had used an illicit drug during the preceding 12 months. Those drugs were most likely to be cannabis, opioids, cocaine or an amphetamine-type stimulant. The numbers of users amounts to 5.2 percent of the world population.
Learn the Signs of Prescription Drug Abuse
There is no denying prescription painkiller abuse is one of the biggest problems Americans face. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that over 10 million people admit to using painkillers for recreational use in the past year. Those addicted to opiates face many health problems, including brain damage, which leads to chronic brain disease. Family members or loved ones who suspect a person is using prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons can help them get the help they need by learning the signs.
Peer Pressure for School Kids to Take Drugs Still Pervasive
Look at a school class photograph and you will see that teens don’t like to be unique. Most of the teens in any group picture will have similar hairstyles, wear similar clothing and even strike similar poses. They’re in the midst of discovering their identity, but until then there’s safety in the herd, which can work for or against your teen.
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Mental Health Checklist for Parents With Teens
Hormonal children are no more stable than a hormonal adult, perhaps worse. They’re on an emotional roller coaster that can change at a moment’s notice. But at what point should watchful parents take action?
Red Ribbon Campaign Continues to Spread Drug Prevention Message
Formed in 1980 by a coalition of concerned parents, the National Federation of Parents for Drug Free Youth got a big boost when Nancy Reagan served as its honorary chair. The organization later changed their name to the National Family Partnership (NFP) and in 1985 created the nation’s largest drug prevention program, the Red Ribbon Campaign.
Teen Heroin Use on the Rise Across America
Heroin is an illegal street drug synthesized from morphine. Once a very popular illicit drug, heroin took a back seat to prescription drug abuse. Now the pendulum is swinging back, with an alarming rise in the number of Americans reportedly addicted to heroin.
Teens Advised to Stop Taking Stimulants as “Study Drugs”
The pressure that teens face as they maneuver through high school and into applying for college often results in sleep issues, anxiety and other problems. In order to fit in adequate time for extracurricular activities, which can boost a student’s chances of college acceptance, students often struggle to devote enough time to academics.
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The Addiction Primer: Everything You Need to Know to Get Help for a Loved One
A very inexpensive yet indispensable guide for anyone struggling with a loved one's addiction. Chapters on intervention, what to expect from rehab, and information on how addiction impacts the family.
