Posted by azdrugrehabctr on July 15, 2016 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News, Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs | 
The opiate addiction problem is a national crisis that includes rising overdose deaths from heroin and prescription painkillers. As more and more people become addicted to the deadly drug, citizens and public officials are scrambling to find effective solutions for saving more lives. In an effort to combat the growing heroin problem, the President is expected to sign a bill that would allocate more money and services to addicts, their family members and the treatment community.
The bill, which has had a tough road so far, was voted through the Senate on Wednesday. After President Obama makes it official, many people stand to benefit. Lawmakers have included measures to help communities develop treatment and prevention facilities. While the White House has criticized the bill in the past, saying that the funding problems are not solved within the bill, they do agree that it is a good start and doing something is better than making no progress at all.
And the White House is not alone when it comes to the criticisms. “This bill is like a Hollywood movie set – something that appears real on the surface but has no substance and no life behind its façade,” commented Senator Charles Schumer (D) of New York, referring to the lack of substantial financial support.
But, despite some of the negative feelings towards the legislation, the passing of the bill is important because it helps to distinguish addiction as a medical issue. Allocating funds to treatment centers and prevention programs is the first step in treating addiction as a medical problem, rather than a law enforcement issue. In a time of widening gaps between political parties, thankfully this is an issue that legislators can agree needs attention.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on July 6, 2016 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News, Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs |
Naloxone is a life-saving drug that has been getting more attention lately due to the number of deaths involving heroin and other opiates. The medication, which is delivered via nasal spray or injection, can reverse an overdose situation on the spot. It has been getting more use lately by first responders, but a group of researchers finds that there is even a greater need to make it more widely available.
A common misconception among most people is that only those who abuse heroin or prescription painkillers will ever be in a situation where they need the life-saving drug to prevent an overdose. However, patients who are prescribed narcotics like OxyContin and Percocet are not immune to accidental overdose. This is especially true for people who take the drug for extended periods of time due to some sort of chronic pain condition.
Experts explain that those who take prescription painkillers may not be aware that having a glass of wine after their dose greatly increases the risk of overdose. Additionally, combining other medications to handle other ailments may also make it more likely to suffer from an overdose.
The research that appears in the Annals of Internal Medicine found a 47% decrease in ER visits among opioid users after six months, and a 63% reduction over one year when patients were also given a prescription for naloxone.
“This study really does show that naloxone has a substantial role to play in managing the opioid epidemic. It’s not the answer to all our problems, but it’s an important tool to prevent mortality,” explained Dr. Phillip Coffin, director of substance use research at the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
In addition to educating patients of the risks to life associated with prescription painkillers, it is becoming more necessary to educate family members as well. Oftentimes if someone suffers from an overdose, family members or close friends are the first to find them. Understanding the signs of an overdose can sometimes determine whether the overdose is fatal or not, and having a dose of naloxone available can help save even more lives.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on June 28, 2016 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News |
Cities throughout the country have witnessed an increase in violent crime for the last two years. And while crime is on the rise, it is not increasing at steady rates. This makes it difficult for experts and law enforcement to pinpoint exactly what is spurring the increase in violence. One theory that is growing in popularity is the effect of the Mexican drug cartels.
In the past, Colombian drug cartels, the Italian mafia and Asian drug rings have all been a threat to our national security. However, Mexican drug cartels have risen above all these groups and now pose the greatest risk to the United States when it comes to drug consumption, violence and murder, according to official reports from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The DEA has established several links between the cartels in Mexico and the street gangs in the US. “The Mexican drug cartels are moving to expand their share of US illicit drug markets, particularly heroin markets… Many gangs [in the United States] rely on Mexican Transnational criminal organizations as their primary drug source of supply, and Mexican organizations depend on street-level gangs, many of which already have a customer base, for drug distribution,” explained officials at the DEA.
Once the DEA was able to establish links between gangs and cartels, they began to see how these relationships were causing murder rates in the US cities to spike. Cartels in Mexico have developed a type of heroin that is much cheaper than past batches. This inexpensive heroin is more attractive to gangs because it allows them to sell more and make more of a profit. With more money on the line, gangs are waging war with rival gangs over territories, fighting over who can sell heroin on what corners.
With the Mexican drug cartel’s influence over the gang structure in the United States, and their influence over addicts in this country, it is easy to see why they are a threatening criminal organization. However, as long as people keep using drugs, someone will always be there to capitalize on their demise. Stamping out any one source will never erase the problem, as only prevention, intervention and treatment will ultimately solve the drug addiction epidemic.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on May 21, 2016 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News, Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs |
A new study conducted by researchers at Harvard University shows that there is has been a substantial increase in the number of people being hospitalized due to opioid use. These hospitalizations can include overdoses, accidents induced by painkiller use and infections.
After data was compiled using information from hospitals throughout the country, it was determined that hospitalizations related to opioid abuse and dependence have increased by 67% in ten years. In 2002, hospitals reported 302,000 admittances for opiate-related issues. In 2012, this number rose to 520,000 admittances. While data from 2013 to the present has not been available, researchers caution that these numbers have likely increased to reflect the continued worsening of the opiate problem in the United States.
“Our results characterize the financial burden on the healthcare system related to opioid abuse/dependence and one of the more serious downstream complications of this epidemic: serious infections,” explained Mathew V. Ronan and Shoshana J. Herzig, the co-authors of the study.
Increased hospitalizations not only cost the insurance companies and hospitals money, but the public is helping foot the bill as well. Many of these cases relied on Medicare or Medicaid funds to pay for the bills associated with treating these opiate addicts. Oftentimes the public does not realize how drug abuse negatively impacts the rest of society, but this is a great example of how even those that are not directly affected by the opiate crisis suffer.
Studies like this one are important because it keeps opiate abuse in the news. Some people may feel that these sorts of studies are redundant because it has already been established that prescription painkiller and heroin abuse is an epidemic in this country. However, keeping this sort of information in the news and educating the public, forces law makers and public officials to take notice and enact better policies and programs to combat this serious problem.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on April 27, 2016 under Addiction Trends, Prescription Drugs |
Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, or ADHD, is one of the most common mental illness diagnosis for children in the United States. so common that many people do not even consider it abnormal. However, like most potential problems with children, there is plenty of information that parents can research if they suspect or have just learned that their child has ADHD.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has published this type of information for parents, however it has been discovered that the information provided is not only confusing, but contradictory. A study was conducted by researchers in Sweden that examined the type of information that parents receive on the subject. Not only is the information confusing to parents, but making the diagnosis parameters more concise might help to eliminate the increasing amount of ADHD medication available for abuse.
Adderall and Ritalin are the most common medications given to those that suffer from ADHD. They are designed to help with the inability to focus, complete tasks and have healthier relationships. They are also extremely addictive, popularly abused, and often sold to addicts by people with legitimate prescriptions.
“Although ‘ADHD’ is characterized as a floating spectrum of symptoms, it is transformed into a distinct entity that appears clearly defined solely by its name. While it is difficult to define the dividing line between normal and abnormal, the label ‘ADHD’ appears sharp and exact and explanatory in itself,” explained the researchers.
The study specifically states that the wording of the NIMH can confuse parents and make it difficult to determine if a child is actually displaying ADHD symptoms, or if they are just experiencing typical frustrations and assertions that children go through. Misdiagnosis of ADHD is common and can lead to the influx of medications available for non-ADHD users.
Narrowing the definition and making the symptoms clearer is the first step in preventing more ADHD medication abuse. Being able to discern between normal child behavior and true ADHD symptoms is crucial when it comes to properly treating children and adults.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on April 21, 2016 under Addiction Trends, Prescription Drugs |
An alarming study conducted by researchers at the University of Virginia uncovered a major problem among medical students and may reveal why prescription pain medications are being overprescribed to certain kinds of patients. The study looked to find why white people are more likely to be prescribed prescription painkillers over black people.
Researchers were able to determine that many white doctors held false beliefs about black people that will likely prevent them from properly treating black patients, as well as potentially answering the question of why so many white people are addicted to prescription painkillers after being prescribed the medication for real or falsified pain.
False beliefs such as black people age more slowly than white people, black people’s skin is thicker than white people’s skin and black people’s nerve endings are less sensitive than white people’s were discovered in the study of 222 white medical students. In addition to having a significant misunderstanding about the anatomy and constitution of black people, doctors have a harder time empathizing with patients that they have less in common with.
“What we found is those who endorsed more of those false beliefs showed more bias and were less accurate in their treatment recommendations,” explained Kelly Hoffman, a UVA doctoral candidate in psychology, and leader of the study. The report was presented to the National Academy of Sciences.
This study, while alarming in the sense that medical students have such an extreme misunderstanding regarding black people, points to another question about the overwhelming amounts of prescription painkillers that are being prescribed to white patients in this country. If medical students believe that white people are more sensitive to pain, or are more in need of prescription painkillers, then they would be more apt to believe someone who is complaining of pain. Unfortunately, it has become clear that sometimes they are really just seeking out a prescription for painkillers so they can abuse them or sell them on the streets.
As more and more researchers look into the prescription painkiller problem and conduct studies about doctor’s beliefs, practices and histories it is becoming clear that a change in the medical system is needed in order to stop the prescription painkiller epidemic.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on April 13, 2016 under Addiction Trends, Opiate Abuse |
Cocaine addiction is very common among heroin users in the United States. Often times the same people who sell heroin also sell powdered and crack cocaine. The euphoric low of heroin and the euphoric high of cocaine are sometimes mixed and used alternately with addicts. Both addictions are common problems that rehabilitation facilities treat, however, sometimes there is difficulty in the treatment.
Currently there are medications on the market that are designed to block heroin cravings and help the addict get through the painful withdrawal symptoms, but there isn’t anything specifically designed like that for treating cocaine addiction. Scientists in the Europe recently tested the use of another stimulant to treat people dealing with addictions to both drugs. The study, which appears in the Lancet medical journal, included trials with sustained-release dexamfetamine (dextroamphetamine).
The idea is that the drug, which is otherwise commonly used as a treatment for ADHD, works in the brain to help with cocaine cravings. A trial was recently conducted with 111 heroin and cocaine addicted patients in the Netherlands. Some patients received the dexamfetamine while undergoing talk therapy and other patients were administered a placebo while they were taking their prescribed doses of methadone. Those that received the dexamfetamine were able to abstain from cocaine for longer than those that only received the placebo. On average, addicts who received the trial drug were able to stay clean from cocaine for 60 days, while those that did not receive the medication stayed clean from cocaine for 45 days.
“We found SR dexamfetamine to be superior to placebo on all cocaine use – related outcomes, with effect sizes that were at least comparable to those found in studies on other chronic disorders, including alcohol dependence and many other psychiatric and general medical conditions,” explained Mascha Nuijten, a doctoral candidate at the Parnassia Addiction Research Center.
Understanding that addicts who are reliant on both heroin and cocaine need specialized help is vital in improving treatment. Because cocaine and heroin use often go hand in hand, these types of trials are extremely important. The major difficulty with these forms of treatment, however, is that they are still leaving the addicts dependent on drugs that are similar to the ones they were already taking, such as a stimulant for a stimulant or an opiate for an opiate. Although any form of improvement is welcomed in most treatment arenas, caution should be applied to see if there are other non-drug methods that can work first.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on March 22, 2016 under Addiction Trends, Opiate Abuse |
In order to help reduce the opioid epidemic in the United States and elsewhere, many officials believe that the supply must be addressed. This means that our nation must work with other countries that are the highest producers of heroin. Collaboration between the United States and countries like Colombia are intended to prevent the creation of heroin and simultaneously stifle the demand for the dangerous drug.
Addicts in the United States have increased the overall demand for heroin, and manufacturers in South America have continued to answer with millions of dollars of the drug being smuggled into the country daily. Researchers in the U.S. and Columbia were recently commissioned from the Colombian Ministry of Health and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to analyze information on addicts in both countries. The researchers discovered that an ongoing dangerous trend is the sharing of dirty needles.
Pedro Mateo-Gelabert was the lead researcher on the study that revealed that a high percentage of addicts in both countries were participating in needle-sharing, cross contamination of heroin cookers, sharing filters and water used to mix with the drug. These behaviors likely answer the question that both countries had regarding the increase of patients showing signs of HIV and hepatitis, since both diseases are easily spread through shared needles.
The researchers not only discovered that these types of behaviors were occurring, but they also were able to find out why many users feel that it is ok to share needles. In fact, 43% of those that were polled admitted to sharing needles because they could not obtain enough clean ones and had to resort to using someone else’s. However, a whopping 33% of users believed that it was safe to share needles, as long as they were selective with who they were sharing with.
One reason why needle-sharing may be gaining in popularity is the fact that many heroin users are young, and have not been educated enough on the dangers of sharing needles. “Both countries deal with a new generation of young injectors, in Colombia, driven by heroin production, in the US, driven by the recent epidemic of prescription opioid misuse in you which has evolved into widespread injection drug use,” explained Pedro Mateu-Gelabert.
One of the goals of reducing the harm associated with heroin addiction is to provide clean needles to stop or slow the spread of such diseases while also diverting more people into treatment programs to help them recover from addiction.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on March 8, 2016 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News, Prescription Drugs |
The over prescription of drugs like Oxycontin, Percocet or Xanax have led to countless painkiller and benzodiazepine addictions. The prescription abuse problem in the United States has skyrocketed over the last few years with overdose deaths having quadrupled in the last fifteen years.
However, despite the overwhelming data that prescription abuse is a serious problem in this country, many doctors are still prescribing large amounts of the drugs. Some are not changing their prescribing practices even if the patient experiences an overdose and are also not responding to warnings by the U.S government or the public.
As a way to determine what an effective warning to doctors would be, a research team led by Adam Sacarny of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York City decided to track doctors who received letters warning them that they were prescribing too much of a certain painkiller or benzodiazepine.
In order to conduct the study, the research team looked to locate doctors who were prescribing more than their neighboring peers. Once these doctors were located, the team monitored their prescription practices after they were sent a letter from Medicare stating the problem of their over prescription. Despite receiving the letter, the prescribing practices did not cease. This was interesting to the researchers because in the past, letters from Medicare comparing local vaccinations had helped to bring up the amount of vaccinations patients were receiving from a doctor that was falling behind to his peers.
A total of 1,525 doctors were sent the letters warning them that they were prescribing more narcotic painkillers or benzodiazepines than other doctors. The doctors that were singled out to receive a letter because they were prescribing over 400% more painkillers and benzodiazepines than other nearby physicians. Unfortunately, the letters from Medicare did not seem very effective. In fact, the research team witnessed no significant change at all.
While the letters may have worked in the past for other issues, it is clear that a clearer message will be needed in order to safely bring down the amount of narcotics that are being prescribed to patients throughout the country.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on February 29, 2016 under Addiction Trends, Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs |
There has been a lot of investigation into the link between prescription drug abuse and heroin abuse. Since prescription painkillers are very similar to heroin as opioids, it is not a stretch to think that an addict who cannot get their hands on pills would turn to heroin eventually. Not only are the drugs similar in the effect that they have on the body, but heroin is generally less expensive and easier to find on the street.
Additionally, some people fear that the efforts being taken to decrease the availability of prescription painkillers among the public have forced addicts to begin using heroin. These factors would seem to come together to prove that heroin abuse is rising because of the prescription painkiller addiction. However, a recent study conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), indicates that this belief is not necessarily valid.
“As an alternative explanation, we explore the complexity and reciprocal nature of this relationship and review the pharmacologic basis for heroin us among people who use prescription opioids nonmedically, the patterns of heroin use among people who use prescription opioids nonmedically, the current trends in heroin use and their correlates, and the effects on heroin use of policies aimed at curbing inappropriate prescribing of opioids,” explained the authors of the study.
The study showed that people who abuse prescription painkillers are not as likely to turn to heroin as some might think, though most heroin users did start out with prescription narcotics. Polices that have been enacted to reduce and monitor prescription painkiller abuse should remain in effect, as they don’t cause people to seek out heroin. The less these drugs are available and the more prevention and treatment practices used, the less opiate addicts we will have. The same drive should also be taken when it comes to heroin or any other substance that is abused.
