Posted by azdrugrehabctr on August 19, 2015 under Addiction Trends, Prescription Drugs | 
Citizens of the United States have heard countless stories and warnings about the prescription drug abuse epidemic. Originally starting in areas where heroin was not easy to obtain, such as rural areas, pain pill misuse and abuse spread throughout the country. Now experts are watching other countries throughout the world succumb to the prescription drug epidemic as well.
The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) monitors the drug patterns throughout the world. The organization has reported that prescription drugs have moved up to the second most abused and trafficked class of drugs worldwide. Second only to marijuana, prescription drugs are making their mark around the globe including places like Europe, Asia and Australia.
Prescription painkillers like oxycodone and hydrocodone make up much of the prescription drug problem, but stimulants, sedatives and tranquilizers are included in this group as well. The INCB also reported that heroin and cocaine use has gone down, despite the recent surge in heroin use here in the United States.
Prescription drug trafficking isn’t just being done by criminal organizations, as there are reports that doctors around the world have also been a huge part of the problem through careless and sometimes intentional prescribing practices in exchange for money.
The INCB concurred with most experts in that most people seek out prescription drugs because they are considered safer than street drugs. This misconception has helped to encourage worldwide addiction problems.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on August 11, 2015 under Addiction Trends, Prescription Drugs |
The illegal drug trade deals in pharmaceuticals just as much today as street drugs. Oftentimes these types of drugs end up being fake, but the knock-offs and additives haven’t seemed to slow the market for them down. While much of this activity has traditionally started overseas, it appears as if more of it is occurring right here in the United States.
In response to the increased amount of illegal prescription drug activity, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently conducted a massive raid this year spanning multiple states. What was dubbed “Operation Pilluted” concluded with 280 arrests in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Alabama for their role in the sale of illegal, and oftentimes fake, prescription drugs. Agents were able to seize over $18 million dollars’ worth of money and property.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 44 people die every day from prescription drug overdoses. The importance of this raid was that agents were able to prevent the drugs from hitting the market and infiltrating homes and neighborhoods throughout the country. However, it is clear that the demand is high enough that the drugs are likely to keep pouring into the U.S. Agents warn that the rise of technology and the increase in the number of people seeking these drugs means that vigilance is needed.
What it speaks of even more, however, is the job that lies ahead for people who are helping those recover from substance abuse and preventing addiction altogether.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on July 15, 2015 under Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs |
A migraine is an intense headache that is often accompanied by impaired vision and stomach nausea. Many people who get migraines are unable to function and must wait out the severe pain for several hours. Because of the impaired vision, it is common to have to protect one’s eyes in a room that is completely dark. It is estimated that around 18% of women and 6% of men suffer from migraines and there is a big push in the medical community to come up with effective and safe solutions to debilitating condition. While there are several medications on the market that are designed to eliminate the migraine or ease it once it attacks, new research shows that many people are simply prescribed painkillers.
While it may seem obvious to prescribe someone that is in excruciating pain a narcotic painkiller, experts agree that migraine sufferers should not be given a heavy opioid for their discomfort as a first option. In fact, studies show that opioids can actually induce more intense migraines or more frequent migraines over time. So why are so many physicians prescribing something that is addictive and can actually cause the problem the pills are supposed to be fixing?
Researchers believe that it is a lack of education regarding migraines and the effective treatments. When a person is experiencing a migraine they often go to the Emergency Room. Doctors seeing patients in the ER are generally not specialists and respond to extreme pain in the only way they know how, by administering narcotic painkillers. However, doctors that specialize in the treatment of migraines are aware that there are certain medications on the market that are designed to treat the migraine while ensuring that the patient is not introduced to opiate painkillers that have a high potential for addiction.
There has been a push lately to educate the medical community about the dangers of prescription painkillers and the treatment of migraines is one such example. By quickly prescribing a narcotic such as hydrocodone or oxycodone, they may be temporarily relieving the pan but not actually solving the problem. Stories like these that share research into the prescribing patterns and results of those drugs help reduce the overall painkiller problem in America, even if only a little bit at a time.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on July 6, 2015 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News, Prescription Drugs |
In the past, one tactic used in order to keep teenagers from experimenting with drugs was to pretend that the problem did not exist. This means that many parents and schools, in their fear about drug use, never discussed the inevitable curiosity that teenagers would experience and the definite dangers of substances like heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and prescription painkillers.
It soon became clear that this approach to drug education was not a good one. More and more teenagers find themselves in situations where they are presented with an opportunity to experiment with drugs or alcohol. Instead of hoping that one’s child will not succumb to peer pressure or curiosity, experts agree that it is best to arm children with facts about drugs and alcohol and help guide them into making the right decision. Children presented with facts have a better chance of not being tempted into drug use, and oftentimes those facts can counter the things their friends or other drug users may be saying to them.
Some helpful facts to discuss with children can include things like when an addiction is likely to start, what drugs do to the body and developing brain, how drug and alcohol abuse can affect one’s long term plans and what sort of danger the drugs pose.
According to a recent study, 90% of adults that are addicted to illegal drugs started using substances before they were 18. So, while not all teenagers who experiment with drugs are doomed to a life of addiction, the vast majority of addicts began their journey to drug addiction as a child experimenting with drugs. There is still debate surrounding marijuana if it should be considered a gateway drug (a gateway drug is a substance that opens the door to other substances can ultimately lead to an addiction). Some experts are saying that prescription painkillers are the new gateway drugs.
The popularity of pills like Roxycet, Percocet and Vicodin has led many people to dependency, and then on to a heroin addiction. Since heroin is cheaper and easier to obtain, prescription painkiller addicts often resort to this drug to keep their habit satisfied.
Teenagers are surrounded by pressures almost as soon as they get into high school. Drugs and alcohol may be one of the most common problems they have to deal with. In order to equip children with the best tools to stay away from drugs, parents and educators need to arm them with the facts. Overall, the more information that is shared about the devastation caused by substance abuse, the better the chances are that people of all ages will make healthier decisions regarding drugs and alcohol.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on June 9, 2015 under Addiction Trends, Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs |
Needle exchanges are the controversial program set up to allow intravenous drug users a safe place to acquire new, clean needles. These facilities are intended to help prevent the spread of diseases that are associated with IV drug use and dirty needles. This type of program is often regarded as one of the more drastic forms of harm reduction.
Many people are cautious of needle exchange facilities for fear that it will normalize drug use and encourage others to experiment with drugs like heroin and prescription painkillers. However, studies show that such programs don’t impact the situation negatively by attracting new users, and some reports show that they help get more people into treatment by having referral centers available for detox and treatment.
The state of Indiana is currently facing an outbreak of HIV infections due to needle-using substance abusers. In the rural section of the state there have been 149 reported cases of HIV. In other parts of the country, residents are facing a Hepatitis C crisis. The amount of people that have contracted the liver disease have more than tripled in some parts of the country. One of the reasons for this incredible spread is that many people who are carrying the Hepatitis C virus are unaware that they are infected. Unfortunately the most common way to contract Hepatitis C is by blood to blood contact, and for drug addicts this comes in the form of a needle.
The Governor of Indiana, Mike Pence, ordered an emergency needle exchange to stop the rapidly spreading HIV virus throughout the population, and other states are wondering if they should follow suite. “It is critically important that needle exchange programs like the temporary one in Indiana be replicated across the country, and be permanent. Studies have repeatedly proven that needle exchange programs reduce HIV, hepatitis and other infections among people who use intravenous drugs without increasing intravenous drug use,” explained Paul Samuels, president of the Legal Action Center.
Whether you are an advocate of harm reduction strategies such as needle exchange programs or not, it is hard to argue with the notion that we should be using every tool available that helps mitigate the damage caused by addiction.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on April 23, 2015 under Addiction Trends, Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs |
The 2016 race to become the next President of the United States has officially begun with multiple hopefuls announcing their candidacy recently. Hillary Clinton is one of those seeking the office of Commander in Chief. As she began a tour throughout the U.S., she admitted that she was unaware that substance abuse issues were so extreme in the country. She explained that she understood that drug use was a continuing problem throughout the nation, but up until she began meeting with constituents, had no idea that people felt so strongly and that so many people were affected by the drug epidemic in the United States.
“I want to hear from people of New Hampshire what’s on their minds. I have to tell you, before I went to Iowa last week I wasn’t aware of the depth of feeling people had about substance abuse issues, so here again, I heard it in New Hampshire, so I want people to know that I’m listening,” explained Clinton during her stop to New Hampshire. Like other candidates, she will be covering areas that are considered key for primary elections.
Clinton discussed that she wants to see more resources allocated for people to be able to get the treatment they need. There may be more things that can be done to stop the drug problem in our country from escalating to epidemic proportions though. Educating doctors and healthcare providers that prescription narcotics are not the only solution to pain management and helping them understand the signs of drug abuse and drug seeking behavior are all important topics to tackle.
Hillary Clinton went on to say that she wants to make drug abuse and mental health problems a serious focus of her campaign. Will other candidates step up to speak in favor of substance abuse treatment and prevention? They should take some cues from the fact that there are record numbers of overdose-related deaths in our country. Saving lives is way more important than foreign trade or economic issues.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on February 17, 2015 under Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs |
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a startling figure – more than 25 percent of all women who could become pregnant in the near future are taking prescription painkillers. This means that potential mothers could already be addicted to pills like OxyContin, Percocet or Vicodin. Since the withdrawal symptoms and cravings are so intense for these medications, mothers are more likely to abuse them while they are pregnant, exposing their unborn children to powerful and dangerous drugs before they ever take a breath of air.
While these drugs are meant for those suffering from chronic or acute pain, and only supposed to be provided for by a physician, the appetite for these pills is so intense that addicts have gotten around current restrictions. Sometimes a person with a valid pain issue and a valid prescription will sell their pills on the black market, prices can be as high as $100 per pill. Other times an addict will fake an injury or get copies of phony X-rays or a fake MRI. Once presented to a physician they can then acquire the pills necessary to fuel their drug habit. Other times doctors begin writing prescriptions to addicts who have no need for the heroin-like painkillers – essentially becoming drug dealers.
However a person gets a hold of these pills, it is clear that future generations are poised to feel the effects of this epidemic. Mothers who are dependent on or abuse narcotics or any other opiate-based painkiller put their unborn children at risk for birth defects and physical withdrawal pains from the drug.
Children who receive drugs prenatally have to go through a period of withdrawal upon being born. This means that they have become physically dependent to the drug and now that they are no longer receiving the drug through their mother they have to overcome severe withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms from narcotic painkillers include; vomiting, diarrhea, body aches and insomnia. These symptoms are often too much for grown adults to handle, let alone day-old infants.
This study is important because many pregnancies are not planned. Oftentimes when a person is leading a life that involves regular drug use they are unaware of how their actions can affect themselves and others.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on December 31, 2014 under Prescription Drugs |
Medicare’s Part D data provides transparency in finding doctors who prescribe controlled substances most frequently. Medicare has started to use prescribing data to identify potentially problematic doctors. Beginning in mid-2015, Medicare will have the authority to remove doctors from the program if they prescribe in abusive ways.
“It’s a real area of concern for us,” said Shantanu Agrawal, director of the Center for Program Integrity within the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
In 2012, 12 of Medicare’s top 20 prescribers of highly addictive Schedule 2 drugs such as oxycodone, fentanyl, morphine and Ritalin faced disciplinary actions by their state medical boards. Some even faced criminal charges related to their medical practices. Because of their risk of abuse and dependence, Schedule 2 drugs require written prescriptions and cannot be refilled.
The data from Pro Publica’s analysis shows the upward trend line for prescriptions of controlled substances: 269 providers wrote at least 3,000 prescriptions for Schedule 2 drugs. Florida led the country with 52 providers, followed by Tennessee with 25.
In September, Medicare sent more than 750 letters to doctors who prescribed far more Schedule 2 drugs compared to others in their medical specialty and state. Officials hope the initiative will cause doctors to examine their prescribing and make changes.
“Simply being an outlier doesn’t establish that you’re doing something wrong,” said Agrawal. “What we are trying to do is give physicians the ability to assess themselves, given their comparative data.”
Medicare’s drug program, known as Part D, covers about 38 million seniors and disabled people and pays for more than one of every four prescriptions dispensed in the U.S. Concerns about oversight of controlled substances date back to at least 2011,when the Government Accountability Office highlighted abuse of opioids in Part D and called on Medicare to take action.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on October 20, 2014 under Addiction Trends, Prescription Drugs |
A closer look at the statistics surrounding drug addiction and drug use show that the drug problem is continuing to get worse in our country. While the President explained that the war on drugs needed to change tactics, some people are still fighting against drugs using the old playbook. Instead of focusing on prevention, education and treatment, some people are still blindly incarcerating addicts and punishing them instead of trying to solve the core issues.
Drug use continues to be a problem throughout towns, cities, states and the entire country. The number of people who have died from heroin overdoses has doubled since 2012. The United States reports more deaths from drug and alcohol overdoses than car accidents. Older adults are contributing to the increase in addicts in our country as well, not just teenagers or young adults. Many addicts obtain their drugs from their doctors, as the biggest increase in drug problems throughout the country involve prescription medications.
It is clear that as a nation, we are facing a problem regarding the way we deal with pain. Since millions of people are abusing painkillers, and then often resorting to heroin abuse because it is cheaper than purchasing pills, we need to address our policies on prescription painkillers. While most states have implemented some type of prescription monitoring tool to help doctors and pharmacists keep track of who is getting what and ensuring that less people are going from doctor to doctor in search of painkillers, this is not the ultimate solution. Not everyone uses the system and if you look at the prescription painkiller problem closer you will see that what needs to be addressed is our lack of willingness to feel pain, says Allen Frances, Professor Emeritus from Duke University.
As the leader of the task force for the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual (DSM-IV), Frances is basing his opinions on a large body of data. He says that in an attempt to avoid pain, doctors are willing to put their patient at risk of developing a severe addiction to prescription painkillers. There was once a time when prior to such a severe course of action doctors would prescribe an exercise regimen, new diet or physical therapy. These are the alternatives that can prevent an addiction before it ever even starts.
While not everyone can be pleased with the drug policy of our country, it does seem to be continuing to shift more in favor of treatment over incarceration This should help to have a positive impact that should be noticed in the near future as well as man years down the road.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on October 13, 2014 under Addiction Trends, Prescription Drugs |
Reports released throughout the country have some people in shock. Turns out that the demographic that is at most risk for overdosing on drugs or alcohol are men ages 45-64. While it is true that children and teenagers are at risk for drug addiction and overdoses, and women are abusing drugs at a rapid rate, middle-aged men are succumbing to overdoses more than any other group.
A closer look at Orange County, CA coroner records showed that between 2011 and 2012 there were 1,156 overdose deaths. When researchers examined those deaths they found some alarming information. The amount of men dying from overdoses was double that of women. White men, ages 45-64 were the group that passed away the most from drug or alcohol overdoses.
Interestingly, researchers also found that most of the overdose deaths they looked into were accidental. This would indicate that at least some of the deaths could have been avoided had the person been given the proper education regarding dose, what not to mix the drug with and the potency of the drug. After age 44 prescription drug overdoses were the overwhelming majority in overdose deaths.
Not everyone dies when they overdose from drugs or alcohol. The researchers also looked into how many people checked into the hospital for overdoses within Orange County. They found that 10,782 people checked into hospitals in the area, with an average stay of four days, costing around $25,000.00. It is clear from this information that drug abuse and misuse is a growing problem in California and the rest of the country.
While these results are just from one county, it does shed some light on a group of people that may be forgotten about when it comes to anti-drug and anti-alcohol advertising. Most government agencies focus on the prevention of drug abuse among children, pair that with the joint efforts of schools and families and youths have a pretty steady stream of anti-drug, anti-alcohol, anti-abuse attention. Older men however, do not have that steady stream. In fact, adults are pretty much left to fend for themselves.
