Although prescription painkillers can provide relief from the severe pain that accompanies medical procedures and chronic conditions, painkiller addictions is one of the fastest-growing and most deadly in California. Millions of people suffer from painkiller addiction, and many who become dependent transition to other illicit drugs. Painkiller addictions can also prove extremely difficult to recover…
The National Center for Health Statistics, a division of the Centers for Disease Control, estimates that drug overdoses killed 64,070 people in the United States last year, a rise of 21% from 2015. To put this into perspective, the drug overdoses in 2016 killed at almost double the rate from both firearms and vehicles. Additionally,…
It is now well documented, and publicized, that the United States is in the midst of a terrible and fatal opioid drug epidemic. On March 29, 2017, it was announced that New Jersey governor Chris Christie will lead a new national opioid commission whose task will be to figure out ways to fight the opioid…
Is Congress Protecting Drug Makers? The former head of the DEA office what was responsible for preventing prescription medicine abuse, said that drug companies and their lobbyists have a “stranglehold” on Congress that protects the 9 billion dollar a year trade in opioid painkillers. Joseph Rannazzisi, who held his position with the DEA until a year ago,…
The Cost of Saving Lives Naloxone, which was first introduced in 1971 under the brand name Narcan, has been called a miracle drug. It has the ability to potentially save tens of thousands of lives by reversing the effects of an opioid-related respiratory distress which occurs with an opioid overdose. The medication is now 4,000…
Due to continued and growing concern about the opioid epidemic, scientists are now trying to create an opioid painkiller that relieves pain without triggering the euphoria, dependence, and respiratory suppression that causes overdoses. It is too common of a story that patients who are prescribed opiate pain medications for legitimate pain report becoming addicted to…
A panel of medical experts recommended in January 2016 that the Food and Drug Administration approve a new way of treating opiate addiction and on May 26, 2016, the FDA announced approval for the first buprenorphine implant for the treatment of opioid dependence. Probuphine is designed to provide a constant, low-level dose of buprenorphine for…
On June 2, 2016 findings from Prince’s autopsy confirmed that the superstar died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid painkiller that is up to 50 times more powerful than heroin and 100 times more powerful than morphine. In March 2015, Federal Drug Enforcement officials issued a nationwide alert about the dangers…