A new study finds two medications that can help people quit drinking are rarely used. The drugs, naltrexone and acamprosate, could be helping many thousands of people, the researchers say.
The Clinton Foundation wants to decrease the cost of the opioid overdose antidote naloxone. Last month, the Food and Drug Administration approved a handheld device that delivers a single dose of naloxone.
Health care providers must expand their use of medications to treat opioid addiction, in order to reduce overdose deaths, according to government health officials. Misperceptions have resulted in limited access to the medications, they argue in The New England Journal of Medicine.
The private equity firm Bain Capital recently took over the largest chain of substance treatment facilities in Massachusetts, The Boston Globe reports. Bain, which usually makes investments in brand-name companies such as Dunkin’ Donuts, sees treating addiction as big business.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved a handheld device that delivers a single dose of the opioid overdose antidote naloxone, The New York Times reports.
A growing number of states are changing their approach to low-level drug users, emphasizing treatment instead of incarceration, according to The Washington Post. The change is a result of both reduced budgets and shifting views on drug use.
A number of state legislatures are considering bills banning synthetic drugs, requiring education for doctors who prescribe opioids, and expanding the use of the drug overdose antidote naloxone this session, explains Sherry Green, CEO of the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws.
Top headlines of the week from Friday, March 7- Thursday, March 13, 2014.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday called the increase in heroin overdoses “an urgent and growing public health crisis,” The Washington Post reports.
At least six states are considering joining the 17 states that have passed “Good Samaritan” laws, designed to prevent drug overdose deaths. The laws grant limited immunity to people who seek help for someone who has overdosed, USA Today reports.
Top headlines of the week from Friday, February 7- Thursday, February 13, 2014.
Government officials Tuesday urged first responders to increase their use of the drug naloxone to reverse overdoses of heroin and prescription opioids.
The heroin overdose antidote naloxone is becoming more widely available nationwide, the Los Angeles Times reports. California greatly expanded availability of the treatment as of January 1.
The addiction treatment medication buprenorphine was found in actor Philip Seymour Hoffman’s apartment, along with 50 bags of heroin and a variety of prescription drugs, according to New York City detectives.
A new government report finds fewer teens are abusing prescription painkillers or smoking.
Kentucky lawmakers will soon consider a bill that would make the opioid overdose antidote drug naloxone more available, while stiffening penalties for high-level drug dealers. The bill also would expand anti-drug education, the Courier-Journal reports.
When kids come into treatment, their lives are just chaotic. Parents are desperate -- they don’t know what to do or where to turn. The most important thing is to bring stability into the situation, and the best way to do that is with medication, says Dr. John Knight.
Buprenorphine, a drug used to treat opioid addiction, is increasingly being abused, The New York Times reports. Some for-profit buprenorphine clinics are run by doctors with troubled records, according to the newspaper.
The Defense Department’s healthcare plan will cover the opioid addiction medications buprenorphine and methadone starting next month, according to the Air Force Times.
A new study suggests patients taking buprenorphine to treat their opioid addiction may benefit from tapering off the medication over four weeks instead of a shorter period. The longer detoxification is effective when it is followed by treatment with naltrexone, a drug that blocks opioid strength, the researchers found.
A national group of anesthesiologists is launching a card to identify and treat people suspected of an opioid overdose. The American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Opioid Overdose Resuscitation card lists symptoms and instructions for helping a person suspected of an overdose.
Deaths due to heroin increased in Maryland and Virginia between 2011 and 2012, according to NBC Washington. Health officials in those states also report an increase in the use of LSD and methadone, including among high school students.
The role of police officers in responding to overdoses is often unclear, according to a new study. Researchers say training officers in administering the overdose antidote naloxone could have a significant impact on the death rate from drug-related fatalities.
A judge in Ohio recently ordered an 18-year-old addicted to heroin, who was convicted of stealing, to undergo a series of injections of the opioid dependence medication Vivitrol. The move has sparked debate about whether this approach should be used more widely, and who would pay for it, according to USA Today.
Law enforcement officials in Ohio report an increase in the amount of Suboxone, a drug used to treat opioid addiction, being smuggled into prisons, often through the mail.
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