Medicine is only effective when it is used properly, and for young people moving to adulthood, learning how to use medicine properly is a critical life skill, explains Nora L. Howley of the NEA Health Information Network.
A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel voted Friday to strengthen restrictions on hydrocodone combination drugs, such as Vicodin. The panel recommended that the FDA make the drugs more difficult to prescribe.
A survey of parents finds just one-third are very concerned about the misuse of prescribed narcotic pain medicine by children and teens in their community, according to HealthDay. Only one-fifth are very concerned about the misuse of these drugs in their own families.
Prescription drug overdoses are the number one reason for emergency room visits in Los Angeles County, according to public health officials.
The New York Police Department has announced it will put decoy pill bottles with tracking devices on pharmacy shelves, in an effort to track stolen painkillers.
With the patent for the original version of OxyContin set to expire in April, experts in Kentucky and around the country are concerned that cheaper generic versions of the drug will become available, which will be easier to abuse.
Health officials in Tennessee are reporting cases of a rare blood-clotting disorder in people who injected the painkiller Opana ER (extended release), after crushing the pills.
New York City public hospitals will restrict prescriptions of some powerful painkillers in their emergency rooms, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Thursday. The new policy is designed to cut down on prescription drug abuse.
A new government report shows prescription drug abuse decreased in 10 states from 2010 to 2011, and did not increase in any state.
Employers in the oil and gas industry are having a difficult time finding enough workers who can pass drug tests, The Wall Street Journal reports. Prescription drug abuse is largely to blame.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has proposed new regulations to give the public more options for disposing of unwanted prescription drugs, such as painkillers and sedatives.
As opioids become more difficult and expensive to abuse, heroin use is on the rise in Florida, according to law enforcement officials.
More than 86,000 children in Kentucky are being raised by someone other than a biological parent, and prescription drug abuse is largely to blame, community leaders say.
Walgreens has been ordered to pay $16.5 million in damages, to settle a lawsuit that accused the company of illegally dumping pharmaceutical and biohazardous waste in California.
The number of people in Maryland who have switched from abusing prescription drugs to heroin is on the rise, resulting in an increase in heroin-related deaths, according to The Baltimore Sun.
Pain management education must help prescribers focus less on patient satisfaction, and more on their functional improvement, according to Sherry Green, the CEO of the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws.
A Kentucky law that requires anyone writing a prescription for a controlled substance to check the state drug monitoring database has led to the discovery that some people addicted to opioids are targeting dentists.
A panel of experts assembled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted against recommending approval of the painkiller Zohydro ER on Friday. The panel cited concerns over the potential for addiction.
Drug companies have joined together to oppose a local California law requiring them to run and fund a program that allows consumers to dispose of unused prescription medications, The New York Times reports.
State prescription drug monitoring programs should use advances in health information technology to make the systems easier to use, according to a new government report. The programs should incorporate prescription drug monitoring data into the workflow of doctors and pharmacists, recommends the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
As Kentucky begins to see results from its crackdown on prescription drug abuse, officials report a rise in heroin use.
Hospitals in Tennessee will be required to report babies exposed to drugs prenatally, under a measure that takes effect in 2013.
A law signed by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie bans health care facilities from improperly disposing of prescription medications, by discharging them into public sewer or septic systems.
Vermont officials report an increase in heroin use, as OxyContin abuse decreases, according to the Associated Press.
Shipping companies FedEx and UPS say they are targets of a federal investigation related to their dealings with online pharmacies, ABC News reports. The probe is part of an international effort to reduce prescription drug abuse.
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