Prescription Drug Abuse

A new government survey finds the number of young adults ages 18 to 25 who used prescription drugs for non-medical purposes in the past month declined 14 percent, from 2 million in 2010, to 1.7 million in 2011.

State prescription drug monitoring programs need to shift from a reactive approach to a proactive one, according to a new report by the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Center of Excellence at Brandeis University.

An increase in prescription drug overdoses among young whites, and higher rates of smoking among less educated white women, may be contributing to the decline in life expectancy for white Americans with lower levels of education.

A new study links “doctor shopping” with an increased risk of dying from an overdose of prescription drugs, HealthDay reports.

The federal government has launched two pilot programs designed to make prescription drug monitoring programs easier for doctors to use, American Medical News reports.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has revoked the licenses to dispense controlled substances for two CVS pharmacies in Florida, after accusing them of dispensing excessive amounts of oxycodone.

Police in Louisville, Kentucky say they are seeing a rise in the use of heroin, as prescription painkillers become more difficult to obtain. People who formerly were addicted to painkillers are now turning to heroin, which is cheaper, easier to get, and very potent.

White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske is urging Missouri, the only state without a prescription drug monitoring program, to adopt such a program to fight prescription drug abuse.

New Mexico is facing a widespread drug problem that includes prescription drug abuse, as well as heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine, according to the Associated Press.

Amerisource Bergen, the third-largest drug wholesaler in the United States, received subpoenas from the Drug Enforcement Administration and federal prosecutors seeking information on how the company monitors for possible diversions of opioids and other drugs with high potential for abuse.

Texas has launched an online prescription monitoring database, building on a long-standing program that was criticized for being slow and requiring paperwork.

A bill passed by Massachusetts lawmakers last week requires doctors to sign up for and use the state’s prescription monitoring program. The measure is awaiting the signature of Governor Deval Patrick.

Officials from 27 colleges are meeting this week to tackle the growing problem of prescription drug abuse among students.

All Walgreens pharmacies in Arizona will store certain prescription painkillers, including products containing oxycodone, in time-delayed safes. The new policy comes in response to a spike in prescription drug robberies.

Almost one-third of prescriptions paid for by Ohio’s insurance fund for injured workers last year were for painkillers. The state has seen a 37 percent increase in the use of such drugs among injured employees over the past 10 years.

A pilot program in Ohio is using fingerprint scans in an effort to fight prescription drug abuse. Patients submit to a scan before seeing doctors in one hospital system, while several pharmacies are using the scans for patients filling prescriptions.

Some doctors are concerned that making it more difficult to prescribe opioids could hinder treatment of patients in pain, ABC News reports. Earlier this week, 37 health care workers signed and submitted a petition to the Food and Drug Administration, urging officials to change labels on prescription opioids, in an effort to curb prescription drug abuse.

A group of doctors and public health experts has asked the Food and Drug Administration to change prescription guidelines for opioids, to prevent prescription drug abuse, according to Reuters.

Drug companies must pay to dispose of unused prescription medications, under a plan approved Tuesday in Northern California. The Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the ordinance, the Associated Press reports.

Kentucky lawmakers may consider modifying a state law that requires doctors to use a prescription monitoring database for opioid pain medication, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports.

A new study finds a growing number of workers who get hurt on the job are getting their medication directly from their physicians, instead of pharmacies, which is driving up costs.

A bill to be introduced Thursday in the U.S. House would require most painkillers to have safeguards to prevent abuse, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Prescription drug abuse is more than a public health epidemic – it’s a national tragedy, and a comprehensive national strategy for combating it is desperately needed, explains Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-CA).

The increase in prescription drug abuse in the United States is forcing the government to re-examine its emphasis on trying to stop shipments of illegal drugs into the country, The New York Times reports.

New York’s new prescription drug monitoring system, which will show pharmacists in real time whether patients have been “doctor shopping” for drugs, is a model for the rest of the country, state officials said Monday.