Prescription Drug Abuse

Treatment admissions for prescription drug abuse and alcohol abuse problems are on the rise, according to a new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

A new report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime finds that the abuse of prescription opioids and synthetic drugs are on the rise globally, while worldwide markets for cocaine, heroin and marijuana have declined or remained stable. The report found the U.S. market for cocaine has experienced massive declines in recent years.

The U.S. House Committee on Appropriations says in a report that it is concerned about the growing use of prescription pain medications in the military, which is leading to dependency among service members. Prescriptions of pain management drugs are handled inconsistently at military medical treatment facilities, according to the report.

Some young adults who receive prescription painkillers for acute pain, such as that from a dental procedure or a broken bone, might have enough medication to both overuse it and divert to others, a new study suggests.

People who misuse prescription painkillers are much more likely to get the drugs from family and friends than from a doctor, a new study suggests.

Following a 2010 report on health promotion, risk reduction and suicide prevention in the Army that cites prescription drug abuse as a growing issue, the Army is making changes to reduce the misuse of prescription pain medications.

A new national study found a 55 percent jump in emergency room visits for drug-related suicide attempts in men ages 21 to 34 between 2005 and 2009.

The abuse of prescription drugs among teens is growing in New Jersey and is leading to heroin addiction, experts testified at a state hearing this week.

A bill introduced this week in the New York Assembly would create a real-time database for prescriptions of controlled substances such as oxycodone. The goal is to cut down on illegal trafficking of opioids.

A profile of National Institute on Drug Abuse Director, Dr. Nora Volkow, in The New York Times, says her mission is to ensure that the nation’s drug policy, which is increasingly focused on prescription drugs, is grounded in science.

Florida’s pill mill problem grew out of years of weak regulations, a lack of laws and the absence of a database to monitor prescription drugs, according to an article in the Orlando Sentinel.

Florida Governor Rick Scott has signed into law a bill designed to cut down on prescription drug abuse by controlling ‘pill mills’ in the state. The law authorizes the creation of a prescription-drug monitoring database to reduce doctor-shopping by people looking to collect multiple painkiller prescriptions.

Utah Attorney General, Mark Shurtleff, explains that prescription drug abuse is unlike any other type of drug addiction. People who wouldn’t dream of smoking marijuana or snorting cocaine can find themselves addicted to painkillers that have been prescribed by their doctor.

Hospitals and state licensing boards in Minnesota are teaming up to try to cut down on drug thefts in hospitals and nursing homes. A coalition organized by the Minnesota Hospital Association and state Health Department is trying to close loopholes in drug-handling procedures in order to make it more difficult to steal drugs.

Prices for prescription painkillers sold illegally are sky-high, according to data from federal law enforcement agencies. These prices are creating a fast-growing street market for prescription painkillers.

The skyrocketing growth in the number of Americans addicted to prescription drugs is due to easy accessibility and the diminished perception of risk, the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy told a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday.

Methadone, long used to treat heroin addiction, is now becoming a popular tool in the fight against prescription drug abuse in Florida. A state review last year concluded that more methadone clinics and satellite offices will be needed to deal with the growing number of patients addicted to prescription drugs.

A new survey finds many New Jersey parents recognize that the main source for alcohol and prescription drugs may be their own home. More than 45 percent of parents surveyed said their children are getting alcohol from home, and three-quarters of parents said children get prescription and over-the-counter drugs from their own home or from a friend’s home.

Suicide attempts, in which drugs played a role, jumped 49 percent among women ages 50 and older from 2005 to 2009, according to a new federal report. The report, prepared by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, found that 16,757 women 50 and older had a drug-related suicide attempt in 2009, compared with 11,235 in 2005.

Stimulant drugs designed to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are not as likely as prescription painkillers to be diverted for non-medical purposes, a survey of 10,000 adults, ages 18 to 49, finds. Almost 25 percent of those surveyed said they had used prescription opioids for non-medical purposes, compared with about 8 percent who said they used stimulant medications for non-medical reasons.

Georgia has become the latest state to approve a prescription monitoring program designed to help stop the abuse of opioid painkillers.

Florida officials met with health care executives last week to discuss how to protect babies born to women addicted to prescription drugs. An estimated 1,300 babies were treated for drug withdrawal in Florida in 2010, a 30 percent jump from the previous year.

The rate of misuse of prescription pain medications jumped 40 percent in New York City from 2002 to 2009, according to the city’s Health Department.

States that had the fastest growth of high-speed Internet access from 2000 to 2007 also had the largest jump in admissions for treatment of prescription drug abuse, a new study finds. The researchers say the findings may suggest that online pharmacies, many of which do not adhere to regulations requiring a doctor’s prescription, are contributing to the increase.

A new law in Indiana will make it easier for people to drop off their unused or expired drugs to pharmacies and health clinics. Until now, a police officer had to be present when a pharmacy collected unused drugs.