A new report finds the rate of prescription painkiller use among American teenagers is declining. The 2015 Monitoring the Future survey finds the rate of teen use of cigarettes, alcohol and synthetic marijuana is also decreasing, The New York Times reports.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released draft guidelines for physicians who prescribe opioid painkillers, which call for a more conservative approach to the drugs’ use.
A new study of Medicare data finds primary care physicians prescribe significantly more opioid painkillers than any other type of doctor.
A growing number of Americans are seeking treatment for addiction to heroin and prescription painkillers, while alcohol-related treatment admissions are declining, according to a new report.
A growing number of the elderly are becoming addicted to prescription painkillers, experts tell U.S. News & World Report. Caretakers and doctors often fail to spot the signs of addiction in older patients.
A new poll finds that 56 percent of Americans say they or someone they know has abused, been addicted to or died from prescription painkillers. Almost half say they personally know someone who has taken a prescription painkiller that was not prescribed to them.
The American Medical Association this week called for an end to direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs and implantable medical devices, according to CBS News. The ads contribute to increasing costs, and lead to patient demand for inappropriate treatment, the group says.
Physicians and pharmacists should be the focus of efforts to reduce prescription opioid misuse, according to a new report by public health experts.
The four medical schools in Massachusetts will incorporate instruction in preventing and treating prescription drug misuse into their curriculum, according to The Boston Globe. The state’s 3,000 medical school students will learn skills designed to prevent painkiller misuse.
Heroin is the top drug threat in the United States, the Drug Enforcement Administration said Wednesday. Availability of heroin is up across the country, as are abuses, overdoses and overdose deaths, NBC News reports.
The sixth annual American Medicine Chest Challenge National Day of Awareness and Safe Disposal will take place on Saturday, November 14. Americans are encouraged to safely dispose of unused, unwanted and expired medicine at more than 1,500 Rx permanent collection sites at local police departments and sheriffs’ offices throughout the country.
A new study finds almost 60 percent of American adults are taking at least one prescription drug, up sharply since 2000. Almost every type of medication is being used at a higher rate, the researchers report.
Teens who are prescribed opioid painkillers may be at greater risk of future opioid misuse, a new study suggests. Use of painkillers in high school was associated with a 33 percent increased risk of later misuse.
President Obama visited West Virginia on Wednesday, a state ravaged by one of the deadliest epidemics in the nation, to talk with leaders and listen to parents who have lost, or who have nearly lost, children to addiction, reported The New York Times.
President Obama travels to West Virginia today to announce steps to curb the rise in deaths from prescription drug overdoses. He is mandating more training of federal doctors and requiring federal health insurance plans to treat addiction, reported The New York Times.
A new survey has found that it is relatively easy for college students in the U.S. to illegally obtain stimulants and other prescription drugs on college campuses, HealthDay reports.
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that a small number of doctors were responsible for prescribing the most narcotic painkiller prescriptions in the U.S.
A new survey finds 58 percent of Americans say opioid painkiller abuse is either a very serious or extremely serious health issue, on par with public health problems such as gun violence or tobacco use.
Few pharmacies have set up programs to accept and destroy unwanted prescription drugs, despite a push by the Drug Enforcement Administration to encourage drug disposal programs, The New York Times reports.
Many teens who use abuse prescription drugs are not trying to get high, but are using them to help them deal with an underlying problem such as anxiety, a newly published survey suggests.
Doctors and pharmacists are critical partners with law enforcement in the fight against addiction, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Friday.
Top headlines of the week from Friday, September 25- Thursday, October 1, 2015.
A group of organizations and doctors is calling on the U.S. Senate to release records on the financial ties between opioid makers and nonprofit groups that advocated for the drugs’ use in treating pain. The records were obtained as part of an investigation, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
More Americans are using marijuana, according to a new government report. About 8.4 percent of Americans ages 12 and older were current users of marijuana last year, up from 7.5 percent in 2013. The percentage of teens ages 12 to 17 who smoke, drink or use prescription narcotics nonmedically has fallen, HealthDay reports.
The U.S. House of Representatives has unanimously passed two bills aimed at fighting opioid abuse and its harmful effects. One bill would reauthorize federal funding to states for prescription drug monitoring programs, while the other would create uniform standards for diagnosing and treating newborns exposed to opioids.
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