The Justice Department sued Walmart on Tuesday for what it said was the company’s role in fueling the nation’s opioid crisis by allowing its network of pharmacies to fill millions of prescriptions for opioids, thousands of which authorities said were suspicious. From a report: The 160-page civil complaint alleges that the retail giant knew that its system for detecting illegitimate prescriptions…
Tag: opioids
Fatal cardiac arrests could be hiding opioid overdose deaths in the US
A study in San Francisco has found that 17 per cent of deaths ascribed to cardiac arrest were actually caused by drug overdose, most commonly opioids Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2251376-fatal-cardiac-arrests-could-be-hiding-opioid-overdose-deaths-in-the-us/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
US opioid crisis: 100,000 overdose deaths may have gone uncounted
A new analysis suggests that 100,000 overdose deaths in the US due to unspecified drugs were actually caused by opioids – bringing the total death count to more than 450,000 people Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2235606-us-opioid-crisis-100000-overdose-deaths-may-have-gone-uncounted/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
World’s First Opioid Vending Machine Opens In Vancouver
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: A vending machine for powerful opioids has opened in Canada as part of a project to help fight the Canadian city’s overdose crisis. The MySafe project, which resembles a cash machine, gives addicts access to a prescribed amount of medical quality hydromorphone, a drug about twice as powerful as heroin. Don Durban,…
Benzodiazepine prescriptions reach ‘disturbing’ levels in the US
Addictive benzodiazepines are prescribed at 66 million doctor appointments a year in the US – often with opioids, making it easier to fatally overdose Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2230379-benzodiazepine-prescriptions-reach-disturbing-levels-in-the-us/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Chronic Pain is an Impossible Problem
A “safe” alternative to opioid painkillers turns out to be not so safe. From a report: Gabapentin was supposed to be the answer. Chronic pain afflicts about a fifth of American adults, and for years, doctors thought it could be treated with prescription painkillers like Oxycontin. But as the drugs began killing the equivalent of three planeloads of Americans every week,…
Mind-body therapies alleviate pain in people prescribed opioids
A new study details the first comprehensive look across the scientific literature at the role of mind-body therapies in addressing opioid-treated pain. The researchers found that certain mind-body therapies can reduce pain, as well as reduce opioid use, among patients treated with prescription opioids. Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191105140919.htm
Most People Don’t Actually Feel Euphoric When They Take Opioids, Study Finds
Mounting research suggests that the average person doesn’t actually reach a euphoric state after taking opioids. Source: https://www.livescience.com/opioid-euphoria-mostly-a-myth.html
Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit
An anonymous reader quotes a report from NPR: New research shows that psilocybin might be an effective treatment for diseases such as depression and addiction. While the work is still in its early stages, there are signs that psilocybin might help addicts shake the habit by causing the brain to talk with itself in different ways. “These brain changes lead to,…
Instagram’s Opioid Recovery Hashtags Are Full of Drug Dealers
An anonymous reader quotes a report from BuzzFeed News: Dozens of top posts under the #opioidcrisis and #opioidaddiction hashtags contained comments touting Oxycontin, Percocet, Codeine, and other prescription opioids — along with phone numbers and usernames for encrypted messaging accounts. A typical entry, under a video describing tens of thousands of deaths by drug overdose, offered “fast deals” on “Oxys, Roxy,…