September 5, 2012
Compiled & Edited by Sue Emerson – Publisher
Prior Edition: August 10, 2012
List of all News/Updates
MEDICATION-ASSISTED TREATMENT (MAT) AND OPIOID ABUSE/ADDICTION
- Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Part 2: Helping Patients Succeed
- How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Methadone by Maia Szalavitz
- 3Qs: When Painkillers Kill
- Estimated Number of Buprenorphine- and Hydromorphone-Related ED Visits More Than
Doubles from 2006 to 2010 - 150 Soldiers Have Died of Drug Overdose in the Last Two Years, Says Congressman
- Preventing Overdose: Obama Administration Drug Czar Calls for Wider Access to Overdose
Antidote - Why Heroin? A Federal Agent Offers an Overview of the Opiate Trade
ADDICTION
PRESCRIPTION DRUG MONITORING
- Congressional Research Service Report on Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs
- RI Hospital: Use of PMP May Increase Demand for Drug Treatment, Reduce Painkiller Abuse
Part 2 of a three-part article series made available from the Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC), discusses practical ways behavioral health providers can support patients who utilize MAT, including strategies for helping them deal with stigma, and ideas for helping them manage and adhere to their medications.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently introduced a series of safety measures designed to reduce the risk of extended-release and long-acting opioid medications. Northeastern University news office asked drug policy expert Leo Beletsky, an assistant professor of law and health sciences at Northeastern University, to expound upon the threat posed by opioid analgesics, 22.9 million prescriptions of which were dispensed last year. The Q & A’s include:
Congressman Hal Rogers from Kentucky gave a speech on August 1 in the House of Representatives about the issue of prescription drug abuse in America, where he mentioned a growing problem – members of the United States military dying from prescription medications.
Speaking at a North Carolina overdose-prevention program, the Obama administration’s drug czar Gil Kerlikowske called for increased action to prevent drug overdose deaths. Notably, for the first time Kerlikowske urged wider distribution of a medication called naloxone, an antidote to overdoses of opioid drugs, including prescription pain relievers and heroin, saying that “naloxone can be expanded beyond public health officials.”
Despite a proliferation of treatment options in America, addictive behavior and unhealthy coping strategies are more common than ever. Here’s why.
A Rhode Island Hospital researcher has found that the use of electronic prescription drug monitoring programs (PMPs) may have a significant impact on the demand for drug treatment programs and how prescribers detect and respond to abuse of painkillers. The study by Traci C. Green, PhD, MSc, research scientist in Rhode Island Hospital’s department of general internal medicine is published in the journal Pain Medicine.The study found that prescribers’ use of an electronic PMPs may influence medical care and decisions, especially with opioid abuse detection, and is associated with clinical responses to suspected doctor shopping or diversion.
Reuters reported on August 19 that the United States Preventive Services Task force, a government-backed group of clinicians and scientists, is expected to make a new recommendation on HIV screening available for public comment before the end of the year.
By PDGACO gaballaloans.co.uk