Category: Prevention

China Bans Deadly Overdose-Causing Drug: Fentanyl On Monday, China announced it would ban all variants of the powerful Opioid drug Fentanyl, an effort that could slow the supply of the illicit drug to the United States. According to the CDC, American overdose death rates linked to synthetic Opioids like Fentanyl increased more than 45% from … Continued

Study Reveals How Opioid Treatment Is Unavailable to Those Who Need It A new, federally-funded report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine shows that more than 80% of the estimated 2 million people with an Opioid addiction aren’t getting addiction treatment medications. Medicines like Methadone and Buprenorphine – government-approved since 1972 and … Continued

FDA Advisors Petition Due to ‘Dangerously Deficient Oversight’ In a petition sent to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week, two FDA advisors are claiming the agency has suffered “dangerously deficient oversight” in its approval of new prescription Opioids in the past decade. Dr. Sidney Wolfe (former drug safety committee advisor to the FDA) … Continued

Why Does Mindfulness Matter When Treating Addiction? Mindfulness is a powerful word denoting wellbeing and stress management. Mindfulness can aid in reducing stress and feelings of anxiety that can serve as reinforcements of chemical dependencies and addiction. ‘Very Well Mind’ notes mindfulness is “the practice of becoming more fully aware of the present moment—non-judgmentally and … Continued

Washington Post Fact-Checks Ocasio-Cortez’s Tweet Freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is in hot water after being fact-checked by members of the Washington Post. While retweeting a video clip of herself from C-SPAN, the representative contrasted President Trump’s push to use emergency funds for a border wall, but not for the Opioid Epidemic. Yet, as Post fact-checkers … Continued

How to Recognize Signs Your Teen Is Using Opioids Historically low rates of Opioid (and drug) use among teens is a promising sign that prevention efforts are working. Between 2013 and 2018, Vicodin® use fell by 58% among 8th graders, 75% among 10th graders, and 67% among 12th graders. Moreover, teens are also reporting that prescription Opioids are … Continued

Kratom: Friend or Foe? Due to a surge in the interest of hallucinogens for opioid addiction treatment, Kratom has been a subject of recent news discussions. Mitragyna speciosa or Kratom is a plant native to Southeast Asia. It has been used to increase energy and help with painful physical ailments; however, in rare cases, Kratom … Continued

International Women’s Day: How Opioid Addiction Disproportionately Affects Women and Mothers International Women’s Day, celebrated March 8 around the world, is an opportunity to further educate and empower women, as well as discuss topics that disproportionately affect them. The stigma of Opioid addiction, prescription drug misuse, and fatal overdose all affect women differently than men, … Continued

FDA to Require Drug Manufacturers to Reexamine Patients’ Need for Opioids The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will soon require pharmaceutical companies that produce Opioids to study their effectiveness in dealing with chronic pain. This decision comes out of the government’s attempts to further rein in the rampant Opioid epidemic. Yet, the new study comes … Continued