Medication-Assisted
Therapies — Tackling the Opioid-Overdose Epidemic
The rate of death from overdoses of prescription opioids in
the United States more than quadrupled between 1999 and 2010, far exceeding the
combined death toll from cocaine and heroin overdoses. In 2010 alone,
prescription opioids were involved in 16,651 overdose deaths, whereas heroin
was implicated in 3036. Some 82% of the deaths due to prescription opioids and
92% of those due to heroin were classified as unintentional, with the remainder
being attributed predominantly to suicide or “undetermined intent." Please click here for
more.
Higher Doses of
Antidepressants Linked to Suicidal Behavior in Young Patients
When prescribing antidepressants for teens and young adults,
doctors should not start with high doses of the drugs because it might raise
the risk of suicidal behavior, new research suggests. The study, which was
published online April 28 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, found that
younger patients who began treatment with higher-than-recommended doses of
antidepressants were more than twice as likely to try to harm themselves as
those who were initially treated with the same drugs at lower, recommended
doses. Please
click here for more.
The world’s boozing habits
revealed. There are some surprises.
Does booze play a part in world events? Don’t tell your kids
— or your parents — but probably yes. Take Britain, a proud kingdom of saucing.
Over the past year, the number of people seriously hurt by violence plunged 12
percent to roughly 235,000 cases. Though the decrease mirrors trends across the
Western world, a new study this week said the real reason may be booze. Or the
lack of it. Please
click here for more.
Medical marijuana may
treat MS symptoms, ineffective for other brain disorders
As medical marijuana makes its way into mainstream clinical
use, there is still much mystery surrounding the drug, as not much is known
about the its effects on the brain or nervous system disorders. To gain a
better understanding of the benefits – or downsides – of medical cannabis,
researchers from the American Academy of Neurology conducted a systematic
review of available research analyzing the use of marijuana for the treatment
of brain diseases.
Please click here for more.
Follow up:
When Medical Marijuana
Doesn’t Work
The first time Dana gave marijuana to her 13-year-old son,
it was a mother’s act of desperation. Edward has absence seizures, also known
as petit mal seizures. At least a dozen times a day, he blanks out for about 20
seconds. The seizures affect his school work and memory. His mother lives in
constant fear that he’ll fall down a flight of stairs or step into traffic
while he’s having one. And like one-third of all people with epilepsy,
medication does little to control his seizures. When Dana heard news reports
about a strain of marijuana grown in her home state of Colorado that helped
reduce seizures in some children, she was intrigued. For close to 4 months,
Edward took medical marijuana pills. They were low in THC, the ingredient in
marijuana that affects mood, but high in cannabidiol (CBDs), a
non-mood-altering ingredient in pot. Supporters of CBD marijuana say it shows
promise against epilepsy, but far from everyone agrees. Please
click here for more.
Heroin on Campus
Officials at the University of Rochester are discussing a
problem that rarely reaches the agendas of campus medical centers or
presidents: How do you identify and treat students who are addicted to heroin? Please
click here for more.
NIH expert warns against
legalizing pot
A director from the National Institutes of Health warned
House lawmakers Tuesday against legalizing marijuana use, saying it could act
as a gateway drug. The testimony from Nora Volkow, director of the National
Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health, highlighted the
split among federal agencies on drug policy and comes as the Obama
administration takes a hands-off approach to state enforcement of marijuana
laws. Please
click here for more.
The way forward on opioid
abuse: A call to action for science-based, comprehensive strategies
The recent attention paid by state policy makers around the
serious public health problem of misuse, abuse, addiction, and overdose of
prescription opioid painkillers is commendable. These efforts reflect the
strong desire on the part of states where communities have been devastated by
opioid addiction and overdose to prevent further tragic loss of life. However,
it is important that such efforts comprehensively address the real root causes
of the problem, are grounded in science, and will make a real and lasting
difference. Please
click here for more.
Nurses Aren't Immune to
Prescription Drug Abuse
There's been a rash of headlines involving healthcare
workers abusing—and sometimes overdosing and dying from—prescription drugs. Can
you spot the addicted nurses in your organization? In December, a
cardiovascular ICU nurse was found dead in the bathroom of a University of
Michigan hospital. Months later, The Ann Arbor News reported that she died from
an overdose of the opiate fentanyl and the benzodiazepine midazolam, two
sedatives that are used for surgical patients. Please
click here for more.
DEA chief says
marijuana-trafficking spiking in states near Colorado
The Drug Enforcement Administration is concerned about a
surge in the illegal shipment of marijuana from Colorado since the state
legalized the drug, and is trying to crack down on minors’ use of the
substance, the head of the agency said Wednesday. Administrator Michele
Leonhart said the DEA is troubled by the increase in marijuana trafficking in
states surrounding Colorado and worries that the same phenomenon could be
repeated around Washington state, where recreational marijuana is expected to
be sold legally soon. In Kansas, she said, there has been a 61 percent increase
in seizures of marijuana from Colorado. Please
click here for more.
Silk Road drug sales going
strong after 'Dread Pirate Roberts' arrest
The illicit underground marketplace has bounced back from
last year’s high-profile shutdown, according to an Internet safety report. The
Silk Road has stabilized, brushing off any repercussions from last year's
arrest of its alleged leader "Dread Pirate Roberts," an Internet
safety watchdog has found. The virtual underground marketplace, made famous by
a high-profile takedown in San Francisco last year, has maintained its place as
the largest and best-known online black market for illegal drugs, according to
a Digital Citizens report released Wednesday. Please
click here for more.
Providers search for staff
to meet needs of growing field
With
Medicaid expansion, the Mental Health Parity Act, the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
and the large population of people who are seeking treatment for mental health
and addiction, treatment organizations are expanding and new programs are
constantly opening. With this comes a need to hire additional staff. According
to Kevin Gallagher, chief financial officer (CFO) at Solid Landings Behavioral
Health (Costa Mesa, Calif.), there is no question where the organizational
growth is coming from. “It’s been driven by adding beds,” he says. “The rapid
growth of 2013 that has extended into 2014 has created significant openings.”
Tanisha Porreca, chief operating officer (COO), explains that over the last
year the organization hired more than 100 new employees and will mostly likely
hire an additional 100 this year as well. Please
click here for more.
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