Heroin is one of the most popular street drugs in the United States, used every day by thousands of Americans. Despite being illegal, more than 690,000 people use it every year. Sadly, the average rate of abuse is going up, with data showing increases of over 50% between 2002 and 2012. Unfortunately, heroin hurts users,…
Many people in the United States have been directly affected by the ongoing opioid crisis. Many of these drugs come from prescriptions given to treat a variety of physical and mental issues. Prescription drug addiction claim the lives of countless people every year. But what is prescription drug addiction? There is prescription drug addiction and…
Finding a rehab program means choosing a therapy method that works for you and deciding whether you want to attend an inpatient or outpatient program. While there are pros and cons to each option, most people should choose inpatient or outpatient rehab based on personal factors, the extent of their substance abuse problems, and the…
It’s hard to remember a time where there wasn’t a problem with opioids. While issues with drug use have persisted throughout the years, things began escalating in the early 1990s. That’s the part of the opiate overdose timeline where there was a rise in deaths related to natural and synthetic opioid abuse. The next wave hit in…
Naloxone is a well-known drug in many circles, especially in drug rehab, emergency care and by first responders. But what is Naloxone? It’s often a lifesaver or considered the second chance drug because it reverses the effects of an overdose of opioids. Naloxone has been in use for decades, but you may not know about…
Every physician in the United States will soon be receiving the letter included below from the US surgeon general. Surgeon General of the United States Dr. Vivek Murthy has an especially important and historically unparalleled reason for sending the letter. Opioid drugs such as Percocet, Oxycontin, and Vicodin, among many others, cause more than 1,000…
What is Fentanyl? Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid drug that is used as an analgesic or anesthetic. The drug is typically used to treat patients with moderate to severe pain or to help manage pain after surgery. Fentanyl is one of the strongest opioid drugs available today and it is important to know how…
What is Percocet? Percocet is a brand name prescription narcotic that is a combination of Oxycodone and Acetaminophen, and is used to treat moderate to severe pain. Oxycodone is a powerful opioid narcotic in several potent pain relievers, and Acetaminophen is a popular over-the-counter pain reliever, whose most common brand is Tylenol. It is important…
Opioid Abuse is as Important a Threat as Terrorism President Barack Obama traveled to Atlanta Tuesday, March 29, 2016, to speak to about 2,000 people attending the 5th annual National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit. The National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit is the largest national collaboration of professionals from local, state and…
Opioids are Inappropriate Medicine for Chronic Pain The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released on March 15, 2016, its eagerly awaited report on opioids and the corresponding guidelines for their use as medicine for chronic pain. Presented in a Journal of American Medicine (JAMA) article, the CDC report on opioids and their use…