The Other Opioid Epidemic
By HANS DUVEFELT, MD
“I made myself a hypodermic injection of a triple dose of morphia and sank down on the couch in my consulting-room….I told her I was all right, all I wanted was twenty-four hours’ sleep, she was not to disturb me unless the house was on fire.”
– Axel Munthe, MD, The Story of San Michele (1929)
When people in this country mention the opioid epidemic, most of the time it is in the context of addiction with its ensuing criminality and social deprivation, and the focus is on opioids’ medical complications like withdrawal, overdose and death.
But that is only one of the opioid epidemics we have...
Source: The Health Care Blog - January 2, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Irvine Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
Take it from this physician: Beware the dangers of benzodiazepines
It’s 3 a.m., and I wake with a jolt. My heart is pounding out of my chest. I stumble out of bed to take a beta blocker hoping it’s enough to quiet my heart so I can doze off again. I sleep fitfully the next three hours, experiencing weird dreams and terrifying nightmares.
At 6 a.m., I take my Valium. Nauseated, I lie in bed for 30 minutes, so I keep down my pill. I must get my six-year-old daughter ready for school. Between my confusion and the stress of all the little steps it takes to get out the door in the morning, I am brought to tears. These simple tasks were no big deal before my illness. I left my job as a card...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - November 6, 2017 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/christy-huff" rel="tag" > Christy Huff, MD < /a > Tags: Physician Primary Care Psychiatry Source Type: blogs
Pain in the Bite
A 14-year-old boy with no past medical history was brought to the ED in some distress by his parents. One hour earlier while looking for his baseball glove in the garage he had felt a small pinprick just above his right ankle. The patient, however, became increasingly uncomfortable and began complaining of diffuse abdominal pain.His initial vital signs were a temperature of 97°F, heart rate of 112 bpm, blood pressure of 151/91 mm Hg, and 98% pulse oximetry on room air. He appeared uncomfortable, was diaphoretic, and had a rigid abdomen. A small puncture wound with some mild erythema to the lateral right ankle was no...
Source: The Tox Cave - August 1, 2017 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
A hidden reason for electronic prescribing of controlled substances
As of July 1, pharmacies in Maine cannot honor paper or telephone prescriptions for controlled substances, from OxyContin down to Valium, Lyrica, and Tylenol with codeine.
EPCS, or electronic prescribing of controlled substances, is a double security step in the prescription process built into EMRs, electronic medical records. It involves another password entry and the use of one-time passwords from a small number generator issued to each prescriber.
It has been said that this will prevent fraudulent prescriptions via phone or on stolen prescription pads, as well as altering of legitimate prescriptions.
Continue reading .....
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - July 18, 2017 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/a-country-doctor" rel="tag" > A Country Doctor, MD < /a > Tags: Meds Medications Pain management Source Type: blogs
Lethal Poison Used in Syria
The Syrian government recently used what is believed to be sarin on civilians, killing 80 people and injuring many more. (CNN. April 20, 2017; http://cnn.it/2oXX47G.) The use of a nerve agent was confirmed by the Turkish government after examining several bodies during autopsy.Sarin was first developed by the Germans as a pesticide in 1938, and is one of the G-series nerve agents that includes tabun, soman, and cyclosarin. Sarin was also used in a terrorist attack in the Tokyo subway in 1995, killing 12 people. (TIME. March 20, 2015; http://ti.me/2oY3F1Y.) Sarin is an organophosphorus compound similar to what is...
Source: The Tox Cave - June 1, 2017 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
10 Things Every Alzheimer's Caregiver Needs to Know and Discuss with Their Doctor
TheAmerican Geriatrics Society has published a list of ten things doctors and their patients should consider, know and understand.I think it is important forevery caregiver of a person living with Alzheimer's, or a related dementia, todiscuss these 10 issues with the doctor. Doing this in advance might be one of the most important caregiverdecisions you can make.It might also be a good idea toshare this article in support groups, and bookmark (save) it so you can find it when you need it.What is Alzheimer's Disease?By Carole Larkinhttp://www.alzheimersreadingroom.comI think this is an important list of things that nee...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - April 13, 2017 Category: Neurology Authors: rtdemarco at gmail.com Tags: alzheimer care care of dementia patients dementia help for caregivers elderly dementia care geriatrics health help alzheimer's help with dementia help with dementia care life news memory care facility Source Type: blogs
Bioterrorism: 10 facts about sarin gas
As the civil war in Syria shows no signs of de-escalating, worrisome evidence points towards the deployment of chemical warfare with banned agents recently, resulting in almost a hundred deaths with more than a quarter of them children. Chlorine and Sarin gas are primarily being implicated. Here are ten facts to know about Sarin gas and how it works.
1. Historically, Sarin was used for bioterrorism by members of Aum Shinrikyo, a radical religious cult group in Japan, in 1994 and 1995 that collectively poisoned 6500 people on the subway. In 1998, Saddam Hussein used it against Iranians and Kurdish people. The Syrian governm...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - April 9, 2017 Category: Journals (General) Authors: < a href="http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/tanu-s-pandey" rel="tag" > Tanu S. Pandey, MD < /a > Tags: Conditions Emergency Source Type: blogs
If you have low back pain try these steps first
Low back pain, the scourge of mankind: it is the second leading cause of disability here in the United States, and the fourth worldwide. It’s also one of the top five medical problems for which people see doctors. Almost every day that I see patients, I see someone with back pain. It’s one of the top reasons for lost wages due to missed work, as well as for healthcare dollars spent, hence, a very expensive problem.
Looking at two kinds of back pain
Let’s talk about the most common forms of back pain: acute (which lasts less than four weeks) and subacute (which lasts four to 12 weeks). Most of these cases (approximate...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - April 3, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Monique Tello, MD, MPH Tags: Back Pain Managing your health care Pain Management Source Type: blogs
‘ Going to Extremes ’ Redux
LITFL: Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog
LITFL: Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog - Emergency medicine and critical care medical education blog
Five years ago, based on a suggestion by Greg Kelly, we sought out the most extreme parameters clinicians have encountered in looking after their patients.
This is the league table we have assembled so far:
ParameterLevelDiagnosisSubmitted by
Fluid gain between hemodialysis sessions21 LRenal failureKT
CRP950 mg/LNicky
Highest glucose121 mmol/LHHS/ HONKGuru
Troponin I180.0 ng/mlMIWanderer
CD4 count (lowest)2 cells/uLAIDSAnne
pH (lowest in DKA, and survived...
Source: Life in the Fast Lane - March 22, 2017 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Chris Nickson Tags: Emergency Medicine Intensive Care clinical extremes laboratory parameters pathophysiology Source Type: blogs
Research and Reviews in the Fastlane 175
LITFL: Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog
LITFL: Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog - Emergency medicine and critical care medical education blog
Welcome to the 175th edition of Research and Reviews in the Fastlane. R&R in the Fastlane is a free resource that harnesses the power of social media to allow some of the best and brightest emergency medicine and critical care clinicians from all over the world tell us what they think is worth reading from the published literature.
This edition contains 4 recommended reads. The R&R Editorial Team includes Jeremy Fried, Nudrat Rashid, Justin Morgenstern and, of cour...
Source: Life in the Fast Lane - March 8, 2017 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Justin Morgenstern Tags: Education Emergency Medicine Obstetrics / Gynecology R&R in the FASTLANE EBM literature recommendations research and reviews Source Type: blogs
Research and Reviews in the Fastlane 172
Welcome to the 172nd edition of Research and Reviews in the Fastlane. R&R in the Fastlane is a free resource that harnesses the power of social media to allow some of the best and brightest emergency medicine and critical care clinicians from all over the world tell us what they think is worth reading from the published literature.
This edition contains 5 recommended reads. The R&R Editorial Team includes Jeremy Fried, Nudrat Rashid, Justin Morgenstern and, of course, Chris Nickson. Find more R&R in the Fastlane reviews in the R&R Archive, read more about the R&R project or check out the full ...
Source: Life in the Fast Lane - February 9, 2017 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Jeremy Fried Tags: Airway Emergency Medicine Intensive Care R&R in the FASTLANE EBM Education recommendations research and reviews Source Type: blogs
Medications that Increase the Risks of Falling
Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries for adults 65 and older, and research suggests that those taking four or more medications are at an even greater risk than those who don ’t.ByAlzheimer's Reading RoomWhat ’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s and DementiaHow to Test Your Memory for Alzheimer's and DementiaHow to Get Answers To Your Questions About Alzheimer's and Dementia“Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries for adults 65 and older, and research suggests that those taking four or more medications are at an even greater risk than those who don’t – perhap...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - February 1, 2017 Category: Neurology Tags: alzheimer's care care of dementia patients dementia care health help alzheimer's help with dementia care medications falls Prescription Medications Risks risk of falling senior care Source Type: blogs
