A Promising Way to Help Drug Users Is ‘Severely Lacking’ Around the World, Report Says
Global funding for harm reduction programs is in “crisis,” according to the latest Global State of Harm Reduction report, potentially threatening the effectiveness of HIV, hepatitis and drug overdose relief programs worldwide.
Harm reduction policies and programs are meant to curb the negative effects associated with illicit drug use — such as overdoses and the spread of blood-borne illnesses like HIV and hepatitis C — rather than focusing solely on stopping substance use. Proponents, and plenty of research, suggest these practices can have a sizable impact on public health, and help drug users who ...
Source: TIME: Health - December 11, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jamie Ducharme Tags: Uncategorized healthytime HIV/AIDS public health Source Type: news
Change in alcohol and other drug use during five years of continuous opioid substitution treatment - Eastwood B, Strang J, Marsden J.
BACKGROUND: English national prospective, observational cohort study of patients continuously enrolled for five years in opioid substitution treatment (OST) with oral methadone and sublingual buprenorphine. This is a secondary outcome analysis of change in... (Source: SafetyLit)
Source: SafetyLit - December 6, 2018 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Tags: Alcohol and Other Drugs Source Type: news
Study examines effects of different opioids on driving performance
(Wiley) Taking opioids for the treatment of pain has been associated with increased risks of crashing among drivers, but it is unknown whether this applies to all opioids or pertains to specific opioids only. A new British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology study found that the influence of single analgesic doses of methadone and buprenorphine -- two different opioids -- on driving performance was mild and below the impairment threshold of a blood alcohol concentration of 0.5 mg ml-1. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - December 5, 2018 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news
US Life Expectency Drops; Drug Overdoses & Suicide To Blame
By Susan Scutti, CNN
(CNN) — Life expectancy in the United States declined from 2016 to 2017, yet the 10 leading causes of death remained the same, according to three government reports released Thursday. Increasing deaths due to drug overdoses and suicides explain this slight downtick in life expectancy, the US Centers for Disease Control says.
Overdose deaths reached a new high in 2017, topping 70,000, while the suicide rate increased by 3.7%, the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics reports.
Dr. Robert Redfield, CDC director, called the trend tragic and troubling. “Life expectancy gives us a s...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - November 29, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Health – CBS Boston Tags: Health News CNN Source Type: news
Focus on pros and cons of drug-based medicine
New RCGP exhibit on drugs in medicine Related items fromOnMedica Double check patients with ‘penicillin’ allergy to avoid MRSA risk Medics oppose plans to change script drugs to over the counter Make greater effort to protect children from methadone GPs defend practice on prescribing statins MHRA tightens licence restrictions on valproate for women (Source: OnMedica Latest News)
Source: OnMedica Latest News - November 29, 2018 Category: UK Health Source Type: news
Hope for non-toxic treatment for child cancer
Drug combination promising in treating neuroblastoma Related items fromOnMedica One in 10 children in phase I cancer trials respond to drugs Child cancer drug approved for NHS use Children need access to cancer drug ‘goldmine’ Higher heart risk for survivors of childhood cancer Make greater effort to protect children from methadone (Source: OnMedica Latest News)
Source: OnMedica Latest News - November 16, 2018 Category: UK Health Source Type: news
Prenatal food insecurity associated with severity of neonatal abstinence syndrome
(Boston Medical Center) A new study shows that food insecurity in pregnant women being treated for opioid use disorder may be associated with increased risk for their infants receiving pharmacologic treatment for neonatal abstinence syndrome. Published in Addiction, the Boston Medical Center study indicates that screening for food insecurity in pregnant women who are being treated with opioid agonist therapy (methadone or buprenorphine) for an opioid use disorder could be one way to decrease the severity of neonatal abstinence syndrome in their infants. (Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases)
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - November 13, 2018 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news
Timing of methadone treatment for pregnant women does not increase health risks: study
(Source: St. Michael's Hospital News and Media)
Source: St. Michael's Hospital News and Media - October 31, 2018 Category: Hospital Management Tags: Hospital News Source Type: news
Long Stigmatized, Methadone Clinics Multiply in Some States
Discusses the use of and need for methadone clinics to provide treatment for some people struggling with opioid misuse disorder, comparing access to these clinics between states. Many states have made a concerted effort to improve access in rural and suburban areas in response to the opioid crisis, while other states remain skeptical. (Source: News stories via the Rural Assistance Center)
Source: News stories via the Rural Assistance Center - October 31, 2018 Category: Rural Health Source Type: news
The effect of educating the clients of rehab centers on the frequency of methadone poisoning among children: a study from Iran - Abdoli H, Sadeghi T, Kazemi M.
Background Poisoning with methadone is considered dangerous and fatal, which can lead to decreased consciousness, coma, apnea and eventually death. Aims The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of educating the clients of rehabilitation (reha... (Source: SafetyLit)
Source: SafetyLit - October 22, 2018 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Tags: Alcohol and Other Drugs Source Type: news
Clinic to start dispensing methadone
It ’s been two months since Catholic Health opened an addictions clinic in Amherst to expand access to counseling and treatment. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines)
Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines - October 11, 2018 Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Tracey Drury Source Type: news
Doctor questions 'disgraceful' care provided by private, high-volume methadone clinics amid opioid crisis
As a northern Ontario city battles an opioid overdose death rate that's twice as high as the provincial average, there is rising concern about a treatment model dominated by for-profit methadone clinics. (Source: CBC | Health)
Source: CBC | Health - October 9, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: News/Canada/Thunder Bay Source Type: news
Opioid Bill Expands Treatment Options
Discusses the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018, opioid legislation recently approved by both houses of Congress and expected to be signed by President Trump. Two provisions in particular are expected to be especially helpful to people dealing with opioid use disorder. One would allow Medicaid to pay for residential treatment in large facilities, and the other would allow Medicare to pay for methadone treatment. (Source: News stories via the Rural Assistance Center)
Source: News stories via the Rural Assistance Center - October 4, 2018 Category: Rural Health Source Type: news
Methadone or Morphine for NAS? Methadone or Morphine for NAS?
A study sets out to find which treatment is best for neonates exposed to opioids before birth.Medscape Pediatrics (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)
Source: Medscape Today Headlines - September 25, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pediatrics Viewpoint Source Type: news
Changing dynamics of the drug overdose epidemic in the United States from 1979 through 2016
Better understanding of the dynamics of the current U.S. overdose epidemic may aid in the development of more effective prevention and control strategies. We analyzed records of 599,255 deaths from 1979 through 2016 from the National Vital Statistics System in which accidental drug poisoning was identified as the main cause of death. By examining all available data on accidental poisoning deaths back to 1979 and showing that the overall 38-year curve is exponential, we provide evidence that the current wave of opioid overdose deaths (due to prescription opioids, heroin, and fentanyl) may just be the latest manifestation of...
Source: ScienceNOW - September 20, 2018 Category: Science Authors: Jalal, H., Buchanich, J. M., Roberts, M. S., Balmert, L. C., Zhang, K., Burke, D. S. Tags: Epidemiology, Medicine, Diseases, Online Only r-articles Source Type: news
