Part 2 - We Were Wrong 20 Years Ago, Our Current Response to the Opioid Crisis is Wrong, But We Should Still Be Helping Most of our Long-Term Patients Reduce Their Opioid Doses
by Drew Rosielle (@drosielle)This is the second in a series of several posts about many aspects of my current thinking about opioids.The first post is here:Part 1 – Introduction, General Disclaimers, Hand-Wringing, and a Hand-Crafted Graph.Over-prescribing fueled the current drug overdose epidemic, and many of us who thought we were stamping out needless suffering contributed to the epidemic.A lot of what I read and believed about opioids early on in my career was wrong.I ’m old enough to remember those heady days in which there was a pretty large and ‘successful’ movement in American medicine to greatly liberalize...
Source: Pallimed: A Hospice and Palliative Medicine Blog - October 3, 2019 Category: Palliative Care Tags: opioids pain rosielle The profession Source Type: blogs
A Series of Observations on Opioids By a Palliative Doc Who Prescribes A Lot of Opioids But Also Has Questions.
by Drew Rosielle (@drosielle)Part 1 – Introduction, General Disclaimers, Hand-Wringing, and a Hand-Crafted Graph.This is the first in a series of several posts about many aspects of my current thinking about opioids, with a focus on how my thinking about opioids has changed over the years.Opioids, opioids, opioids. The working title of these series of posts was in fact “Goddamned Opioids and the Goddamned Opioid Crisis’ because it’s a confusing time out there. A lot of us in palliative care have watched the unfolding, devastating, opioid overdose crisis in the US with dread and horror, as well as the multitude of r...
Source: Pallimed: A Hospice and Palliative Medicine Blog - October 3, 2019 Category: Palliative Care Tags: opioids rosielle The profession Source Type: blogs
A Welcome Victory For Harm Reduction Advocates
Jeffrey A. SingerOn Wednesday, October 2, US District Judge Gerald McHughruled that the plans of a non-profit, privately-funded, harm reduction organization to establish a Safe Injection Site in Philadelphia do not violate federal law. A group that includes former Philadelphia Mayor and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell was warned last year by then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that their plans to establish “Safehouse” would be a violation of federal law and would face a “swift federal response.” In February of this year, US Attorney for the eastern district of Pennsylvania Bill McSwainsought a declarat...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - October 3, 2019 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs
New Research on Illegal Immigration and Crime
Alex NowrastehHow illegal immigrants affect crime is one of the most contentious subareas of debate in the entire immigration issue. Cato scholars have produced much original research on this topic, finding that illegal and legal immigrants both have lower incarcerationrates than native-born Americans and lower criminal conviction rates in thestate ofTexas, the only state where data are available. We ’ve also found that local government participation in immigrationenforcement programs doesn ’t affect crime rates.Academic researchers have also stepped into the fray. Sociologists Michael Light and Ty Millerfound that a...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - September 24, 2019 Category: American Health Authors: Alex Nowrasteh Source Type: blogs
Is the DEA Branching Out Into Regulating Medicine?
Jeffrey A. SingerThe Drug Enforcement Administration, having virtually eliminated the diversion of prescription pain relievers into the underground market for nonmedical users, appears to be setting its sights on regulating the medical management of pain, a mission not suited for law enforcement. Acting under the authority of the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (SUPPORT Act), the DEA announced a proposal to reduce, once again, the national production quotas for fentanyl, morphine, hydromorphone (Dilaudid), oxycodone, and oxymorphone, bringing...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - September 23, 2019 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs
Bringing Drug Use Out of the Shadows Reduces Harm to the Community as Well as to Users
Jeffrey A. SingerMany critics of marijuana legalization raise concerns that marijuana dispensaries might serve as loci for increased local criminal activity. Now there is empirical evidence that just the opposite occurs.A new study reported in the September issue of Regional Science and Urban Economics examined local crime rate data from 2013 through 2016 in Denver, Colorado, where legal cannabis sales to adults began in 2014. The researchers reported:The results imply that an additional dispensary in a neighborhood leads to a reduction of 17 crimes per month per 10,000 residents, which corresponds to roughly a 19 per...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - September 19, 2019 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs
Dr. Bruce Schoneboom and the HHS Pain Task Force
Back in May, Bruce Schoneboom wrapped up his appointment to the HHS Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force. The group determined best practices for managing chronic and acute pain—and addressed judicious prescribing of opioids. If you didn’t know: The CDC reports there are 192 overdose deaths in the U.S. every day. Forty percent of
The post Dr. Bruce Schoneboom and the HHS Pain Task Force appeared first on Johns Hopkins Nursing Magazine. (Source: Nursing Blogs at Johns Hopkins University)
Source: Nursing Blogs at Johns Hopkins University - September 17, 2019 Category: Nursing Authors: Editor Tags: New On the Pulse DNP nurse anesthesiology nurse anesthetist pain month Source Type: blogs
Sleep driving and other unusual practices during sleep
Most people have talked or walked during sleep at some time in our lives. However, some people exhibit more unusual complex behaviors while asleep, including eating and driving. These types of behaviors, called parasomnias, come about when parts of our brain are asleep and other parts awake at the same time. Parasomnias, while generally considered normal in a healthy child, can be a cause for concern when they develop in adults. Earlier this year the FDA issued a “black box” warning for the sleep medications eszopiclone, zaleplon, and zolpidem, given reports of sleep behaviors that resulted in injuries from falls, car ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - September 16, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Suzanne Bertisch, MD, MPH Tags: Fatigue Sleep Source Type: blogs
Can You Form an Addiction to Suboxone?
While Suboxone can be a helpful tool for many, it is important to also understand its addictive nature. Because it is an opioid, wondering if you can form an addiction to Suboxone can be answered simply: Yes. Although the rates of addiction are much smaller than those of other opioids, it is still important to take their addictive properties seriously and get help if you start to notice the signs and symptoms of addiction to Suboxone.
What is Suboxone?
According to their own website, Suboxone is a prescription medicine that contains the active ingredients buprenorphine and naloxone. It is used to treat adults who are depe...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - September 13, 2019 Category: Addiction Authors: Jaclyn Uloth Tags: Addiction Addiction to Pharmaceuticals Substance Abuse addiction treatment addictionologist detox drug detox medical detox medicated-assisted detox prescription drug detox prescription medication suboxone Source Type: blogs
Is Luxury Residential Treatment Worth the Cost?
Making the decision to go to residential rehab is a big, life-changing one. It can also be stressful because choosing the right treatment center can absolutely make all the difference in your long-term recovery. This is especially true if you are used to a certain standard in your lifestyle. Some rehabs provide adequate accommodations for the length of your stay, while some luxury rehabs will go above and beyond. Just because you need addiction treatment doesn’t mean you have to compromise on your lifestyle and the things you are used to. This is when it’s important to know: is luxury residential treatment worth the c...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - August 30, 2019 Category: Addiction Authors: Jaclyn Uloth Tags: Addiction Addiction Recovery Addiction Treatment and Program Resources Alcohol Rehab Information Drug Rehab Information Drug Treatment Holistic Treatment Protocols alcohol treatment luxury luxury drug rehabilitation luxury heroin rehab Source Type: blogs
Difference Between Impaired Control and Substance Use
What is Impaired Control and Substance Use?
When understanding addiction and learning how it affects the brain, it is very important to know the difference between impaired control and substance use. Impaired control can be defined as “a craving or strong urge to use the substance; desire or failed attempts to cut down or control substance use”, however, it can be attributed to anything. People can have impaired control when it comes to drinking, shopping, gambling, video games or sex. It is also one of the very hallmarks of addiction, and often the very realization that drives people to get the help they need.
When it...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - August 29, 2019 Category: Addiction Authors: Jaclyn Uloth Tags: Addiction Addiction Recovery controlled substances drug substitutes substance absuse substance abuse substance abuse care substance abuse problems substance abuse treatment substance abuse treatment facility Source Type: blogs
