The painkiller OxyContin can be plenty dangerous if you knowingly abuse it, but it has long posed real dangers of overdose, as well, to those who had little thought of getting high. Cutting a pill in half may sound like a swell way to get just a little relief on a day when that chronic [...]
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Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are always a concern with patients in methadone maintenance treatment for opioid addiction. Mixing alcohol with methadone can adversely affect patient compliance and treatment outcomes. Staff members in opioid treatment programs (OTPs) need to be aware that screening and treating methadone patients for AUDs is an important part of patient care, and [...]
One often hears alcohol addiction referred to as alcoholism and drug addiction referred to as drug abuse. Because of this, some people may wonder if there is a difference between the words abuse and addiction. In some respect, there is, especially when alcohol is the substance that is causing the problem. This is [...] On TV, in school and, hopefully, at home, children hear messages over and over warning them about the dangers of abusing drugs. But just when you think maybe the repetition is reaching overkill, statistics like those revealed in a National Institute on Drug Abuse study released this week show the message isn’t getting through to [...] Injection-drug users (IDUs) acquire human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection by sharing drug equipment with HIV-infected persons and by engaging in risky sexual behavior. In 2007, injection-drug use was the third most frequently reported risk factor for HIV infection in the United States, after male-to-male sexual contact and high-risk heterosexual contact. To characterize HIV-infected IDUs aged [...] The Times Union’s outstanding series, “Poppy’s story: A face of addiction,” coincides with a state fiscal crisis that will tempt lawmakers to enact across-the-board budget cuts to chemical dependence treatment, prevention and recovery services. They should reject this path, because in many instances broad-based cuts to these vital programs would actually cost the state money. Lawmakers [...] This is the second of two articles on treating pregnant patients in MAT, clinical considerations related to their care, and outcomes for their babies. Opioid treatment programs (OTPs) are caring for increasing numbers of pregnant patients-some who become pregnant while in methadone treatment programs, others who decide to begin methadone treatment [...] This is the first in a series of articles on treating pregnant patients in MAT, clinical considerations related to their care, and outcomes for their babies. Check back in the coming days for part two, or follow us on Twitter @MeridianNetwork to get a live feed from our blog. Holly is a 35-year-old tenth-grade dropout who [...] During 1999–2006, the number of poisoning deaths in the United States nearly doubled, from approximately 20,000 to 37,000, largely because of overdose deaths involving prescription opioid painkillers (1). This increase coincided with a nearly fourfold increase in the use of prescription opioids nationally (2). In Washington, in 2006, the rate of poisoning involving opioid painkillers [...] So says a report produced in partnership with the Primary Care Trust Network, Mental Health Network and National Mental Health Development Unit which says that a third of mental health users, half of substance misuse service users and 70 per cent of prisoners are subject to this kind of dual diagnosis. The report, Seeing double: meeting the challenge of dual [...] |
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