Avoiding the Slippery Slope of Opioids
Whether you’re taking a prescription medication for chronic pain or for temporary pain that resulted from an injury, it’s possible to become addicted to these medications, which occurs when your brain and body are no longer able to stop taking the medication without suffering from severe withdrawal symptoms. If you’ve recently been prescribed opioid medications, […]
Becoming Familiar with Addiction Signs
If you suspect that someone you care about has been using heroin or other types of opioids, there are a few signs that you might notice after spending some time with them. You can use this information to discuss next steps with a qualified professional. All in the Eyes When you talk to your loved […]
Signs of Heroin Use
Heroin is a drug that often takes over the body and mind like a thief in the night. Use of the drug often begins slow and steady, but as the body develops a resistance to the drug’s impacts, the person needs more and more to get the same high that only a small amount did […]
Common Signs Of Heroin Use
Opiates are among the most addictive drugs that a person can use with heroin being at the top of the list of those drugs. Sometimes, you might not realize that someone else is using heroin because they hide the marks on the arms from the needles or try to maintain a normal life while overcoming […]
New Study Questions Value of Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain
Long-term opioid use is sometimes prescribed for patients with chronic pain, such as headaches, back pain and arthritis. One-third of Americans deal with chronic, non-cancer-related pain. As opioid medications were increasingly used to manage chronic pain, the rate of overdose deaths related to opioids has also increased. According to the Centers for Disease Control and […]
5 Non-Opioid Alternatives for Chronic Pain Sufferers
In 2017, prescriptions for opioids dropped 12 percent. This is believed to be the most dramatic drop in opioid prescriptions in nearly a quarter century. Additionally, more doctors are exploring alternatives to powerful pain medications because of the risks that come with even short-term use of such painkillers. This is definitely good news given the […]
An Awareness of Opioid Dependency
Thanks to public awareness campaigns, more people are aware of the opioid addiction crisis in this country. Even so, many people each year still fall prey to opioids and find themselves dependent on these substances. You can help yourself or a loved one overcome an addiction to opioids by learning how prevalent this problem truly […]
New Study Suggests Over-the-Counter Meds May Work As Well As Opioids In ERs
Opioids are often given to patients who visit emergency rooms with complaints of acute (sudden) pain. While the reason for doing so is to provide fast relief for patients experiencing significant discomfort, a new study suggests over-the-counter medications may be just as effective in some instances. The results are notable since there is a growing […]
The Most Commonly Prescribed Opiates
Derived naturally or synthetically from the opium plant, opiates are a class of drugs that were all originally produced for the purpose of providing pain relief. While not all opiates are used for their intended purpose today, there are many narcotic painkillers commonly used to help patients with severe acute pain or chronic pain that […]
Newborns with Drug Dependency: A Growing Problem
Over two decades ago, the term “neonatal abstinence syndrome” was relatively unheard of in many states. However, it is different now as it has become quite a common occurrence in the newborn intensive care units (NICUs) in the United States. Babies with the syndrome were born with drug dependency. According to the Centers for Disease […]