Drug Addiction Is a Serious Problem for Teens and Senior Citizens Too People often think of drug addiction as primarily a problem for adults, especially adults in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. However, three recently published studies highlight how the addiction epidemic is expanding to include age demographics that previously did not struggle with drug…
Health Experts Sound the Alarm Over Allergy Meds Found in Street Opioids Newly published research has produced evidence of yet another drug risk, i.e., allergy medications being added to illicit street opioids. This development poses an increased risk to users, as antihistamines have a drowsiness effect, which, when coupled with the depressant nature of opioids,…
Fatal Heart Infections Linked to Opioid Addiction Soar Among Youth Scientific researchers are finding a grim answer to why growing numbers of young Americans are dying from the effects of heart failure, endocarditis, strokes, and leaking heart valves. Researchers have determined that opioid abuse among young people is the common denominator for several rising heart-related…
Meth Abuse and Resulting Heart Failure are on the Rise Around the World A recent study published in the journal Heart provided a worldwide examination of meth abuse, addiction trends, and the cardiovascular implications of meth addiction. The researchers found that no matter which country they examined, meth abuse was on the rise. Further, everywhere…
America’s Pregnant Women at Increasing Risk for Drug Overdoses One could say that the most important mandate for the human species is to protect the future of the species. So when new research shows an alarming increase in fatal drug overdoses for pregnant and postpartum women, it serves as a warning sign that fast action…
Fentanyl Vaccine Won’t Address Underlying Reasons Why Addicts Use Drugs Researchers have reported they’ve created a vaccine to help fight the opioid epidemic that claims tens of thousands of lives every year. While the medication is being hailed as a breakthrough (and it indeed will help save lives), the only way to truly reduce the…
New York Next in Line to Settle Opioid Case with Big Pharma Over the past few years, dozens of lawsuits have culminated in major pharmaceutical companies being held at least somewhat accountable for creating America’s crippling opioid addiction epidemic. Most recently, New York State settled a $ 524 million lawsuit with Teva Pharmaceuticals. While the…
How One Police Chief Is Changing the Conversation Around Addiction A 30-year law enforcement veteran from Newtown, Ohio, Police Chief Tom Synan has stepped up and launched the Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition, a partnership between law enforcement and behavioral health programs. The coalition’s goal is to shift the addiction response off of law enforcement…