opioids

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FDA: Imodium Misuse Could Be Fatal

The diarrhea medication is used to get high and cope with opioid withdrawals

(Newser) - An increasing amount of Americans are taking the diarrhea medication Imodium to get high or cope with withdrawals from opioid painkillers. Now, the FDA is warning that the misuse of Imodium—generically known as loperamide—could cause serious, possibly fatal heart problems. Thanks to America's increasing addiction to opioids,...

Prince Died of Opioid OD
 Prince Died of Painkiller OD 
UPDATED
Jun 2, 2016 6:21 PM CDT

Prince Died of Painkiller OD

Autopsy results are in

(Newser) - Prince died of an overdose of fentanyl, a powerful opioid painkiller that is up to 50 times more potent than heroin, autopsy results released Thursday show. The findings confirm suspicions that opioids played a role in the death of the superstar musician, who was found dead April 21 at his...

Prince Lay Dead in Elevator for 6 Hours

He had also sought help for apparent opioid addiction

(Newser) - Prince was apparently battling opioid addiction when he died—and when he did die, he lay in an elevator for at least six hours before being found, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Sources close to the investigation say Prince had suffered an opioid overdose on April 15 and received treatment...

Doctor Database Abused by Users Seeking Opioids

ProPublica admits problem with "Prescriber Checkup"

(Newser) - Looks like a freely available online database that reveals which doctors are prescribing what pills has partly backfired. Stephen Engelberg, editor-in-chief at ProPublica—which unveiled Prescriber Checkup in 2013—admits as much. "Thousands of the people ... viewed the 'reporting recipe' we wrote to help local journalists identify doctors...

Opioid Addicts Getting High on Diarrhea Meds&mdash;Fatally
Opioid Addicts Getting High on Diarrhea Meds—Fatally
in case you missed it
May 8, 2016 6:30 AM CDT

Opioid Addicts Getting High on Diarrhea Meds—Fatally

'As dumb and dangerous as it sounds'

(Newser) - In yet another sign that the US is facing a mounting opioid epidemic, people are trying to get high, or at least temper their opiate withdrawals, off an anti-diarrhea drug commonly sold under the brand name Imodium, reports NPR . In the journal Annals of Emergency Medicine , researchers note an uptick...

Jamie Lee Curtis: I, Too, Was Addicted to Painkillers

She shares her story in response to Prince's death

(Newser) - It's time to do something about painkiller addiction, writes Jamie Lee Curtis in the Huffington Post , where she reveals that she was once addicted, like Prince reportedly was. "I too, waited anxiously for a prescription to be filled for the opiate I was secretly addicted to. I too,...

OxyContin&#39;s Biggest Claim Can Result in &#39;Hell&#39; for Users
OxyContin's Biggest Claim Can Result in 'Hell' for Users
investigation
May 5, 2016 11:18 AM CDT

OxyContin's Biggest Claim Can Result in 'Hell' for Users

LA Times: It often wears off before 12 hours, creating big problems

(Newser) - One of the huge selling points of OxyContin is that it boasts of keeping users free of pain for 12 hours, thus allowing them to sleep through the night. But an investigation by the Los Angeles Times finds that the claim doesn't hold true for many patients, and when...

Prince Had Date With Addiction Doctor: Report

Doctor's son reportedly called 911

(Newser) - Dr. Howard Kornfeld, a nationally recognized specialist in opioid addiction, received a call on April 20 about a man suffering from a "grave" addiction to painkillers. The California doctor sent his son on a red-eye flight to see the patient in Minnesota and explain how his father's "...

1 in 11 Organ Donors Died of Drug Overdose Last Year

More than 20 people die every day waiting for an organ transplant

(Newser) - As the number of Americans dying of drug overdoses continues to rise—thanks in large part to an opioid epidemic—so too has the number of organ donors. In fact, the percentage of donors who died of overdoses has nearly tripled since 2006, according to data gathered by the United...

Mom Who Found Daughter Dead Writes Devastatingly Honest Obituary

Kelsey Endicott, 23, died of accidental overdose

(Newser) - Kathleen Errico is the latest devastated family member to take part in a heartbreaking trend: being brutally honest about a person's untimely death. Errico found her 23-year-old daughter dead in her bed, TV still on, at 3:45am on April 2. Kelsey Endicott, who leaves behind a 2-year-old son,...

Americans Name Drug They Fear Most&mdash;and It&#39;s Legal
 Americans Name Drug They 
 Fear Most—and It's Legal 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Apr 3, 2016 2:35 PM CDT

Americans Name Drug They Fear Most—and It's Legal

Alcohol causes 88K deaths a year

(Newser) - The second deadliest drug in the US after tobacco is similarly legal, and claims more lives than all illicit drugs combined with 88,000 deaths a year. Alcohol is also the drug that has Americans most concerned, reports the AP and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research at the...

Addict's Story Touched Obama; Months Later, She Was Dead

Jessica Grubb died of 'oxycodone toxicity' on March 2

(Newser) - "I have sobriety, good books, Netflix, and a wonderful family," Jessica Grubb wrote from a Michigan hospital on Feb. 23, ahead of hip surgery. On March 1, the 30-year-old recovering heroin addict left the hospital with an IV port in her arm and 50 prescribed pills of oxycodone....

CDC to Doctors: Cool It With the Painkiller Prescriptions

New recommendations aim to curb opioid abuse

(Newser) - Prescription painkillers should not be a first-choice for treating common ailments like back pain and arthritis, according to new federal guidelines designed to reshape how doctors prescribe drugs like OxyContin and Vicodin. Amid an epidemic of addiction and abuse tied to these powerful opioids drugs, the Centers for Disease Control...

Fatal Overdoses of Common Anxiety Meds Are Spiking

'Benzos' such as Xanax and Valium overprescribed, say study authors

(Newser) - Opioids aren't the only drugs we should be concerned about when it comes to overdoses. ODs involving common anxiety drugs like Xanax and Valium are at an all-time high, and scientists fear plenty of lives will be lost before they fully understand why. In a new study , researchers found...

Overdose Drug Helps Woman Feel Pain for First Time

And that could actually be great news for people with chronic pain

(Newser) - A woman who was born without the ability to feel pain was hurt for the first time in 39 years when researchers burned her with a laser, New Scientist reports. "I think she quite enjoyed the experiment," researcher John Wood says. But that's not just good news...

Mom's Viral Photo Shows the Harsh Reality of Heroin

Eva Holland poses with her 2 kids next to their dad's dead body

(Newser) - An Ohio woman who lost the father of her two kids earlier this month responded by posting the rather jarring photo of herself and the children standing next to his open casket in an attempt to warn people about the harsh reality of heroin addiction, reports CBS News . The photo,...

In Rural Pennsylvania, Heroin Is Cheaper Than Beer

It's easier to get hold of, too, report warns

(Newser) - Heroin addiction isn't just an urban problem in Pennsylvania, where a small packet of the drug is cheaper and easier for young people in rural areas to obtain than a six-pack of beer, a new report warns. The Center for Rural Pennsylvania's report found that an "epidemic"...

California Sues: Big Pharma Created Addicts With Lies

Lawsuit alleges slick marketing got people hooked on opioid painkillers

(Newser) - The makers of strong painkillers like OxyContin have created a "population of addicts" with a "campaign of deception" about the risks the drugs carry, two California counties charge in a lawsuit filed on behalf of the whole state. Orange and Santa Clara counties are suing five large makers...

Single Pill Would Combine Morphine ... and Oxycodone
Single Pill Would Mix Morphine ... and Oxycodone
in case you missed it
Apr 26, 2014 8:33 AM CDT

Single Pill Would Mix Morphine ... and Oxycodone

Its maker will tout Moxduo's benefits to the FDA today, in face of fears

(Newser) - On the one hand are the benefits: A single pill that would allow patients to ingest smaller doses of two drugs than they'd consume if they took the drugs separately, one with a lowered risk of respiratory complications, and one that eases intense pain rapidly. What's not to...

Rise in Painkiller Use During Pregnancy Alarms Experts
Alarming Find: Opioid Use
During Pregnancy on Rise
new study
Apr 14, 2014 7:46 AM CDT

Alarming Find: Opioid Use During Pregnancy on Rise

Prescriptions for strong painkillers surge despite unknown risks

(Newser) - The risks of taking opioid painkillers during pregnancy aren't fully understood but that hasn't stopped doctors prescribing them for large numbers of pregnant women, an alarming new study in Obstetrics and Gynecology finds. Some 23% of Medicaid-enrolled pregnant women were prescribed opioids like codeine and hydrocodone in 2007,...

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