prescription painkillers

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Addicts Find Ways Around &#39;Abuse-Deterrent&#39; OxyContin
Addicts Find Ways Around 'Abuse-Deterrent' OxyContin
STUDY SAYS
Mar 12, 2015 12:32 PM CDT

Addicts Find Ways Around 'Abuse-Deterrent' OxyContin

People find new ways to dissolve the pills—or turn to heroin, study says

(Newser) - When an "abuse-deterrent" version of OxyContin was introduced in 2010, the intent was clear: "to make OxyContin more difficult to solubilize or crush, thus discouraging abuse through injection and inhalation," the New England Journal of Medicine noted in 2012. Made with special binders, the revamped pills would...

In 2 Years, Heroin Deaths Double

Heroin-related deaths double over 28 states from 2010 to 2012: study

(Newser) - Heroin deaths are rising as deaths related to prescription painkiller overdoses decline, a report finds. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says heroin-related deaths doubled from 2010 to 2012, based on data from 28 states, HealthDay reports. Each state saw a boost in heroin-related deaths—and in the Northeast,...

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"...

Medical Marijuana May Cut Painkiller ODs

States with new laws see drop in opioid deaths

(Newser) - The solution to America's addiction to painkillers may be … more drugs? A new study found a drop in painkiller overdose deaths in 13 states that allowed medical marijuana, CNN reports. That's because a patient prescribed marijuana will either stop taking opioids or take less of them, researchers...

Combo Painkiller Designed to Be Tougher to Abuse

FDA approves opioid that won't cause euphoria when crushed

(Newser) - The FDA has approved a new form of OxyContin that unites two unlikely bedfellows in an attempt to curb abuse, reports AP . The drug from Purdue Pharma is called Targiniq ER, and it combines oxycodone—the main painkilling ingredient in OxyContin, one that causes feelings of euphoria—with naloxene, which...

Only 1 State Rejects Prescription Drug Database

'Welcome to Missouri—America's drugstore'

(Newser) - With prescription painkiller abuse, addiction, and overdoses a massive problem across the country, some 49 states have brought in databases to track excess prescriptions—and then there is Missouri. The state is the only holdout that has refused to create a monitoring program, even though law enforcement officials say the...

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...

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,...

'Deadly' Painkiller's Maker Sues Over Prescription Ban

Massachusetts can't override FDA, drug firm says

(Newser) - Drug maker Zogenix is kicking back against attempts to ban a strong new painkiller that critics warn will kill people as soon as it is released . The firm has filed suit in Massachusetts in an attempt to block Gov. Deval Patrick's executive order banning doctors from prescribing Zohydro, reports...

FDA Wants Tougher Rules for Painkillers Like Vicodin

It recommends tighter restrictions for painkillers with hydrocodone

(Newser) - It will likely be tougher for people to get their hands on Vicodin and similar painkillers next year. The FDA today recommended tougher restrictions for drugs made with hydrocodone, reports Reuters . Assuming the guidelines are approved by the department of Health and Human Services, patients would get fewer refills, and...

World&#39;s Most Popular Drug: Pot



 World's Most 
 Popular Drug: Pot 
study says
Aug 29, 2013 12:03 AM CDT

World's Most Popular Drug: Pot

But painkillers behind most deaths

(Newser) - Researchers have, for the first time, conducted a worldwide survey on illegal drug use, and they learned that the most popular one on the planet is marijuana. But the drugs that are killing the most people are strong painkillers, Vicodin, OxyContin, and codeine among them, the AP reports, as per...

Oxy Maker Won't Share List of Suspicious Doctors

Purdue Pharma has IDed 1,800 suspect doctors, but only told authorities about 154

(Newser) - The maker of OxyContin has a database of doctors it suspects may be prescribing its pills to addicts and dealers—but it isn't sharing that info with cops, reports the LA Times . Purdue Pharma says it has alerted authorities to 154 suspicious prescribers, but that's only about 8%...

Drug Deaths Soar for Middle-Aged Women

Prescription painkillers the culprit, says CDC

(Newser) - Prescription painkillers are fast becoming a serious health menace to women, says the CDC. Some highlights from a new study, as noted by the Boston Globe , USA Today , the New York Times , and AP :
  • Eighteen women a day die from a prescription drug overdose.
  • Overall, men are still more likely
...

Walgreens Slapped With Record $80M Oxy Fine

One small-town pharmacy was ordering 2.2M pills a year

(Newser) - Walgreens made history yesterday ... by being ordered to pay the largest fine in the history of the US Controlled Substances Act. The drugstore empire was slugged for $80 million for "an unprecedented number" of violations in its sale of oxycodone and other controlled substances, following a probe by the...

FDA Blocks Generic OxyContin
  FDA Blocks Generic OxyContin 
Apr 17, 2013 4:01 AM CDT

FDA Blocks Generic OxyContin

Move prevents crushable form returning to market

(Newser) - In a big victory for campaigners against prescription drug abuse—as well as for OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma—the FDA has blocked generic drugmakers from making their own versions of the powerful painkiller. The ruling came on the day that Purdue's patent on the old, crushable, and widely abused...

Painkiller Deaths Rise Again in US

Increase defies push to curb abuse of drugs such as Vicodin, OxyContin

(Newser) - The number of deaths attributed to abuse of prescription drugs such as Vicodin and OxyContin rose again in the latest federal stats, reports the Los Angeles Times . Those types of drugs are largely responsible for a 3% increase in overall drug fatalities in 2010, say CDC researchers, and preliminary numbers...

Fatal Drug ODs Rise 11th Straight Year

Prescription medications at core of problem

(Newser) - Fatal drug overdoses rose for the 11th straight year, federal data show, and most of them were accidents involving addictive painkillers despite growing attention to their risks. "The big picture is that this is a big problem that has gotten much worse quickly," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, head...

Newborns Addicted to Pain Pills Up 300%

Hospitals trying to invent treatment programs

(Newser) - Heartbreaking medical news: Cases of babies born addicted to pain pills are up more than 300% over the past decade, forcing doctors and nurses to invent treatments on the fly, the Wall Street Journal reports. Crying non-stop, vomiting, jerking their limbs, these newborns are the result of America's addiction...

Forget OxyContin: Opana Now Most-Abused Painkiller

But new formula will cause addicts to seek another drug

(Newser) - The powerful painkiller Opana has replaced OxyContin as the drug of choice for addicts and pharmacy robbers. Users switched to Opana—the trade name for oxymorphone—after OxyContin's maker reformulated its pills to make them harder to snort, chew, or inject for a quick high. But Opana's makers...

Number of Opiate-Addicted Newborns Triples

Prescription drug abuse by pregnant women rises sharply

(Newser) - The number of pregnant women abusing prescription drugs has soared, and babies addicted to opiates are now being born at the rate of one every hour in the US, a new study warns. Researchers found that the newborn addiction rate has tripled over the last decade, and the newborns spent...

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