Posts Tagged ‘overdose’
Opioids Are Not the Only Pain Medications That Can Be Abused
This article, in a slightly edited form, first appeared on Pain News Network on December 7, 2019. Contrary to popular opinion, opioids don’t cause substance abuse. Opioids certainly may be abused, but it is human biology itself that drives drug abuse. We often get the message that any pain treatment would be better than…
Read MoreAre Prescribed Opioids the Culprits or the Scapegoats?
Solving the drug crisis will not be easy. However, the disenfranchised members of our most impoverished communities deserve viable solutions to their problems. It is crucial to understand the degree to which job loss and hopelessness contribute to the drug problem. Reputable data proves that the volume of opioids prescribed is not solely, or even primarily, responsible for the opioid crisis. Let’s be sure we are not using prescription opioids as the scapegoat.
Read MoreOpen Letter to Secretary Tom Price
Mother Jones reports, “On a listening tour about the opioid epidemic in West Virginia on Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price stressed the urgency of tackling the staggering overdose problem, saying ‘we’re losing people every single day across the nation, so we don’t have time to wait.’ ” Secretary Tom Price’s View…
Read MoreHere Are the Important Questions We Need to Ask About Prince’s Fentanyl Overdose
You’ve probably heard by now that a medical examiner has determined Prince, the musical superstar, died of a fentanyl overdose. While other opioids get more attention, fentanyl is the stealth bomb for abusers. Fact About Fentanyl Fentanyl is 100 times more dangerous than morphine. The dose at which fentanyl produces the pain relief that users…
Read MorePrince and Why We Need More Compassion About Addiction
We don’t yet know why Prince died. The facts aren’t in, and I don’t want to draw conclusions until I have more information. That said, some entertainment media outlets (TMZ, Variety, and more) are reporting that Prince was treated with naloxone, which is the antidote for opioids including heroin, in the days before his death.…
Read MoreWill the New Opioids Restrictions Help to Reduce Overdoses?
New CDC Opioid Guidelines Politicians and some government officials tell us that the new CDC opioid guidelines will reduce deaths due to overdoses. But, based on the evidence we’ve seen so far, that is unlikely. The latest CDC report shows a continual increase in opioid-related overdose deaths despite about a 25% decrease in the…
Read MoreIs Death from Pain a Natural Death?
What is a natural death? That’s partly a judgment call, and it reveals our prejudice against pain patients. Pain treatment and cancer treatment are two colors of the same spectrum. They both serve the same purpose, and yet they’re perceived very differently. Pain treatment with an opioid is unacceptable to many advocating against the use…
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