In 2014, there were an estimated 4,022 morphine-related deaths. Approximately 1,090 of these cases involved mixing morphine with either heroin or oxycodone. What Is Morphine? Morphine is potent pain reliever used legally in the clinical setting, most notably in people with terminal cancer. Morphine is an opioid agonist. This means it blocks pain signals to
End the Stigma Associated with Addiction An integral component of combating the opioid drug epidemic is ending the stigma. Far too many people are embarrassed or afraid to seek help because of the stigma still attached to drug abuse. Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use,
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An excessive reliance on opioid analgesics for treating acute and chronic pain has contributed to the current global opioid epidemic. The lessons learned from this epidemic are many, starting with the need to develop efficacious, less addictive alternatives for people coping with pain. Another dimension of this argument is the need to limit prescribing opioids
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As the U.S. faces the worst drug epidemic in history, veterans are statistically one of the most highly impacted groups when it comes to opioid addiction. The opioid epidemic’s effects on veterans are staggering. An overwhelming number of vets and their families are facing an addiction crisis as they try to cope with long-standing injuries
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The American Dental Association (ADA) has entered the ring in the fight against opioid abuse. Recent mandates outlined in a new ADA policy urge dentists to limit, if not discontinue opioid prescriptions for dental pain and educate themselves on opioid abuse and the use of alternative pain medications. The Use of Opioids for Dental Pain
We live in a time when we know the dangers of a highly addictive prescription drug entering into the mainstream. We’ve seen it before with amphetamines in the 1960s. And we see it now with opioid painkillers. With all this wisdom and knowledge, can we prevent it from happening again with Adderall? The real issue
After struggling to get sober in 2007, Kevin never expected to have to fight for his sobriety again in 2017. But an emergency surgery and extensive medical treatment led to an opioid addiction and a second chance at recovery. Philadelphia-born, Kevin first came to California in the 1990s, fresh out of college and hoping to
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People receiving the top treatment for pain—prescription painkillers—can rapidly transition from pain relief to painkiller addiction. And yet, your doctor may be the unwitting instigator of this misery, if you don’t ask the right questions from the start. The risk for addiction after receiving an opioid painkiller prescription, including generics of hydrocodone and oxycodone and
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A decades-long effort among American healthcare providers to better manage pain for a wider range of patients has led to the overprescribing of addictive opioid painkillers, which has led to a nationwide opioid addiction crisis. It is estimated that 2 million to 3 million Americans now struggle with an opioid or opiate addiction and, with
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If you’ve ever been asked to show your I.D. when purchasing cough medicine for yourself, you’ve likely taken dextromethorphan. Dextromethorphan, or DXM, is a drug commonly found in over-the-counter cough and cold medicines. It’s also gained a reputation for drug misuse, especially in teens and young adults. Why Do People Abuse Dextromethorphan? When taken as