The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in Knoxville is busy this year. Every day, there are more than a dozen babies born who are hooked on painkillers and other drugs. It’s an alarming trend that has health officials worried. They’re calling it an “epidemic” that could become commonplace across …
The federal agency entrusted with the health and well-being of America’s military veterans has over-prescribed them with opiates, a pain-killer fix to more complex problems, according to a new report by the Center for Investigative Reporting. The national non-profit news organization found, based on records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and other data, …
It’s no secret that drug abuse occurs in every community and every state in the U.S. But how, exactly, do the rates of drug use, and the drugs themselves, vary across the nation? Recent numbers released by the 2010-2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) are now available in graph and map form, …
In a major policy shift, the federal Food and Drug Administration seeks to place stronger restrictions on a class of prescription painkillers that contain hydrocodone, the highly addictive painkiller that has grown into the most widely prescribed drug in the U.S. The changes are expected to take place as early as next year. The FDA …
FDA Wants Tighter Restrictions on Hydrocodone Painkillers Read More »
The cast of MTV’s “Jersey Shore” is hardly comprised of role models. Mainly known for name-calling, fighting and drunken antics, the show is car-crash reality TV. It’s the sort of show people watch with their jaws hanging open in shock at the notion that people like that actually exist. The news that Mike Sorrentino—better known …
‘Jersey Shore’ Star Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino Reveals Painkiller Addiction Read More »
The celebrity drug addiction story is one we’ve all heard numerous times. From the Keith Richards to the Lindsay Lohans and the Charlie Sheens, we expect excess from some of our celebrities. Others, however, cultivate such as wholesome image or play seemingly innocent characters in movies or TV shows that we’d never expect them to …
Zac Efron Went to Rehab? Celebrities You Didn’t Know Had Addictions Read More »
Oceana, West Virginia, is a picturesque mining town nestled in Wyoming County that boasts extraordinary natural beauty. But underneath the surface, a problem is brewing. The prescription drug epidemic that engulfs the entire United States
When a medication is effective, we give thanks. Drugs that can alleviate problem symptoms help patients live normal lives and restore a positive and hopeful outlook that brings many other desired outcomes. But when good medications are misused, everyone suffers. Patients are greeted with more skepticism and eventually medications become harder to obtain. Doctors are …
What one person may find humorous may not be so funny to others. This is the case in the Urban Outfitters “Prescription Line” products. Anti-drug groups, legislators and politicians gathered together and requested that Urban Outfitters re-examine its line of products that glorified drinking alcohol and taking drugs. The products undo all the work that …
Urban Outfitters Discontinues ‘Prescription Line’ Products Read More »
Prescription painkillers have been a growing problem in the United States for years. Because they are controlled, but legal, painkillers are viewed as safer than street drugs by too many people. The result is more addictions, more overdoses, and more deaths caused by medications like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and others. According to recent information released by …
Painkiller Overdose Deaths Among Women Reach Epidemic Proportions Read More »