Prescription Drugs Kill One Person Every 19 Minutes
Prescription drugs kill one person every 19 minutes – The Quiet Epidemic: prescription drug abuse destroys millions of lives Nancy Rosen-Cohen The Baltimore Sun There isn’t much attention paid to prescription drug abuse, except perhaps when a Hollywood star dies from an overdose. However, it is estimated that nearly one in five Americans has used prescription drugs for nonmedicinal reasons, and 15 percent may be abusing prescription drugs. This silent epidemic has become the leading cause of addiction. This week, the Maryland Chapter of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and the University of Maryland Medical Center sponsored the annual Tuerk Conference, a gathering of 1200 health professionals working in the field of addictions to focus on treatment and prevention of prescription drug abuse. Confronting and debunking the common myth that prescription drugs are less deadly and less addictive was one of the items on the agenda. The dangers of prescription drug abuse are growing at an exponential rate. Between 1992 and 2002, the number of prescriptions written increased by 61 percent, but the number of prescriptions written for opiates increased by almost 400 percent. Opiates reflect three-quarters of all prescription drugs abused. Actor Heath Ledger had Vicodin (hydrocodone), OxyContin (oxycodone), Valium (diazepam), and Xanax (alprazolam) in his bloodstream when he died. All are legal opiates. According to a report this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospitalizations for …
Viewpoint: Are Doctors to Blame for Prescription–Drug Abuse?
Filed under: prescription drug abuse
For some patients, we can add a prescription for a limited number of opioid pills to be filled only if absolutely necessary. With that small prescription should come a big warning. Something like: “These drugs are highly addictive, even in short-term use.
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Prescription Databases Weigh Public Health Against Patient Privacy
Filed under: prescription drug abuse
As Stateline has previously reported, law enforcement access to these sensitive databases has generated major debates as states have tried to address the national surge in prescription drug abuse. Earlier this year, Vermont legislators and Governor …
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From Twitter:
Scientology Volunteers Helping Stem Tampa Bay’s Teen Prescription Drug Abuse Problem http://t.co/n8O5WvRM – by cisionwire_uk (CisionWire UK)
From Twitter:
Prescription drug abuse and how some states are dealing with it http://t.co/jqwBvpgy – by menaka1978 (harshini menaka)
From Twitter:
Mayor Roberts launches prescription drug abuse awareness campaign http://t.co/nx7U7Cja – by AnonymousHands (Clay Simmons)