Opioid prescriptions dropped but remain high, CDC says
7 years, 8 months ago

Opioid prescriptions dropped but remain high, CDC says

CNN  

Story highlights Counties with the highest prescribing rates had six times more than others CDC director: "Improvements in prescribing are just the beginning" CNN — Opioids continue to be prescribed at high rates, a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds, even as drug overdoses remain the leading cause of accidental death in the country, killing more people than guns or car accidents. “The bottom line is, we still have too many people getting too many opioid prescriptions for too many days at too high a dosage,” said acting CDC Director Dr. Anne Schuchat. Nearly 2 million Americans are addicted to prescription opioids, and three out of four new heroin users start with prescription drugs, which is why opioid prescribing practices are a concern for public health officials. “We know the country is experiencing the highest overdose rates ever recorded, and it’s driven by prescription and illicit opioid use,” Schuchat said.

Pain Report High Cnn Counties Chronic Pain Cdc 2015 Opioid Prescribing Prescriptions Opioid Prescriptions Prescription Rates  prescribing  pain  prescriptions  cdc  prescription  rates  counties  high  2015  remain  days  dropped  opioid  report

History of this topic

Drug overdose deaths in the US decreased in 2023, for the first time in five years
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Drug overdose deaths in the US decreased in 2023, for the first time in five years

CNN  

CNN — After a steep rise during the Covid-19 pandemic, preliminary data shows that drug overdose deaths in the United States ticked down in 2023 for the first time in five years. “This progress over the last 12 months should make us want to reinvigorate our efforts knowing that our strategies are making a difference,” CDC Chief Medical Officer Dr. …

Prescription opioid shipments declined sharply even as fatal overdoses increased, new data shows
1 year, 6 months ago

Prescription opioid shipments declined sharply even as fatal overdoses increased, new data shows

Associated Press  

The number of prescription opioid pills shipped in the U.S. in the second half of the 2010s decreased sharply even as a nationwide overdose crisis continued to deepen, according to data released Tuesday. “We are still at an epidemic proportion of pills,” Peter Mougey, a lawyer representing governments that are suing drugmakers, distribution companies and pharmacies, said in an online …

Only 1 in 5 people with opioid addiction get the medications to treat it, study finds
1 year, 7 months ago

Only 1 in 5 people with opioid addiction get the medications to treat it, study finds

NPR  

Only 1 in 5 people with opioid addiction get the medications to treat it, study finds Enlarge this image toggle caption Ted S. Warren/AP Ted S. Warren/AP Imagine if during a deadly public health crisis, 80% of Americans weren't able to get safe, effective medications proven to help people recover. "Failing to use safe and lifesaving medications is devastating for …

Opinion: Why are we denying people with opioid addiction the most effective treatment?
1 year, 11 months ago

Opinion: Why are we denying people with opioid addiction the most effective treatment?

LA Times  

Signs at an Oregon treatment center show where receptacles to dispense methadone should be disposed of after use. But if your diagnosis were for opioid addiction and you came to see me, an addiction specialist, federal regulations written half a century ago would bar me from prescribing the most effective treatment: methadone. If I want my patients to access this …

Prescriptions for opioids ‘fall by almost half-a-million over last four years’
2 years ago

Prescriptions for opioids ‘fall by almost half-a-million over last four years’

The Independent  

GPs and pharmacists have helped slash prescriptions for potentially addictive opioid drugs by 450,000 in under four years, the latest data suggests. But the charity Versus Arthritis said the medicines could be very helpful for some people with arthritis and “in the UK, opioid addiction is fortunately rare among people with chronic pain”. We know that patients who require prescriptions …

Op-Ed: Don’t let Adderall scarcity trigger a repeat of the opioid epidemic
2 years, 4 months ago

Op-Ed: Don’t let Adderall scarcity trigger a repeat of the opioid epidemic

LA Times  

U.S. pharmacies are critically low on Adderall and its generic equivalents, leaving more than 26 million patients scrambling and competing for the pills since late summer. So as countless individuals are confronting having to rapidly taper or stop, we’re facing a real possibility of a public health disaster on a scale not seen since the prescription opioid crisis that began …

US agency softens opioid prescribing guidelines for doctors
2 years, 4 months ago

US agency softens opioid prescribing guidelines for doctors

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — The nation’s top public health agency on Thursday softened its guidelines for U.S. doctors prescribing oxycodone and other opioid painkillers. Opioids painkillers can be addictive — even when used under doctors’ orders — and were identified as a big reason for a rise in U.S. drug overdoses that began more than two decades ago. Some modifications were …

America's drug crisis laid bare: CDC maps shows fatal overdoses have risen in all but EIGHT states
2 years, 5 months ago

America's drug crisis laid bare: CDC maps shows fatal overdoses have risen in all but EIGHT states

Daily Mail  

Fatal drug overdoses have risen in all but eight US states in the past year, according to official data that lays bare America's drug crisis. Alaska has seen by far the biggest percentage increase in drug overdose deaths between April 2021 and April 2022, rising by 44 per cent. The total count looks like it is coming down, but the …

Lessons from America’s mass popping of opioids
2 years, 8 months ago

Lessons from America’s mass popping of opioids

Live Mint  

The deadliest drug epidemic in US history did not involve peddlers, gangsters or smugglers, but painkillers. Between 2006 and 2014, a single county in West Virginia was supplied with over 127 million prescription opioid pills—142 pills a year for every person—that fed an opioid-addiction crisis that is still playing out. On Monday, a federal judge dismissed charges against America’s three …

Experts concerned about last year's sudden increase in opioid use
2 years, 9 months ago

Experts concerned about last year's sudden increase in opioid use

NL Times  

Last year, use of the heavy painkiller oxycodone increased sharply after years of decline. Loneliness from the coronavirus pandemic could also play a role in the sustained use of the painkillers, since they can also make people experiencing trauma feel better temporarily, said Kees Kramers, internist-clinical pharmacologist at Radboudumc and professor of Medicine Safety. The Appropriate Use of Opioids task …

New opioids - ten times the strength of fentanyl - create battleground for US medics
3 years, 3 months ago

New opioids - ten times the strength of fentanyl - create battleground for US medics

The Telegraph  

Nitazenes were created over half a century ago as pain medication but they were never approved for use in the US. According to Alex Krotulski, associate director at the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education in Pennsylvania, nitazenes have become the “most popular subclass of new synthetic opioids,” and are “way more potent than fentanyl, which is really scary.” …

AP sources: Tool behind crackdown on opioids could expire
3 years, 11 months ago

AP sources: Tool behind crackdown on opioids could expire

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has been slow-walking its work on the extension of a legislative order that would keep in place a sweeping tool that’s helped federal agents crack down on drugs chemically similar to fentanyl, three people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. In recent weeks, the people said, the White House and Justice Department leaders …

US opioid epidemic by numbers
5 years, 5 months ago

US opioid epidemic by numbers

Al Jazeera  

From the number of deaths linked to overdoses to the number of lawsuits, a look at the scale of the US opioid crisis. Opioid deaths in the United States have soared over the last 20 years, driving a wave of litigation against drugmakers and distributors. Numbers relating to opioid use, illnesses and deaths are based on information from the US …

US opioid epidemic by numbers
5 years, 5 months ago

US opioid epidemic by numbers

Al Jazeera  

From the number of deaths linked to overdoses to the number of lawsuits, a look at the scale of the US opioid crisis. Opioid deaths in the United States have soared over the last 20 years, driving a wave of litigation against drugmakers and distributors. Numbers relating to opioid use, illnesses and deaths are based on information from the US …

Dozens of people charged for illegally distributing millions of opioid pills
5 years, 6 months ago

Dozens of people charged for illegally distributing millions of opioid pills

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Dozens of people - …

Opioid crisis goes global as deaths surge in Australia
5 years, 6 months ago

Opioid crisis goes global as deaths surge in Australia

Associated Press  

BLACK RIVER, Australia — The coroner’s sense of futility was clear, as he investigated the death of yet another Australian killed by prescription opioids. And it was like I’m screaming and nobody wants to hear me.” On an island off the coast of Tasmania, Dr. Bastian Seidel and his colleagues are immersed in what he calls a “nightmare scenario.” Two …

How the prescriptions doctors wrote may have helped fuel the U.S. opioid crisis
5 years, 6 months ago

How the prescriptions doctors wrote may have helped fuel the U.S. opioid crisis

LA Times  

More than 75% of patients in the U.S. and Canada filled a prescription for opioids following one of four common surgeries, compared with 11% of Swedes, a new study reports. More than 75% of patients in the U.S. and Canada filled a prescription for opioids following one of four common surgeries, compared with 11% of Swedes, researchers reported Wednesday in …

Opioid painkiller prescriptions fall slightly, following awareness of the risks
5 years, 6 months ago

Opioid painkiller prescriptions fall slightly, following awareness of the risks

Dutch News  

There appears to be a slowdown in the number of prescriptions being given for heavy opioid painkillers, the Volkskrant reported on Monday. The number of prescriptions fell by a ‘couple of percentage points’ in the first seven months of this year, after remaining stable in 2018, the paper said. Last week, Leiden University researchers said the number of people ending …

Opioid painkiller prescriptions fall slightly, following awareness of the risks
5 years, 6 months ago

Opioid painkiller prescriptions fall slightly, following awareness of the risks

Dutch News  

There appears to be a slowdown in the number of prescriptions being given for heavy opioid painkillers, the Volkskrant reported on Monday. The number of prescriptions fell by a ‘couple of percentage points’ in the first seven months of this year, after remaining stable in 2018, the paper said. Last week, Leiden University researchers said the number of people ending …

Dutch deaths due to opioid painkillers rise 50% in four years
5 years, 7 months ago

Dutch deaths due to opioid painkillers rise 50% in four years

Dutch News  

The number of people landing in hospital after using heavy painkillers soared by almost 50% within four years and more people are dying of accidental overdoses in the Netherlands, according to Leiden University researchers. The figures, published on academic website JAMA Network Open, cover the period 2013 to 2017 and show that the number of people prescribed opioid painkillers rose …

Dutch deaths due to opioid painkillers rise 50% in four years
5 years, 7 months ago

Dutch deaths due to opioid painkillers rise 50% in four years

Dutch News  

The number of people landing in hospital after using heavy painkillers soared by almost 50% within four years and more people are dying of accidental overdoses in the Netherlands, according to Leiden University researchers. The figures, published on academic website JAMA Network Open, cover the period 2013 to 2017 and show that the number of people prescribed opioid painkillers rose …

Boom in overdose-reversing drug is tied to fewer drug deaths
5 years, 7 months ago

Boom in overdose-reversing drug is tied to fewer drug deaths

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Prescriptions of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone are soaring, and experts say that could be a reason overdose deaths have stopped rising for the first time in nearly three decades. The number of naloxone prescriptions dispensed by U.S. retail pharmacies doubled from 2017 to last year, rising from 271,000 to 557,000, health officials reported Tuesday. “One could only …

As the nation’s opioid crisis grew, the pills got stronger
5 years, 8 months ago

As the nation’s opioid crisis grew, the pills got stronger

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — In 2012, as the death toll from the nation’s opioid crisis mounted, drug companies shipped out enough of the powerful and addictive painkillers for every man, woman and child in the U.S. to have nearly a 20-day supply. “We know that the higher the dose of prescribed opioids, and the longer patients are on them, even for a …

Q&A: Newly public data maps opioid crisis across US
5 years, 8 months ago

Q&A: Newly public data maps opioid crisis across US

Associated Press  

The release of a massive trove of data from lawsuits over the nation’s opioid crisis provides the most detailed accounting to date of the role played by the major pharmaceutical companies and distributors. But the data gives a stunning portrait of how the nation’s deadly public health crisis unfolded year by year, with manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies turning a firehose …

Global opioid users rise amid US drug crisis, UN report says
5 years, 9 months ago

Global opioid users rise amid US drug crisis, UN report says

CNN  

CNN — Global use of deadly opioid drugs has risen significantly, a new United Nations report said Wednesday, amid a growing synthetic drug crisis in the United States. The report highlights an “ongoing crisis” in the United States and Canada around the use of synthetic opioid drugs, which led to more than 51,000 overdoses in 2017 alone. Video Ad Feedback …

Opioid use, drug-related disorders on the rise: UN report
5 years, 9 months ago

Opioid use, drug-related disorders on the rise: UN report

Al Jazeera  

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says 30 percent more people used drugs in 2017 than in 2009. Synthetic opioid use is booming, the United Nations said on Wednesday, in a worldwide drug report that shows rising deaths in the United States from overdoses and a “crisis” of tramadol use emerging in parts of Africa. Increased drug use …

More states say doctors must offer overdose reversal drug along with opioids
6 years, 1 month ago

More states say doctors must offer overdose reversal drug along with opioids

Salon  

In a growing number of states, patients who get opioids for serious pain may leave their doctors’ offices with a second prescription — for naloxone, a drug that can save their lives if they overdose on the powerful painkillers. New state laws and regulations in California, Virginia, Arizona, Ohio, Washington, Vermont and Rhode Island require physicians to “co-prescribe” or at …

Opioid epidemic: Eastern United States most affected
6 years, 1 month ago

Opioid epidemic: Eastern United States most affected

CNN  

CNN — While there’s early evidence that the explosive rate of opioid deaths has started to slow, opioids killed more than 49,000 people in the United States in 2017, according to preliminary data. In a study of opioid deaths from 1999 to 2016, “we found that, in general, opioid mortality is skyrocketing,” said Mathew Kiang, a postdoctoral research fellow at …

Opioid epidemic spilling over onto roads, study says
6 years, 1 month ago

Opioid epidemic spilling over onto roads, study says

CNN  

CNN — Patients who are prescribed opioids and the clinicians who prescribe themhave more to be concerned about than steadily rising rates of opioid overdoses, according to a new study. As the United States struggles with an opioid epidemic, these findings could affect health care providers’ decision-making processes, the authors say. Study author Dr. Guohua Li, a professor of epidemiology …

Even in best-case scenario, opioid overdose deaths will keep rising until 2022
6 years, 1 month ago

Even in best-case scenario, opioid overdose deaths will keep rising until 2022

LA Times  

A firefighter treats an opioid overdose victim in Rockford, Ill. A new study projects that if present trends continue, opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. will rise sharply in coming years. If the supply of prescription painkillers stops declining and there are other setbacks, researchers predict that yearly opioid overdose deaths could rise as high as 200,000 per year by …

FDA Inaction On Deadly Opioids 'Borders On Criminal,' Charges Head Of Advisory Panel
6 years, 2 months ago

FDA Inaction On Deadly Opioids 'Borders On Criminal,' Charges Head Of Advisory Panel

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING The head of a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on opioids has accused the federal agency of looking out for pharmaceutical company income at the tragic cost of public lives, saying the behavior “borders on the criminal.” “As I sit and listen to them in meetings, all I can think about is the clock ticking and …

Americans ‘more likely’ to die of opioid overdose than car crash
6 years, 2 months ago

Americans ‘more likely’ to die of opioid overdose than car crash

Al Jazeera  

Opioid overdose has become the fifth most probable reason for preventable death, according to a new report. In the United States, the probability of dying from opioids has for the first time surpassed the likelihood of being killed in a car crash, according to a new report by the National Safety Council. Published on Monday and based on the National …

Op-Ed: Want to reduce opioid use? Nudge the doctors who prescribe them
6 years, 2 months ago

Op-Ed: Want to reduce opioid use? Nudge the doctors who prescribe them

LA Times  

An Orange County doctor was arrested by federal authorities in December on suspicion of illegally prescribing narcotics, “flooding Southern California with huge quantities of opioids,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. For the record: This Op-Ed article wrongly identifies the affiliation of the researchers who found that doctors prescribe fewer opioids if they are notified of patient deaths from overdose. …

OPIOIDS IN AMERICA: BY THE NUMBERS
6 years, 4 months ago

OPIOIDS IN AMERICA: BY THE NUMBERS

Daily Mail  

Opioid prescriptions are going down across the US, but overdoses are not. Last year, the rate of opioid overdose deaths hit a record high, with around 200 Americans dying every day, according to new figures, published by the DEA in July. An in-depth analysis of 2016 US drug overdose data shows that America's overdose epidemic is spreading geographically and increasing …

Opioids in America: Prescription rates have fallen in the past decade but remain high in many states
6 years, 5 months ago

Opioids in America: Prescription rates have fallen in the past decade but remain high in many states

Daily Mail  

Prescription of legal opioids in the U.S. has fallen in the past decade, but the rate remains higher than it was in 2000, with doctors in Tennessee last year doling out more than any other state, according to a new analysis of government data. And the nationwide average has decreased since 2011, when American doctors prescribed 33.9 kilograms per 100,000 …

Fentanyl drove drug overdose deaths to a record high in 2017 — about 200 a day — CDC estimates
6 years, 7 months ago

Fentanyl drove drug overdose deaths to a record high in 2017 — about 200 a day — CDC estimates

LA Times  

Washington Post Drug overdose deaths surpassed 72,000 in 2017, according to provisional estimates recently released by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That staggering sum works out to about 200 drug overdose deaths every day, or one every eight minutes.The increase was driven primarily by a continued surge in deaths involving synthetic opioids, a category that includes fentanyl. …

After An Overdose, Patients Aren't Getting Treatments That Could Prevent The Next One
6 years, 9 months ago

After An Overdose, Patients Aren't Getting Treatments That Could Prevent The Next One

NPR  

After An Overdose, Patients Aren't Getting Treatments That Could Prevent The Next One Enlarge this image toggle caption Jesse Costa/WBUR Jesse Costa/WBUR More than 115 Americans are dying every day from an opioid overdose. "The stunning finding here is that we have effective treatments for people who survive an overdose but only three in 10 are getting those medications," says …

Opioid deaths barely slowed by prescription monitoring, study suggests
6 years, 10 months ago

Opioid deaths barely slowed by prescription monitoring, study suggests

CNN  

Story highlights Drug prescription monitoring programs are statewide efforts to reduce overprescribing of opioids Three studies showed a decrease in fatal opioid overdoses after program implementation; six showed no effect CNN — Prescription drug monitoring programs – believed to be an important tool in the fight against the opioid epidemic – may be only marginally effective in reducing overdose deaths, …

More Americans should carry overdose antidote to fight opioid crisis, says US surgeon general
6 years, 11 months ago

More Americans should carry overdose antidote to fight opioid crisis, says US surgeon general

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The US’s chief doctor wants more Americans to start carrying …

Surgeon General Warns About Opioid Overdose Epidemic, Urging Americans to Carry Naloxone
6 years, 11 months ago

Surgeon General Warns About Opioid Overdose Epidemic, Urging Americans to Carry Naloxone

CNN  

The US surgeon general has issued an advisory recommending that more Americans carry opioid overdose antidote naloxone. Naloxone can quickly reverse the effects of opioid overdose, slowing or stopping breathing. The drug is used by police officers, first responders, and emergency medical technicians to reverse opioid overdoses. The surgeon general emphasized that 'knowing how to use naloxone and keeping it …

From America's Warriors To Victims Of Its Opioid Epidemic
7 years ago

From America's Warriors To Victims Of Its Opioid Epidemic

Huff Post  

Ji Sub Jeong/HuffPost When Cpl. Saddled with injuries that veterans from previous wars would never have survived, 60 percent of military members who fought in the Middle East were returning with chronic pain, a significantly higher rate than older veterans getting care from the VA. And their timing couldn’t have been worse: By 2005, two years into the Iraq War, …

30% rise in ER visits for opioid overdoses, CDC finds
7 years ago

30% rise in ER visits for opioid overdoses, CDC finds

CNN  

Story highlights Opioid overdose ER visits soared 30% from July 2016 to September 2017, CDC study finds "This is a wake-up call for all of us," acting CDC director says A study also found that treating pain with opioids was not superior to treatment with non-opioid medications CNN — The opioid epidemic in the United States shows no signs of …

Jump In Overdoses Shows Opioid Epidemic Has Worsened
7 years ago

Jump In Overdoses Shows Opioid Epidemic Has Worsened

NPR  

Jump In Overdoses Shows Opioid Epidemic Has Worsened Enlarge this image toggle caption Spencer Platt/Getty Images Spencer Platt/Getty Images There's more bad news about the nation's devastating opioid epidemic. "Overall as a nation, we are still failing to adequately respond to the opioid addiction epidemic," says Dr. Andrew Kolodny, co-director of opioid policy research at Brandeis University. For example, emergency …

The Opioid Crisis Is Getting Worse, Particularly for Black Americans
7 years, 3 months ago

The Opioid Crisis Is Getting Worse, Particularly for Black Americans

New York Times  

2016 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 residents In counties with fewer than 10 drug overdose deaths, the map combines observed totals with modeled estimates The epidemic of drug overdoses, often perceived as a largely white rural problem, made striking inroads among black Americans last year — particularly in urban counties where fentanyl has become widespread. Drug overdose deaths by race …

Op-Ed: The opioid crackdown is making life untenable for chronic pain patients like me
7 years, 5 months ago

Op-Ed: The opioid crackdown is making life untenable for chronic pain patients like me

LA Times  

President Trump recently said that he intends to declare the opioid crisis a national emergency. The rate of misuse is much lower among patients who are prescribed opioid medication for chronic pain — 21% to 29%, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. An even smaller percentage of chronic pain patients develop a disorder — between 8% and 12%. …

Opioid prescriptions from ER doctors are more often safe
7 years, 6 months ago

Opioid prescriptions from ER doctors are more often safe

Daily Mail  

Opioid prescriptions that are given to ER patients are less likely to result in potentially-fatal drug addictions, a new study has found. A new report from the American College of Emergency Physicians has found that ER doctors are more likely to prescribe opioids safely and in line with guidelines set forth by the CDC The number of prescriptions written for …

Opioid-related deaths are shaving time off life expectancy
7 years, 6 months ago

Opioid-related deaths are shaving time off life expectancy

Daily Mail  

America's opioid crisis has affected the nation's life expectancy rate, new figures from the CDC have revealed. And today's new figures show that, while the overall life expectancy rate increased by two years during this time - rising from 76.8 to 78.8 - about two months were lost to opioid-involved poisoning deaths. New CDC data have revealed that drug-poisoning related …

Opioid overdoses shorten life expectancy by 2½ months
7 years, 6 months ago

Opioid overdoses shorten life expectancy by 2½ months

CNN  

Story highlights American life expectancy has been cut short by opioids Current life expectancy for Americans is 78.8 years CNN — Opioid drugs – including both legally prescribed painkillers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, as well as illegal drugs such as heroin or illicit fentanyl – are not only killing Americans, they are shortening their overall life spans. The Centers …

Groups seek ban on high-dose opioids citing overdose danger
7 years, 6 months ago

Groups seek ban on high-dose opioids citing overdose danger

Associated Press  

CHICAGO — Safety advocates and state health officials are formally calling on the Food and Drug Administration to ban high-dose opioid painkillers to prevent accidental overdose deaths among patients and people who abuse drugs. A petition filed Thursday asks the FDA to ban opioid pills that, when taken as directed, would add up to a daily dose of more than …

US opioid-related deaths have nearly doubled
7 years, 7 months ago

US opioid-related deaths have nearly doubled

Daily Mail  

Deaths from overdoses on opioids have nearly doubled in the US since 2009, a new study has revealed. A study new study conducted by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, Harvard Medical School and University of Chicago, shows that the opioid epidemic has increased acute care costs and that hospitalizations are are taxing health care systems TRUMP STILL HASN'T …

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