OPIOIDS

STATISTICS & TRENDS

After Years of Advocacy, U.S. Opioid Prescribing Is Declining

After years of cautionary advice from the CDC, addiction horror stories from patients, and undeniable statistics showing the connection between opioid prescribing and addiction, it seems opioid prescribing trends are finally declining in a measurable,...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Dentists Can Curb Opioid Addiction and Still Help Patients with Post-Operation Pain

New research into a significant change in New York dental practice has found that dentists can stop prescribing opioids and shift to only recommending over-the-counter pain relievers for patients, all with little to no negative effects. The findings may...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

How Did West Virginia Become the State Hardest Hit by the Opioid Epidemic?

Every state in the nation has felt the hardship of the opioid addiction crisis. But no state has been hit harder than West Virginia, where several factors came together to create the worst drug problem the nation has seen in decades.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Simple Rule Change Could Expand Efficacy of Opioid Prescribing Guidelines

In the wake of the destruction caused by the opioid epidemic, public health researchers are doing everything they can to find ways to reduce drug overdoses and addiction-related harm. One group of researchers at the Child Health Evaluation and Research...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Further Consequences of Drug Addiction Emerge

It is no mystery that opioid addiction is harmful to users’ health. As America’s opioid epidemic advances and claims more lives, disturbing links between addiction and heart attacks are being uncovered.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Tracing A Network of Crime: How Pharma Distributors Acted as the Middlemen in the Opioid Epidemic

In the now two-decade-long opioid epidemic in the U.S., pharmaceutical opioid manufacturers, pharmacies, and doctors have all come under fire for the role they played in the surge of opioid addiction and death. One group, previously unnoticed and only...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Criminal Acts: How Pharma Companies Pushed Drugs They Knew Were Addictive and Dangerous

The Sackler Family and Purdue Pharmaceuticals deny any responsibility for the role they played in creating the opioid addiction epidemic. And while the most recent litigation against Purdue/the Sackler family ended in immunity for them and an abdication...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Athletes at Risk: Drug Use in Amateur, Elite and Professional Sports

We don’t usually hear about our sports heroes using drugs or drinking excessively until their careers founder or come crashing down. The lucky ones recover from addiction and often go on to work hard to save other people’s lives. The unluckiest ones...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Pharma Companies Settle to Resolve Opioid Lawsuits

Several major pharma litigations are currently making their way through U.S. courts. One such case just came to a close, unfortunately releasing several pharma giants from all legal liability regarding their role in the devastating opioid epidemic.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

New Threat to Watch For: Unwashed Poppy Seed Consumption

Clinicians and families alike may not be aware of the risk posed by consumption of a readily available type of poppy seed. Despite this lack of awareness, this seed can result in addiction, overdose and death.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Drug Overdose Deaths Jumped Nearly 30 Percent During the Pandemic

Many public health experts believed that, partially because of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 was going to be the worst year yet for drug overdoses. They were right, and final numbers for the death toll exceeded even the most gloomy predictions.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

On What Dark Day Did the U.S. Reach 100,000 Annual Overdose Deaths?

While America has been preoccupied with other situations, our drug overdose losses have kept mounting. Using statistics published by the CDC we can calculate the date on which America passed a horrific milestone: 100,000 overdoses losses in one twelve-month...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

How the Sackler Family Got Away with Denying Any Responsibility in the Opioid Epidemic

The litigation of Purdue Pharma/the Sacklers is now over. One of the key aspects of the case that deserves full scrutiny is that Purdue’s owners threatened to withdraw settlement funds if they did not achieve personal immunity. In the end, they won.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

CDC Guidelines Suggest More Conservative Opioid Prescribing, but Is it Enough?

In the wake of the ongoing opioid addiction and overdose epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published conservative prescribing guidelines for U.S. doctors to follow. And while there have been some welcome reductions in prescribing...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

The Sackler Case Comes to a Close; Final Analysis and the Importance of Holding Pharma Companies Accountable

Consider this: Purdue Pharmaceuticals/the Sacklers versus thousands of plaintiffs nationwide. It was one of the most closely watched pharmaceutical litigations of our time, and it just came to a close. While there were some small victories in the case,...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Every State Now Has a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program

Public health experts usually agree that preventive efforts should be used as a front-line defense against health problems. In the case of drug and alcohol addiction, Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs are useful preventive tools that states can use...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Opioid Abuse Surged During the Pandemic – Treatment is the Answer for Those Now Addicted

There is compelling evidence that suggests opioid addiction and overdose rates soared during the Covid-19 pandemic. Was this a direct result of Covid-19? Or was it a continuation of America’s opioid addiction epidemic?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Are Medical Practitioners Still Overprescribing Opioids?

The foremost commitment of any medical practitioner is to do no harm, and the vast majority of physicians hold to that. But what happens when the very drugs doctors prescribe are harmful?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

A Surge in Cocaine and Meth Deaths are Linked to Opioid Misuse

In a recent brief by the CDC, experts published findings that more than 50% of cocaine-related deaths also had opioids present. The same was true with meth deaths. This is very concerning because it indicates a drug use trend where addicts may be more...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Drug Overdose Fatalities Reach 80,000 in One Year

The destructive nature of drug addiction has never been more apparent than it is right now. Recently, the CDC recorded the highest death toll from drug overdoses for any 12-month period. What will it take to curb the rise of drug deaths in America?