Category: opioid crisis

MONTANA SUES DRUG DISTRIBUTORS OVER OPIOID SHIPMENTS

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana has filed a lawsuit against the two leading drug distributors in the state, saying they failed to monitor and report excessive opioid shipments to Montana pharmacies, worsening the opioid epidemic. Attorney General Tim Fox announced Monday the state was suing McKesson Corporation and Cardinal Health Inc., alleging they breached their … Continue reading MONTANA SUES DRUG DISTRIBUTORS OVER OPIOID SHIPMENTS

‘ALARMING’ Number of People Received Restricted Fentanyl, study says

An "alarming" number of US patients received a highly potent form of opioid that is 100 times more powerful than morphine and that they never should have been prescribed, according to a new study.The research, published Tuesday in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, found that the US Food and Drug Administration and opioid … Continue reading ‘ALARMING’ Number of People Received Restricted Fentanyl, study says

DOCTORS ARE TAKING AWAY OPIOID PRESCRIPTIONS FROM A GROWING NUMBER OF PATIENTS, REPORT SHOWS

https://youtu.be/p4cVQLejYXc et another study indicates that patients are being tapered off prescription painkillers at "rapid" rates that surpass federal guidelines. Among more than 100,000 patients enrolled in both commercial insurance and Medicare Advantage programs, researchers found that the annual percentage undergoing tapering doubled between 2008 and 2017. In response to the opioid crisis, the Department … Continue reading DOCTORS ARE TAKING AWAY OPIOID PRESCRIPTIONS FROM A GROWING NUMBER OF PATIENTS, REPORT SHOWS

Virginia Doctor Faces Life in Prison for Prescribing Thousands of Opioid Doses

By the time drug enforcement agents swooped into his small medical office in Martinsville, Virginia, in 2017, Dr. Joel Smithers had prescribed about a half a million doses of highly addictive opioids in two years. Patients from five states drove hundreds of miles to see him, spending up to 16 hours on the road to … Continue reading Virginia Doctor Faces Life in Prison for Prescribing Thousands of Opioid Doses

Legal Eagle Goes After Opioid Wholesale Distributors

Story at-a-glance While the opioid crisis has received a significant amount of attention, and strategies have been put into place to try to curb the epidemic of overuse and misuse, few of the responsible parties have been held to account One West Virginia attorney has sued opioid wholesale distributors using a state nuisance statute. Distributors … Continue reading Legal Eagle Goes After Opioid Wholesale Distributors

The Basic Bare Bones Facts About Opioids & Abuse – From the CDC

Prescription Opioids Side Effects In addition to the serious risks of addiction, abuse, and overdose, the use of prescription opioids can have a number of side effects, even when taken as directed: Tolerance—meaning you might need to take more of the medication for the same pain relief Physical dependence—meaning you have symptoms of withdrawal when … Continue reading The Basic Bare Bones Facts About Opioids & Abuse – From the CDC

‘CRISIS’: Surge in Cocaine Mixed with Fentanyl has Communities and Law Enforcement on Edge

FACT:  Before you read the article below, I want to tell you that Fentanyl deaths have increased 100% (one thousand percent) over 6 years!  ◊NationalAddictionNews.com The fear was the worst part for Ryan Fowler. The New Hampshire native spent 10 years addicted to heroin, which has been increasingly mixed with the synthetic opioid fentanyl to … Continue reading ‘CRISIS’: Surge in Cocaine Mixed with Fentanyl has Communities and Law Enforcement on Edge

Opioid Big Pharma Giant Ordered to Pay $225 Million DOLLARS After Being Caught BRIBING DOCTORS to PRESCRIBE MORE DEADLY FENTANYL PILLS TO PATIENTS!

Insys Therapeutics of Chandler, Arizona, is reportedly having to fork out $225 million in fines to the federal government for bribing doctors to prescribe as much fentanyl and other opiates as they could get away with – including to patients who didn’t even need them. Described as the “driving force” behind America’s ongoing opioid epidemic, the shady … Continue reading Opioid Big Pharma Giant Ordered to Pay $225 Million DOLLARS After Being Caught BRIBING DOCTORS to PRESCRIBE MORE DEADLY FENTANYL PILLS TO PATIENTS!

Cold Weather Increases the Risk of Fatal Opioid Overdoses

A new study finds that cold weather snaps are followed by a marked increase in fatal opioid overdoses. A research team led by Brandon Marshall, an associate professor of epidemiology at Brown University's School of Public Health, found a 25 percent increase in fatal opioid overdoses after periods of freezing temperatures compared to days with … Continue reading Cold Weather Increases the Risk of Fatal Opioid Overdoses