Less opiate prescribing … doesn’t mean less abuse of illegal opiates ?

Sessions: DEA to Begin Crackdown on Pharmacies Over Opioids

https://www.newsmax.com/politics/jeff-sessions-dea-crackdown-pharmacies/2018/01/30/id/840376/ The Drug Enforcement Agency will launch a nationwide investigation of pharmacies and prescribers in response to the ongoing opioid crisis, Attorney General Jeff Sessions told agents on Tuesday. “DEA collects some 80 million transaction reports every year from manufacturers and distributors of prescription drugs. These reports contain information like distribution figures and inventory. DEA […]

Learn How ‘Moral Failing’ Perpetuates the Opioid Crisis

www.ahealingplacetheestates.com/2018/01/30/how-moral-failing-perpetuates-the-opioid-crisis/   The opioid epidemic has impacted this nation drastically in the past few years, and little has changed. Legislators, law enforcement, doctors, and families are still attempting to grasp the root of the issue in order to produce solutions that will halt overdose deaths. There are multiple layers to this issue which is why […]

Oops! Is this a HIPAA Violation?

http://www.pharmacytimes.com/contributor/karen-berger/2018/01/oops-is-this-a-hipaa-violation A recent Facebook discussion I found very interesting occurred in a chain pharmacy. Apparently, that day, the staff was filling quite a few antidepressant prescriptions and a pharmacy staff member joked something along the lines of ‘it must be depression day.’ In the waiting area one of the patients filling an antidepressant was extremely […]

Purdue faces uphill battle to overcome opioid controversy

http://www.ctpost.com/business/article/Purdue-faces-uphill-battle-to-overcome-opioid-12528026.php A growing number of prosecutors and politicians accuse Purdue Pharma of fueling the national opioid crisis. The maker of the maligned opioid OxyContin says there is another side to the story. Amid an avalanche of Oxy-related lawsuits in recent months, the Stamford-based pharmaceutical company has mounted several major campaigns aimed at showing a commitment […]

Maine falls behind other states in efforts to prevent overdose deaths

AUGUSTA — In New Hampshire, an online map locates scores of pharmacies where anyone can buy an over-the-counter dose of naloxone, a medication that saves lives by reversing the effects of an opioid overdose. In Utah, the state health director issued a standing order authorizing any pharmacist to dispense naloxone. In North Carolina, the Republican […]

Is A Solution To Chronic Pain Treatment Underway in Canada?

www.nationalpainreport.com/is-a-solution-to-chronic-pain-treatment-underway-in-canada-8835371.html By Ed Coghlan. How the Canadian province of British Columbia is approaching the treatment of chronic pain might be worth watching. “There has really been a lack of any appropriate response to chronic pain in our province and in our country,” said Maria Hudspith, executive director of Pain BC, the only non-profit society in Canada […]

Why Untreated Chronic Pain is a Medical Emergency

https://www.facebook.com/rcnelsoninc/posts/1695943083778273 Why Untreated Chronic Pain is a Medical Emergency By Alex DeLuca, M.D., FASAM, MPH; Written testimony submitted to the Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs regarding the “Gen Rx: Abuse of Prescription and OTC Drugs” hearing; 2008–03–08. Untreated Chronic Pain is Acute Pain The physiological changes associated with acute pain, and their intimate neurological […]

VT: proposed bill to allow addicts to sue healthcare provider for “causing addiction” ?

H. 723 introduced to curb over-prescription of opioid medications in Vermont https://vtdigger.org/2018/01/28/h-723-introduced-curb-prescription-opioid-medications-vermont/ News Release — Rep. Linda Joy Sullivan January 26, 2018 Contact: Rep. Linda Joy Sullivan (D) of Bennington-Rutland House Committee: Commerce and Economic Development LSullivan@leg.state.vt.us Vermont Representative Linda Joy Sullivan (Democrat, Bennington-Rutland) announced today the introduction of legislation seeking to stimulate industry-wide self-regulation by […]

High-level toxicology tests reveal mix of drugs used in overdoses

http://www.therepublic.com/2018/01/28/01282018cr_coroner_testing/ New toxicology tests that provide revealing information on the fatal substances consumed by Bartholomew County overdose victims are a window to potential solutions, giving officials deeper insight into rapidly changing trends that will help address the epidemic on a law enforcement level and a policy response by government, the coroner’s office says. They come […]