When narcotic pain relief creates the chains of addiction.

A recent article in the Huffington Post highlighted the alarming statistic that there is an American killed by psychiatric drugs and prescription painkillers every 14 minutes. The number of people taking such tranquilizers has jumped 286 percent from the year 2000 to 2009 and will probably reach 341 percent by December 2011. Read More…

A new report from the British Medical Journal says the number of fatalities in the U.S. from prescribed painkillers has now passed that of alcohol liver disease, HIV and multiple myeloma. The most common of these opioids are OxyContin, Suboxone and Vicodin and sadly, many believe these painkillers are harmless since they are prescribed by doctors. Dr. Michael Lowestein warns that these prescription drugs are opiates just the same as heroin and can be very dangerous if abused or used for a continuous length of time. Read More…

Addiction to prescription painkillers is a growing problem in the United States and researchers are calling on dentists to help staunch the flow of opioid medications. Read More…

Currently a handful of bills are in the hands of Congress dealing with the problem of prescription drugs and their potential to lead to addiction. The hope is that these bills will better educate doctors and the public of their dangers. Read More…

Nearly 19 million Americans suffer from depression. Many are also battling problems with substance abuse as well. The two often go hand in hand, but people rarely get treated for both. It’s more common to seek treatment for the substance abuse or depression in isolation without examining how these two conditions interact. A new study offers hope to those plagued with both ailments. Read More…

Vicodin, one of the widely prescribed prescription painkillers is also the least restricted of the opiate drug category, a situation recent national news and medical reports are emphasizing.

Vicodin in its generic form, a combination of hydrocodone and acetaminophen, is listed by the Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration as a Schedule III – the same class as many types of anesthetics or steroid drugs. In comparison, codeine and the prescription opioid oxycodone are listed as a Schedule II. At the highest restriction, Schedule I, are drugs like heroin. Read More…

The numbers are in: the U.S. rate of abuse of prescription painkillers is higher now than ever, with especially drastic jumps in the use of painkillers like Vicodin. Across the globe, no country uses more Vicodin than the United States – leading experts ask that it be reclassified to see more restrictive use. Read More…

In many states, patients come in to a pain clinic seeking medical help and walk out with a prescription for a painkiller – even if they are already addicted to a painkiller or similar drug. Some say patients are actually treating pain clinics as places to feed their prescription drug addictions.

Doctors who give prescription medications to people who already have drug addictions could face more scrutiny and restrictions as groups like the American Society of Addiction Medicine strive toward tighter regulations. Read More…