Tag: Nurses

Featured News: Family Involvement Key to Success of Teen Substance Use Treatment

Family involvement is a key component to success in treatment for teen substance use disorder, according to a review of recent research by an expert at the Center on Addiction.

“Our review has shown that programs that involve families are the most effective,” said Aaron Hogue, Ph.D., Director of Adolescent and Family Research at the Center on Addiction. He recently spoke about treatment for adolescent substance use at the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, D.C.

As the opioid epidemic grows, there is great demand for treatment for opioid use disorder for teens and young adults, Hogue noted. “We know the most effective treatment is medication-assisted treatment, which combines medications with behavioral interventions,” he said. “This review helps treatment providers know which types of behavioral interventions will have the greatest impact.”

Full story at drugfree.org

Featured News: Family Involvement Key to Success of Teen Substance Use Treatment

Family involvement is a key component to success in treatment for teen substance use disorder, according to a review of recent research by an expert at the Center on Addiction.

“Our review has shown that programs that involve families are the most effective,” said Aaron Hogue, Ph.D., Director of Adolescent and Family Research at the Center on Addiction. He recently spoke about treatment for adolescent substance use at the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, D.C.

As the opioid epidemic grows, there is great demand for treatment for opioid use disorder for teens and young adults, Hogue noted. “We know the most effective treatment is medication-assisted treatment, which combines medications with behavioral interventions,” he said. “This review helps treatment providers know which types of behavioral interventions will have the greatest impact.”

Full story at drugfree.org

Can you drink alcohol with antibiotics?

Many people believe that mixing alcohol and antibiotics is not safe. Is it dangerous? What are the risks of drinking alcohol while taking antibiotics?

Antibiotics are drugs that target bacteria to treat and prevent infections. There are many types of oral antibiotic.

Not all antibiotics interact with alcohol, and doctors give different recommendations about alcohol depending on the type of antibiotic.

In this article, we discuss the risks of mixing antibiotics and alcohol. We also explore the effects of alcohol on the immune system.

Full story at Medical News Today

Indicators of despair rising among Gen X-ers entering middle age

Indicators of despair — depression, suicidal ideation, drug use and alcohol abuse — are rising among Americans in their late 30s and early 40s across most demographic groups, according to new research led by Lauren Gaydosh, assistant professor of Medicine, Health and Society and Public Policy Studies at Vanderbilt University. These findings suggest that the increase in “deaths of despair” observed among low-educated middle-aged white Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) in recent studies may begin to impact the youngest members of Generation X (born 1974-1983) more broadly in the years to come.

The study, The Depths of Despair Among U.S. Adults Entering Midlife, appears in the American Journal of Public Health. Gaydosh’s co-authors are Kathleen Mullan Harris, Robert A. Hummer, Taylor W. Hargrove, Carolyn T. Halpern, Jon M. Hussey, Eric A. Whitsel, and Nancy Dole, all at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In 2016, U.S. life expectancy began to decline for the first time in nearly a quarter-century, and researchers theorized that this was driven by a marked increase in deaths due to drug overdose, alcoholic cirrhosis and suicide among middle-aged whites with low education or in rural areas. At the time, this was explained by a unique triple-punch of worsening employment prospects accompanied by a declining perception of socioeconomic status and an erosion of social supports for this group. But studies to better understand those mortality trends did not definitively show that low-income rural whites were actually experiencing more despair than other groups.

Full story at Science Daily

Experimental drug may ease opioid withdrawal symptoms

A drug that scientists originally developed to treat depression may have promise for the treatment of opioid withdrawal, researchers say.

Opioid withdrawal is a challenging experience, and although there are medications already on the market that can help curb the symptoms of withdrawal, these drugs cause negative side effects.

Current withdrawal medications also often require people to take them for a prolonged period, which is not ideal and could lead to a relapse.

Full story at Medical News Today