A new study finds a striking rise in the number of teens overdosing on common anxiety medications including Xanax, Valium and Ativan, according to HealthDay. Researchers found a 54% increase in cases of benzodiazepine overdoses involving children ages 12 to 18 that were reported to U.S. Poison Control Centers between 2000 and 2015.…
Regional trends in overdose deaths reveal multiple opioid epidemics
The United States is suffering from several different simultaneous opioid epidemics, rather than just a single crisis, according to an academic study of deaths caused by drug overdoses. David Peters, an associate professor of sociology at Iowa State University, co-authored the study, which appeared in the academic journal Rural Sociology. Peters…
One in three young adults receive medication for opioid use disorder after overdose
A new study found that one in three young adults receive medication for opioid use disorder within 12 months of a non-fatal opioid overdose. The study, led by researchers at Boston Medical Center’s Grayken Center for Addiction, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), shows which medications…
Epilepsy drugs linked to increased risk of suicidal behavior, particularly in young people
Treatment with gabapentinoids — a group of drugs used for epilepsy, nerve pain and anxiety disorders — is associated with an increased risk of suicidal behaviour, unintentional overdose, injuries, and road traffic incidents, finds a study from Sweden published by The BMJ today. Prescriptions have risen steeply in recent years, and gabapentinoids…
More States Say Doctors Must Offer Overdose Reversal Drug Along With Opioids
In a growing number of states, patients who get opioids for serious pain may leave their doctors’ offices with a second prescription — for naloxone, a drug that can save their lives if they overdose on the powerful painkillers. New state laws and regulations in California, Virginia, Arizona, Ohio, Washington, Vermont and Rhode Island require physicians to “co-prescribe” or…