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Results for search "Drug Abuse".

28 Sep

Heavy Pot Users Face High Risk of Developing Heart Disease, Study Finds

Adults with cannabis use disorder have a nearly 60% higher risk of suffering a first heart attack, stroke or another major cardiovascular event.

17 Aug

Health Experts Alarmed by Borax Challenge, Latest Tik Tok Trend

Videos showing people consuming borax for its alleged health benefits are all over social media, but experts warn this white powder commonly used in laundry detergent and other cleaning products poses serious health dangers.

Health News Results - 281

Drug-Linked Disciplinary Actions by Schools Spiked After Oregon Legalized Marijuana

New research suggests a link between middle school students being disciplined for marijuana use and legalization of recreational weed, particularly when schools are close to dispensaries that sell the drug.

Researchers studied this in Oregon, where recreational marijuana became legal for adults back in 2015.

They found that middle school students received office discipline referra...

Fatal ODs Are Hitting Less-Educated Americans the Hardest

Americans who haven't been to college appear to be a risk group for drug overdose deaths.

Deaths due to overdose increased among less-educated Americans, with the rate nearly doubling in a three-year period for those without a high school diploma, according to a new study by the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research organization.

While it's not new that less-educated Americans repr...

Big Rise Seen in Gun Deaths, Overdoses Among U.S. Kids

America's kids are safer now than a decade ago when it comes to many types of injury, with two glaring exceptions: drugs and guns.

That's the crux of a new study that looked at injury trends among U.S. children and teenagers between 2011 and 2021.

It found that nonfatal injuries from accidents and assaults fell by 55% and 60%, respectively, during that time period. That included sub...

Heavy Marijuana Use May Harm the Heart

People who abuse marijuana may be setting themselves up for heart problems down the road, Canadian researchers report.

The new study found that people with so-called cannabis use disorder may have a 60% higher risk for a heart attack, stroke or other major heart-related event, compared to those who don't abuse the drug.

"There appears to be a substantial association between cannabis...

Climate Change's Hotter Days Could Bring More Alcohol, Drug Crises

Sweltering temperatures appear to fuel drug-related hospital visits, a problem that could be worsening with climate change, a new study suggests.

“We saw that during periods of higher temperatures, there was a corresponding increase in hospital visits related to alcohol and substance use, which also brings attention to some less obvious potential consequences of climate change,” said ...

Talking to a Loved One Battling Substance Abuse: Staying Positive Is Key

A conversation with a family member or loved one struggling with addiction can be the catalyst for getting help.

But it's important to choose your words carefully when discussing possible addiction to controlled substances with your loved one, said Dr. Aleksandra Zgierska, a profess...

MDMA/Ecstasy Shows Even More Promise in Easing PTSD

A new study is adding to evidence that the party drug "ecstasy" can boost the benefits of talk therapy for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In a clinical trial, researchers found that three months of talk therapy, assisted by carefully monitored doses of ecstasy (MDMA), worked significantly better than therapy alone.

Of 52 patients who completed MDMA-assi...

Marijuana Edibles Are Sending Kids to the ER: Here's Tips to Keep Them Safe

Drugs and children don't mix, so it's important to keep little ones safe by storing any marijuana edibles out of reach from small hands.

The New Jersey Poison Control Center is offering warnings that can apply anywhere, after aiding in the medical treatment of 30 children ranging from the ages of 1 to 12 who accidentally ate marijuana edibles in July.

"It is difficult for anyone, es...

Counterfeit Pills Fuel Rising Number of Fatal Drug Overdoses

A growing number of overdose deaths in the United States involve counterfeit pills, health officials reported Thursday.

Overdose deaths involving counterfeit pills were twice as common in the latter half of 2021 as they were in the last six months of 2019, accounting for about 5% of overdose deaths, according to a new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In West...

Do Most Americans Know How to Help Loved Ones Battling Addictions? New Poll Says Yes

If a loved one were living with addiction, a majority of Americans say they would know how to get help.

About 71% of 2,200 respondents to an American Psychiatric Association poll said they would know how to assist a friend or family members.

Most, about 73%, would refer that loved one to treatment, and 74% would talk to them about their addiction.

"It's promising, especially ...

Los estadounidenses de mediana edad usan marihuana y se dan atracones de bebida a niveles récord

Los atracones de bebida y el consumo de marihuana han alcanzado niveles históricamente altos entre los adultos de EE. UU. de 35 a 50 años, anunciaron el jueves los Institutos Nacionales de la Salud (NIH) de EE. UU.

Entre estos adultos de mediana edad, las drogas favoritas son la marihuana, los alucinógenos y el alcohol, y casi un 30 por ciento admitieron que se habían dado un atracón...

Middle-Aged Americans Are Using Marijuana, Binge-Drinking at Record Levels

Binge-drinking and marijuana use have reached historically high levels among U.S. adults aged 35 to 50, the U.S. National Institutes of Health announced Thursday.

For these middle-aged adults, the drugs of choice are marijuana, hallucinogens and alcohol, with nearly 30% admitting to binge-drinking in 2022.

Binge drinking for this group reached the highest level eve...

Two-Thirds of Americans Say Their Lives Have Been Affected by Addiction: Poll

Millions of Americans are addicted to drugs or alcohol, and millions more struggle with an addicted family member or friend, a new poll finds.

Two-thirds of those surveyed said either they or a family member have been addicted to alcohol or drugs, been homeless because of an addiction, or overdosed or died from drug use. Moreover, 19% say they themselves have been addicted to drugs or al...

Nurses, Other Health Care Workers at High Risk of Drug Overdose

As the United States wrestles with soaring drug overdose deaths, new research finds that nurses, social and behavioral health care workers and health care support workers are at particularly high risk.

Compared with employed adults who are not health care workers, social workers and other behavioral health care workers are more than twice as likely to die of overdose, said study co-...

Just 1 in 5 Americans Struggling With Opioid Misuse Gets Meds That Can Help

The U.S. opioid abuse epidemic wages on, and overdose deaths continue to rise, yet just 1 in 5 people receives potentially lifesaving medication such as methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone to treat their addiction, a new study finds.

“These medications are effective for prescription opioids like hydrocodone [Vicodin] and oxycodone [OxyContin] and all those medications we rely on for ...

Taking Kratom Claimed Her Son's Life. Now She and Others Are Warning of the Dangers

J.D. Butler was planning a future with his girlfriend at his favorite New York City restaurant when that future came to a sudden, crushing halt.

“They were planning on when she was moving in and arranging floor plans on the table, with where the furniture was going to go,” said his mother, Karen Butler, a lifelong New York resident. “And he had a grand mal seizure, and then his hear...

$11 Million Awarded to Family of Woman Who Died After Taking Kratom

The family of a mother of four who collapsed and died while cooking breakfast has been awarded $11 million in a wrongful death lawsuit.

The cause of death for Krystal Talavera, 39, involved the opioid-like herb known as kratom.

The lawsuit had alleged that the herb's distributor, Grow LLC, had marketed the product as an all-natural supplement, NBC News reported.

“...

Strong Marijuana Habit Could Raise Odds for Complications During Surgery

Using marijuana regularly might increase the risk for complications during and after surgery, and doctors should address this when planning operations, a new study suggests.

People with a cannabis use disorder are 20% more likely to have serious complications, such as stroke or blood clots, after a major operation than patients who aren't dependent on marijuana, researchers say.

"...

Taking ADHD Meds Won't Raise a Kid's Odds for Drug Abuse Later: Study

Stimulant medications like Ritalin are commonly prescribed to help treat the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but there have been concerns the drugs may lay the groundwork for later substance abuse.

New research may now set those worries at ease.

Children who take prescription stimulants for ADHD do not have more substance use disorders as teens or young adults...

Soaring Misuse of Horse Tranquilizer Xylazine Is Worsening Opioid Crisis

Drug overdose deaths involving a powerful horse tranquilizer called xylazine have skyrocketed in the United States, rising 35-fold in just a handful of years, federal health researchers say.

The number of xylazine-involved OD deaths nationwide rose from just 102 in 2018 to 3,468 in 2021, according to a new study released Friday from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

...

Drug Overdoses Are Killing Men at Much Higher Rates Than Women

American men die of drug overdoses at a higher rate than women, but new research shows that difference can't be completely explained by factors like misuse or greater use.

A study led by scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City and the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that men were two to three times more likely than women to die of a ...

Lesbians, Gays Suffer More Mental Health Issues, Drug Use Problems: Survey

Lesbians, gays and bisexuals are experiencing more mental health and substance use issues than their heterosexual peers, researchers say.

According to a new government report released Tuesday, this includes major depressive episodes, serious thoughts of suicide,...

Teens Rarely Get Anti-Addiction Meds When Treated for Opioid Misuse

The medication buprenorphine normalizes brain function in people addicted to opioids, but teens rarely receive it at U.S. treatment centers, a new study finds.

Only one in four adolescent residential treatment centers in the United States uses the medication to treat opioid use disorder, according to research out of Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).

“These residential tre...

Young Adults' Use of Hallucinogens Like Mushrooms, PCP Doubled in a Few Years: Study

Young American adults have doubled their use of non-LSD hallucinogens in just a few years, a new report warns.

Researchers found that between 2018 and 2021, U.S. adults aged 19 to 30 increased their use of mescaline, peyote, psilocybin ("magic mushrooms") and PCP, though not LSD.

The prevalence of young adults' past-year use of these drugs was 3.4% in 2018, but it hit 6.6% in 2021....

Most Injection Drug Users Are Not Seeking Out Fentanyl: Study

Many Americans who inject illicit drugs are unknowingly getting fentanyl mixed in with their heroin, which can increase their risk for overdose and perhaps their tolerance for the drug.

About 80% of injection drug users in New York City test positive for fentanyl, but only 18% intended to use that drug, according to research from NYU School of Global Public Hea...

Illicit Use of Ketamine Keeps Rising in U.S.

Seizures of illicit ketamine by drug enforcement agents have surged throughout the United States, growing 349% from 2017 through 2022, a new study finds.

Rising use of ketamine could increase the likelihood that people who use the drug recreationally may instead get a potentially harmful version of the substance, researchers say.

“This dramatic rise in ketamine seizures by l...

Medicare's Coverage of Methadone Could Help Get People Off Opioids

When Medicare expanded coverage for methadone, more people used this treatment for opioid use disorder, a new study shows.

Use rose sharply but did not displace other opioid treatments such as buprenorphine, according to researchers.

Much of the rise in methadone use was among Medicare Advantage enrollees under age 65. It was especially true among those who qualified for both Medic...

U.S. Child Deaths From Fentanyl Jumped 30-Fold in Just 8 Years

The synthetic opioid fentanyl is killing increasing numbers of U.S. kids, emulating the chilling trends seen among adults, a new study finds.

Pediatric deaths from fentanyl increased more than 30-fold between 2013 and 2021, according to study author Julie Gaither, an assistant professor of pediatrics at th...

Exercise Could Be an Antidote to Addiction, Data Suggests

Exercise might help people who are battling addiction stay on the straight and narrow, a new research review finds.

Investigators who analyzed 43 studies from around the world found a link between physical activity and reduced substance use among people in treatment for alcohol and drug abuse.

The idea for the study review “came to me when I was working as a kinesiologist in ...

Supplements Can Contain Far More Melatonin Than Is Safe, Upping Odds for Illness

When U.S. health officials reported a 500% spike in the number of poison center calls involving kids eating melatonin gummies last year, Harvard researchers decided to take a closer look at the sleep supplements and discovered a disturbing fact: They contained up to 347% more melatonin than the label stated.

What's more, five of the products also contained CBD in higher amounts than the l...

People With Cerebral Palsy Could Be in the Crosshairs of the Opioid Crisis

People with cerebral palsy are more likely to be prescribed opioids to manage pain, making them vulnerable to the ongoing opioid crisis in the United States, according to a new study.

While pain is common among patients with cerebral palsy, opioids may not be as helpful for them because their pain is complex, researchers say.

Yet,

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • April 25, 2023
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  • In Some U.S. Schools, 1 in 4 Kids Said They've Misused an ADHD Drug

    U.S. schools that have a lot of students with prescriptions for ADHD medication also tend to have a lot of students who misuse the drugs, a new study suggests.

    Researchers found that among nearly 3,300 U.S. middle schools and high schools, some had a serious problem with students misusing prescription stimulant medications. At certain schools, upwards of one-quarter of students said they'...

    Million-Person Study Finds Genes Common to Many Addiction Disorders

    Breakthrough research shows genetic markers for substance abuse and could lead to more effective ways to prevent and treat drug and alcohol use disorders.

    These findings could help people who face addiction to varied substances, including those who have more than one addiction at a time.

    The findings al...

    New Jersey's '5-Day Rule' Didn't Curb Opioid Use

    While many opioid policies in New Jersey have worked to combat misuse of the drugs, one that limited the length of prescriptions did not have its intended effect, new research shows.

    The legislation capped initial opioid prescriptions for acute pain at just five days.

    Investigators from Rutgers University in New Jersey analyzed Medicaid records. They found that the number of peopl...

    U.S. Deaths Involving Meth Are Skyrocketing, Fentanyl a Big Factor

    Deaths from methamphetamine among Americans increased 50-fold between 1999 and 2021, a chilling new study reports.

    Most of these deaths also involved heroin or fentanyl, according to researchers.

    "The staggering increase in methamphetamine-related deaths in the United States is largely now driven by the co-involvement of street opioids," said lead researcher

  • Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
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  • February 21, 2023
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  • Legalizing Marijuana Doesn't Raise Drug, Alcohol Abuse: Study

    Living in a U.S. state where recreational weed is legal does not appear to increase the average adult's risk of succumbing to “reefer madness,” a new study of twins has determined.

    An adult living in a “legal” state is not more likely to develop any sort of substance abuse disorder than their twin residing in a state where marijuana remains outlawed, researchers found.

    They ...

    As Opioid Deaths Rise Among Teens, Too Few Youth Get Anti-Addiction Drug

    The number of American teenagers becoming addicted to opioids is on the rise, yet fewer are being prescribed a medication that can help them, a new government study finds.

    Between 2015 and 2020, the proportion of teens receiving buprenorphine prescriptions fell by 45%. Buprenorphine is one of three medications approved to treat opioid addiction.

    The decline in prescriptions is "conc...

    Pharmacists Can Be Key to Helping Folks Kick Opioid Addiction

    Pharmacists could play an important role in helping curb the U.S. opioid epidemic, a new study suggests.

    Researchers studied the impact of a Rhode Island law allowing specially trained pharmacists to prescribe buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder.

    The study began with 100 patients who received the medication at a pharmacy. After they were stabilized, 58 were...

    Babies in Danger From Ingesting Opioids Laced With Animal Tranquilizer

    When a toddler or an infant accidentally ingests a prescription opioid medication, the immediate results can prove deadly, experts warn.

    But another new worrisome dynamic is afoot in the United States, a just-published study reveals: pediatric poisonings from a particularly lethal combo — a ...

    Pandemic Brought Surge in Teen Drug Overdose Deaths

    Deaths of teens from drug overdoses soared starting in late 2019, and though they appear to be on the decline, they remain much higher than in 2019, U.S. health officials report.

    Most of these deaths are due to illegally made fentanyl mixed with other drugs, said study author Lauren Tanz<...

    Cases of Deadly Heart Infection Tied to Opioid Abuse Rose Sharply During Pandemic

    Researchers already knew that injecting drugs can lead to the dangerous and deadly heart infection called endocarditis.

    Now they know that also becoming infected with COVID-19 appears to increase risk for this already vulnerable group.

    "A lot of people talk about long COVID, but then really not many people are focused on this very vulnerable population," said

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • December 13, 2022
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  • Record Number of Fatal Drug ODs for Pregnant, Postpartum Women

    Pregnant and postpartum women are dying of drug overdoses in record numbers, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only made things worse, a new study shows.

    Deaths increased about 81% over the past four years, hitting a record high in 2020, according to researchers from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City.

    "We've seen significant increases in fatal and non...

    As Alcohol Abuse Declines Among Teens, Marijuana Abuse Soars

    American kids are drinking to excess less and abusing marijuana more, a new study finds.

    Marijuana abuse among 6- to 18-year-olds has increased 245% since 2000, while child alcohol abuse has steadily declined over those years, say researchers who analyzed poisonings over two decades.

    "This dramatic increase does coincide with this huge wave of decriminalization in the U.S.," s...

    Cases of Meth-Linked Heart Failure Are Spreading Worldwide

    Methamphetamine wreaks havoc on the heart, warns new research that shows heart failure rates linked to the illicit drug are on the rise around the world.

    Not only are these cases increasing, but they are more severe than traditional heart failure cases and they are striking all racial and socioeconomic groups.

    “The increasing prevalence of meth [heart failure] across racial/ethn...

    Fatal Drug Overdoses Among U.S. Seniors Have Tripled Since 2000

    Growing numbers of older Americans are dying from drug overdoses and alcohol abuse.

    That's the tragic takeaway from two new reports by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    More than 5,000 people aged 65 and older in the United States died of a drug overdose in 2020, and this number has tripled since 2000, according to

  • Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
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  • November 30, 2022
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  • Lots of Teen Boys Use Steroids, Often With Side Effects

    Steroid users, especially teen boys and young men, seem indifferent to the serious side effects and dependency associated with use of the drugs, a new study finds.

    “We're seeing more young adults and adolescent boys engaging in risk behaviors, such as the use of steroids, to achieve what many see as the ideal male body,” said lead author

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • November 28, 2022
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  • Is Mind-Altering Ayahuasca Safe? No, But Folks Who Try It May Not Care

    Ayahuasca, a powerful psychoactive drug derived from a South American plant, is a traditional Amazonian-based medicine and an increasingly popular hallucinogenic brew used by devotees worldwide.

    But what is the ayahuasca experience really like?

    An

  • Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
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  • November 17, 2022
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  • Pandemic Saw Big Rise in Deaths to Millennials From Multiple Causes

    Americans aged 25 to 44 — so-called millennials — are dying at significantly higher rates from three leading killers than similarly aged people just 10 years ago, the latest government data shows.

    Looking at data collected between 2000 and 2020, the new report from the U.S. National Center for He...

    Fatal Heart Infections Linked to Opioid Abuse Have Tripled Among Young Americans

    The U.S. opioid epidemic has been heartbreaking — literally.

    Young adults' risk of dying from a devastating infection of the heart has doubled to tripled in the United States during the past two decades, a new study reports.

    Researchers ascribe the increase in fatal heart infections to the growing number of people between 15 and 44 who are injecting opioid drugs.

    “We found...

    FDA Warns of Animal Tranquilizer in Illicit Drugs

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday warned health care workers to look out for patients who may have been exposed to a potentially deadly animal sedative, possibly through illicit drug use.

    The veterinary medication xylazine is sometimes added to fentanyl, heroin or other drugs, after either being diverted from the legal animal supply or illicitly produced, the FDA said.

    ...

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