addiction

Fentanyl has made headlines for driving overdose deaths, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning of the rise of an even deadlier drug. Last year, nearly 70% of all U.S. overdose deaths were attributed to illegally manufactured fentanyls (IMFs). One of those was carfentanil, an altered version of fentanyl that is […]

With the holiday season upon us, people across the globe are preparing for family gatherings and holiday parties with both excitement and anxiety. For families impacted by addiction, there is an additional challenge that plagues party plans and guest lists. Do you invite that person? Will they be sober? Will they over-indulge and create drama?

Kratom is often seen by people as an alternative to opioids because it acts on the brain the same way when taken in higher doses. Unfortunately, this also means that kratom has a somewhat similar addiction potential. As with other substances with opioid-like effects, kratom can cause tolerance, cravings, and dependence. Eventually, this can lead

High-functioning alcoholics (HFAs) are individuals who manage to maintain a seemingly normal life while struggling with alcohol addiction. Despite their ability to keep up with daily responsibilities, their drinking habits can still have serious consequences. Here are some key characteristics often seen in HFAs: 1. **Successful Careers and Responsibilities** – HFAs typically have successful careers

Three twenty-somethings in Chicago took a street drug they thought was a harmless form of Xanax. All three were found collapsed and unresponsive eight hours later by one of their mothers, who had them rushed to the hospital. After multiple seizures, fever and heart damage, all three are thought to have recovered, but not before

TUESDAY, May 7, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Lab tests of counterfeit oxycodone (Oxycontin) pills seized by police in Rhode Island in 2022 found 99.3% also contained dangerous fentanyl.  It was typically mixed with another potentially deadly drug, xylazine. Both drugs make overdose more likely and more fatal, experts note.  As too many American families have

Benzodiazepine, or benzo, withdrawal happens when a person suddenly stops taking benzodiazepine drugs, which doctors do not recommend. The withdrawal symptoms, which vary in severity, typically begin within 24 hours and may last from a few days to a few months. Benzodiazepines are a group of drugs called nervous system depressants. People may take them

U.S. consumption of alcohol, which had already been increasing for years, accelerated during the pandemic as Americans grappled with stress and isolation. Rhode Island stand-up comedians Kirsten Logan and Frank Gazerro already drank plenty. The husband and wife were literally paid in drinks at nightclubs. Then came the pandemic. Logan, 35, drank over the stress

Benzodiazepines, sometimes called benzos, are a type of medication known as tranquilizers. Familiar names include Valium and Xanax. These drugs slow down your central nervous system, cause sedation and muscle relaxation, and lower anxiety levels. Often used to treat anxiety or insomnia, they’re some of the most commonly prescribed medications in the U.S. But they

Benzodiazepines (commonly known as “benzos”) can be used to treat a variety of medical conditions. This includes anxiety and panic disorders, alcohol use disorder, and insomnia (trouble sleeping). But in many cases, experts recommend limiting benzo use to just a few weeks. This is partly because long-term benzo use has been associated with negative effects,

If you drink alcohol heavily for weeks, months, or years, you may have both mental and physical problems when you stop or seriously cut back on how much you drink. This is called alcohol withdrawal. Symptoms can range from mild to serious. If you drink only once in a while, it’s unlikely that you’ll have

The kratom trail spanned thousands of miles before it ended inside Jeremy Franka’s Broward County home. Two bags of the substance were near the 35-year-old’s lifeless body in a backpack in his bedroom. One held 120 capsules of O.P.M.S. Silver, a popular kratom product that has been linked to multiple overdose deaths in Florida. The

Upstart companies around the country sell crushed kratom leaf, providing no clear dosing instructions or warnings about potential dangers. They don’t have to. As medical examiners log an increasing number of overdoses involving kratom across Florida and elsewhere, the industry has largely operated without government constraints or safety measures that could help protect consumers. Florida

He was discovered in the early hours of the day, slumped on the couch with vomit staining his shirt and his face looking pale with eyes barely open. The paramedics were informed by a roommate who suspected that Jonathan Dampf had relapsed and overdosed on painkillers. However, this time it seemed that the 33-year-old had

10,000 freshly pressed fentanyl pills with a street value of $300,000, was intercepted Wednesday.This street poison from New York was transported here by three men suspected to be part of a larger drug trafficking organization. The apprehensions and seizure happened in the parking lot of a retail shopping plaza on Federal Highway.30-year old Jeffry Ezequiel

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) revealed a substantial surge in drug overdose deaths among pregnant and recently postpartum women aged 10 to 44 from 2018 to 2021. Notably, fatalities in the 35 to 44 age group more than tripled during this period, as indicated by data released on Wednesday and published in JAMA

About 1 in 4 people in the US who are at least 12 years of age used illicit drugs within the past year and more than 1 in 6 had a substance use disorder (SUD) during the same period, according to data from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).Results of the

When Krista Marquick discovered kratom, it filled a hole in her life that quitting alcohol had left — kratom is often served at specialized bars, so it provided a way to socialize with friends and unwind after work without, she thought, the risk of addiction. Within a few months, Marquick found herself with a brand

A Millennium Health Signals Alert released Thursday found carfentanil in urine 35 times in 12 states in 2023, the potent fentanyl analog used in veterinary medicine as a large animal tranquilizer but not approved for human use. Carfentanil, 100 times more potent than fentanyl, was detected in a urine drug test screening just once in

According to a study released on Wednesday by the National Institute on Addictive Disorders (NIDA), patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) who begin buprenorphine treatment by telehealth are more likely to remain engaged with treatment longer than patients who begin treatment in a non-telehealth environment. In JAMA Network Open, researchers analyzed Medicaid data from 2019