Tag Archives: opioid

+Drugs | May 8, 2012

Recreational Use of Prescription Painkillers Linked to Other Drug Problems in Teens

Nearly 1 in 4 high school seniors has ever taken a prescription opioid pain reliever either medically or recreationally, according to a new study. Nonmedical use of these drugs was associated with a higher risk of smoking, illegal drug use and binge drinking, but proper medical use was not.

+Pregnancy | May 1, 2012

Number of Babies Born Suffering from Drug Withdrawal Triples

By Maia Szalavitz

The rate of babies born to mothers who use prescription painkillers during pregnancy has risen sharply over the last decade. Though the long-term effects of such drug exposure are uncertain, true harm can come of labeling these babies as “addicts” at birth.

+Drugs | March 8, 2012

The Conundrum of Risky Painkillers for Veterans with PTSD

By Maia Szalavitz

War veterans with severe pain may need drugs like morphine and hydrocodone to manage it, but the medications are associated with higher rates of overdose and self-harm in those with post-traumatic stress.

+Body & Mind | February 27, 2012

In the Brain, Broken Hearts Hurt Like Broken Bones

By Maia Szalavitz

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but names can hurt just as much.

+Drugs | February 17, 2012

A Lifesaving Overdose Antidote Should Be Made More Widely Available

By Maia Szalavitz

A new CDC report finds that naloxone, a drug that reverses overdose, could save thousands of lives if public health agencies distributed it more broadly

+Alcohol | January 11, 2012

Getting a Better Buzz from Alcohol

By Maia Szalavitz

We drink for the buzz, and researchers have learned how alcohol makes us feel so good — some more so than others

+Pain | December 12, 2011

Could Medical Marijuana Reduce Patients’ Need for Opioid Painkillers?

By Maia Szalavitz

A small, new study backs a long-standing claim of advocates of medical marijuana: pain patients can safely use cannabis while taking opioid painkillers, and may actually need fewer pills because of it.

+Pain | November 23, 2011

Why Swearing Sparingly Can Help Kill Pain

By Maia Szalavitz

Letting loose with a satisfying string of expletives can significantly reduce physical pain, research has shown. But according to a new study, it doesn’t work as well if you make a habit of cursing frequently.

+Addiction | November 8, 2011

Michael Jackson Verdict: Is a Doctor’s Conviction an Indictment of Modern Medicine?

By Maia Szalavitz

Dr. Conrad Murray was found guilty on Monday of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson. With overdose deaths tripling in the past decade, should Murray’s conviction be a lesson to other doctors?

+Addiction | November 2, 2011

Are Doctors Really to Blame for the Overdose Epidemic?

By Maia Szalavitz

Forty people die each day from what Dr. Thomas Frieden, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), calls an “epidemic” of prescription drug overdose. Frieden largely attributes the rise in overdose deaths, which have tripled since 1999, to overprescribing by doctors. But the reality is much more complicated.