Prescription Drugs Kill One Person Every 19 Minutes
Prescription drugs kill one person every 19 minutes – The Quiet Epidemic: prescription drug abuse destroys millions of lives Nancy Rosen-Cohen The Baltimore Sun There isn’t much attention paid to prescription drug abuse, except perhaps when a Hollywood star dies from an overdose. However, it is estimated that nearly one in five Americans has used prescription drugs for nonmedicinal reasons, and 15 percent may be abusing prescription drugs. This silent epidemic has become the leading cause of addiction. This week, the Maryland Chapter of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and the University of Maryland Medical Center sponsored the annual Tuerk Conference, a gathering of 1200 health professionals working in the field of addictions to focus on treatment and prevention of prescription drug abuse. Confronting and debunking the common myth that prescription drugs are less deadly and less addictive was one of the items on the agenda. The dangers of prescription drug abuse are growing at an exponential rate. Between 1992 and 2002, the number of prescriptions written increased by 61 percent, but the number of prescriptions written for opiates increased by almost 400 percent. Opiates reflect three-quarters of all prescription drugs abused. Actor Heath Ledger had Vicodin (hydrocodone), OxyContin (oxycodone), Valium (diazepam), and Xanax (alprazolam) in his bloodstream when he died. All are legal opiates. According to a report this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospitalizations for …
Summit focuses on prescription drug abuse
Filed under: prescription drug abuse
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – Carrying around and taking prescription medication isn't a crime but if your name isn't on the label, it can get you into big trouble. “If you are not lawfully prescribed a narcotic then you are not allowed to take it under the …
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Officials target prescription drug abuse at Mobile summit
Filed under: prescription drug abuse
elizabeth manci prescription drug summit jan 30 2013.jpg Dr. Elizabeth Manci, a pediatric pathologist at the University of South Alabama's Children's and Women's Hospital, talks to community leaders about the impact of prescription drug abuse at a …
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Local group shows parents warning signs of teen drug abuse
Filed under: prescription drug abuse
In an effort to inform the community about the dangers of prescription drug abuse, a local group organized a live presentation with a model bedroom, to show parents how to identify common signs of substance abuse in teens. "Typically a parent suspects …
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