Drug News

PRESCRIPTION – USA
FDA issues dosage alert for Tamiflu prescriptions – News OK

The Food and Drug Administration is asking doctors and pharmacists to be alert for dosing errors with the oral version of the antiviral drug Tamiflu.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
New Prescription Drug Research Shows Bad Reaction in Children – WTVY News

New research shows more than half a million children have bad reactions from prescription drugs. Children younger than age five are most commonly affected. Penicillin and other prescription antibiotics are among drugs causing the most problems.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Use Can Lead To Relapse – Trans World News

Narconon also has a unique method of handling substance abuse on two levels. First through a detoxification program that removes drug resides from the body and reduces physical drug cravings to tackle and physical aspect. Then, Narconon uses an approach that raises the ability of the individual by giving them life skills to help keep them off drugs permanently.

HEROIN – UK
Heroin use a ‘national crisis’ - drugs group – RTE

Heroin use is now a national crisis, according to a group that provides assistance to drug users and the homeless.

HEROIN – USA
Meth Abuse Down - Heroin On the Rise – CBS News

Heroin killed seven people in Jefferson County in 2007, but the drug is being blamed for sixteen deaths so far in 2009.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office made a huge heroin bust earlier this year. Lt. Randy Christian says dealers are trafficking more heroin because of a nationwide clamp down on ephedrine, the raw material needed to make meth.

HEROIN – IRELAND
Heroin use a ‘national crisis’, says charity chief – Irish Times

HEROIN USE has become a national crisis, the chief executive of drug addiction and homelessness charity Merchants Quay Ireland has said.

COCAINE – USA
Tainted Cocaine Raises Health Risk Concerns – FOX News

At Minnesota Poison Control, they’re on the look out for a deadly side-effect you won’t find on any warning label. The problem is with powder and crack cocaine, laced with a drug called levamisole.

COCAINE – AUSTRALIA
Ice usage down, cocaine usage up: research – ABC News

New research has revealed there has been a dramatic fall in the number of people using the drug ice in Australia. But the drop has coincided with an increase in the use of cocaine. The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre has today released its 2009 statistics on illegal drugs.

ALCOHOL – USA
Campaign targets military teens’ alcohol, drug use – The Associated Press

Concerned about drug and alcohol use among teens in military families, three organizations are undertaking an online educational campaign on Wednesday to encourage parents and children to talk about substance abuse.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol Interlocks Are Gaining Traction – New York Times

Earlier this month, in response to a Wheels post on the increase in arrests among women driving under the influence, one reader wrote that in Australia drunken driving is addressed much more aggressively than in the United States.

ALCOHOL – USA
Commentary: Drinking age of 21 saves lives – CNN News

The national policy that set a minimum legal drinking age of 21 is being questioned by a group of 135 college and university presidents through an effort called the Amethyst Initiative.

COCAINE – USA
Tainted Cocaine Draws Nationwide Health Alert – About-News and Issues

The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has issued a nationwide public health alert warning of “substantial levels” of cocaine laced with the veterinary anti-parasitic drug levamisole.

ALCOHOL – USA
Teens Who Eat Infrequent Family Dinners Likelier to Drink, Smoke, Use Drugs – Join Together

Compared to teens who have frequent family dinners (five or more per week), those who have infrequent family dinners (fewer than three per week) are twice as likely to use tobacco or marijuana; more than one and a half times likelier to use alcohol; and twice as likely to expect to try drugs in the future.

DRUGS – USA
Text Messages Could Prevent Fatal Overdoses – Join Together

A drug-treatment program in the U.K. has set up a text-messaging system for drug users, who can receive texts on what to do in case of an overdose as well as tips on harm reduction.

ADDICTION – USA
Addicts March to Disprove Stereotype – KWCH News

Dozens of people gathered at Wichita’s Old Town Square to spread a message Tuesday evening, asking to “End the Stigma.” It was part of what organizers call a “Recovery Parade”. This was for anyone recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. About 50 people met at Miracles Inc., at 2nd and Wabash. Many brought signs to define them as something as other than a person in recovery - a mother, a wife, a tax payer.

DRUGS – USA
Drug Detox Protocol Gives New Hope – Trans World News

Novus Medical Detox Center has developed new protocols that have succeeded with patients who have failed to complete their detox at other medical detox centers.  These new protocols combine the use of medications with natural supplements and the use of intravenous treatments and allow a more comfortable detox than ever before.

ALCOHOL – USA
Sorority joins fight against alcohol poisoning – Stillwater News Press

One Oklahoma State University sorority is joining people from 134 other universities, high schools and middle schools to raise awareness of alcohol poisoning Thursday.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Survey finds women drink alcohol to be more confident having sex – NEWS.com.au

Millions of women drink alcohol before having sex because they lack confidence in their bodies, a study suggests.

ALCOHOL – USA
Spreading awareness about alcohol, drug addiction – The Stanly News and Press

September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, which is an incredibly important but little known declaration by our nation’s government.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Sheriff Takes Aim At Prescription Drugs – WKRC TV News

Right now, the abuse of prescription drugs like oxycontin and percocet is growing like a tidal wave across the country. In many communities, pills have edged out other drugs like marijuana and cocaine.

DRUGS – USA
Drug abuse large part of crime in North Port – Sarasota Herald Tribune

A police report to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows violent crimes essentially level compared with 2008, and property crimes such a burglary dropped by 9 percent.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin: More Than A Big City Problem – NBC News

It’s no longer thought of as just a “big city problem.” Heroin is showing up in smaller communities all over our area. Mt. Horeb is known for a lot of things. Heroin would probably not be one of them. But police are seeing it here as well. And just like other areas in south central Wisconsin, it’s got their attention.

ALCOHOL – USA
Women and Men in Drug Rehab or Alcohol Treatment – Trans World News

Studies and surveys conducted by various state and federal agencies have shown that the ratio of males to females who enter drug rehab or alcohol treatment is 2.3 to 1 respectively. Recent census data indicates an almost even number of men and women in the US.

METH – USA
The dangers of methamphetamine – Richmond Register

Representatives of state and federal law enforcement agencies gathered with media members in an airplane hangar Wednesday morning to discuss the rise in methamphetamine production.

DRUGS – USA
Substance Abuse Treatment Facilitator Locator – SAMHSA

To locate the drug and alcohol abuse treatment programs nearest you, find your State on the map below and click on it.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Study urges action to get patients to follow prescriptions – Boston Globe

Patients who do not take their medications as prescribed pay a price in poorer health, more frequent hospitalizations, and a higher risk of death.

DRUGS – USA
Drugs 101: Introduction to Marijuana – Examiner

When I was in high school, so many, many years ago, marijuana was the drug of choice. Cocaine was around, but it was expensive. Speed was available, as was LSD and mushrooms, all cheap and easy to obtain. Methamphetamine, crack cocaine, MDMA, GHB and ecstasy, were not around yet.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
1 in 5 teens shares prescriptions – USA Today

About 20% of U.S. teens exchange prescription drugs such as antibiotics and allergy medications with friends, a practice that can be dangerous and potentially deadly, warns a new study.

ALCOHOL – UK
Reducing Drinking And Preventing Relapse Using A Synthetic Derivative Of The Kudzu Vine – Medical News Today

Kudzu and its extracts and flowers have been used in traditional Chinese folk medicine to treat alcoholism for about 1,000 years.

ALCOHOL – UK
Protecting Young People from Alcohol Related Harm – Drug Education Forum

We’ve seen before that working to reduce underage purchasing of alcohol has a reasonable track record, although evidence suggests that unless it’s sustained things go back to the status quo reasonably quickly.

ALCOHOL – UK
WASTED: An International Conference on Alcohol and Young People – NHS

The conference will provide examples of interventions trialed in a range of settings in the UK, Europe and North America, which have shown promising results in reducing alcohol consumption amongst children and young people.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Dangers of generic brand prescriptions – ABC Local News

When you buy generic prescription medicines, you may be doing more than just saving money. Some people are having new symptoms, which can be related to generic drugs.

ALCOHOL – USA
Missouri Gets Ignition Locks for Repeat Alcohol Offenders – Join Together

Repeat alcohol offenders in Missouri will now need more than just a key to start their cars.

PAINKILLER – USA
More pain in the painkiller business – Houston Chronicle

A Food and Drug Administration panel this month recommended a ban on prescription painkillers Vicodin and Percocet, saying that a key component of the drugs, acetaminophen, causes liver damage.

ADDICTION – USA
The Dangerous Addiction Your Loved One May Be Hiding from You – Alternative Health Journal

Prescription drug abuse is a very serious problem in the United States especially among teenagers and young adults, and there’s no sign of that abuse slowing down.

ALCOHOL – USA
Heavy alcohol consumption associated with increased risk for prostate cancer – HemOnToday

Researchers analyzed data from 2,129 participants with cancer and 8,791 participants without disease from the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial.

ALCOHOL – USA
Iowa town passes teen drinking ordinance – Chicago Tribune

Police in a small northern Iowa town can now test teens for alcohol consumption even if they don’t see any containers in sight. A new ordinance in Garner, near Mason City, says that teens who tests positive for alcohol would be considered in possession of it because alcohol was in their system.

ALCOHOL – UK
Home-brew alcohol kills at least 86 – The Press Association

At least 86 people, mostly poor workers living in slums, have died after drinking tainted home-brewed alcohol in western India.

DRUGS – NEATHERLANDS
Tackle drug use among youngsters more rigorously – Ministry of Health, Welfare an Sport

The committee calls for a number of key changes to Dutch drugs policy, and focuses on four key points: concern about drug use among young people (particularly the very young), a more restrictive approach to coffee shops, tougher measures against organised crime and the establishment of a drugs authority.

DRUGS – UK
“Closer To Home Than You Think”: One In Five Adults Knows Someone With Experience Of Drug Addiction – Medical News Today

DrugScope has published research showing that 1 in 5 adults in the UK have either direct or indirect personal experience of drug addiction.

DRUGS – USA
Narconon Arrowhead says that there is a real need for drug rehab in Los Angeles – Trans World News

According to the Los Angeles High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Drug Market Analysis, Los Angeles is one of the nation’s principal illicit drug production and distribution centers in the United States.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Alert! – Chicago Tribune

Underscoring the danger of potentially lethal and toxic prescription drug interactions, Gil Kerlikowske, the government’s drug czar, said recently that more Americans are dying from drug overdoses than gunshot wounds.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Dry Mouth Linked to Prescription and Over the Counter Drugs – PR News Wire

Approximately ninety-one percent of dentists say patients complaining about dry mouth are taking multiple medications, according to a nationwide member survey conducted by the Academy of General Dentistry.

PAINKILLER – USA
FDA Strengthens Warnings on Pain Medications Containing Propoxyphene – Join Together

Manufacturers of pain-relief medication containing propoxyphene — such as Darvon and Darvocet — must emphasize the potential risk for overdose by strengthening warning labels on the drugs.

PAINKILLER – USA
FDA takes action against painkiller abuse – Bizmology

T he FDA is taking steps to crack down on pain drugs that are commonly linked to accidental overdose. The administration’s moves are coincidentally well-timed as speculation is still rampant over whether pop king Michael Jackson’s death was related to painkillers and other medications he was taking.

ALCOHOL – UK
Eight To 14 Weekly Units Of Booze Boosts Overall Tally Of Days Spent In Hospital – Medical News Today

Downing between eight and 14 units of alcohol a week boosts the total number of days spent in hospital, finds research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

ALCOHOL – UK
Drinking 22 Or More Units Of Alcohol A Week Increases Rates Of Hospital Admission – Medical News Today

Men who drink 22 or more units of alcohol a week have a 20% higher rate of admissions into acute care hospitals than non-drinkers, researchers from the University of Glasgow have found.

ALCOHOL – USA
Higher Alcohol Intake Associated with More Hospitalizations – Join Together

A study of 6,000 men ages 35 to 64 found that the more alcohol the men drank, the more time they spent in the hospital.

ALCOHOL – USA
Study: Alcohol Deaths and Related Disorders Increase Globally – Join Together

The researchers also found that the deaths attributable to alcohol varied regionally. Europe had the highest proportion, with 1 in 10 deaths directly attributable to alcohol.

PAINKILLER – USA
Painkiller’s dangers stir concerns in Oklahoma – Oklahoma News

Overdoses of the common drug acetaminophen spur hundreds of calls to the Oklahoma Poison Control Center each year and can even be fatal, an official said Tuesday.

PAINKILLER – USA
Overdose warning on painkiller – Pharmacy News

US authorities have warned of an increased risk of fatal overdose in patients taking medicines containing propoxyphene.

PAINKILLER – USA
More than 1,000 died in U.S. painkiller overdoses – Chiropractic Economics

At least 1,013 people died of overdoses in several U.S. cities from 2005 to 2007 after illegally injecting the highly potent painkiller fentanyl, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

PAINKILLER – USA
FDA orders stronger warnings against deadly painkiller overdoses – WHAS News

The Food and Drug Administration is letting the painkillers Darvocet, Darvon and their generic versions stay on the market but the FDA is ordering stronger warnings against deadly overdoses.

PAINKILLER – USA
US orders stronger overdose warning on painkillers – Vision Insights and New Horizons

U.S. regulators on Tuesday ordered stronger warnings about overdoses with the painkilling drugs Darvon and Darvocet and rejected a consumer group’s call for a ban of the medicines.

PAINKILLER – USA
FDA Boosts Overdose Warning For Painkiller – CBS News Health

The U.S. government is letting the painkillers Darvocet, Darvon and their generic cousins stay on the market but ordered stronger warnings against deadly overdoses on Tuesday.

ALCOHOL – UK
Impact Of Young Londoners’ Alcohol Misuse Revealed, England – Medical News Today

The capital’s 11-15 year olds now drink the equivalent of 180,000 bottles of lager every week - and the amount they drink is on the rise, a new report from the London Assembly today warns.

ALCOHOL – UK
Reducing Harm in Drinking Environments – CPH

The European Union has the highest rate of alcohol consumption in the world. While drinking patterns vary widely between countries, the last decade has seen growing levels of hazardous and harmful alcohol use among young people in many Member States.

ALCOHOL – UK
Teenage Summer Binge Drinking Campaign – Drug Education Forum

The government have announced a fund of £1.4 million which will be spent over 69 areas to tackle young people’s drinking in public. The press release says that the government are expecting local partnerships to develop a 3 point plan of how they will spend the money.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
New Florida law takes aim at illegal pill trade – Miami Herald

Florida will launch a new program to monitor prescription drug sales next year to crack down on illegal pills under a bill signed by the governor.

PAINKILLER – USA
Is Your Teenager Using Prescription Drugs Behind Your Back? – PR Web

If sales of drug test panels are an indicator, then it could mean that prescription drug abuse among teenagers is on the rise. A leading online distributor of drug testing kits, has recently announced an increase in their sales of drug test panels, particularly those used for determining prescription drug abuse in teenagers.

ALCOHOL – UK
Histamine Affects Alcohol-related Behaviour – Medical News Today

The histamine-3 receptor is important in terms of alcohol-related behaviour, and a drug affecting that receptor may have qualities that alter alcohol-related behaviour. This appears in the study headed by Pertti Panula entitled “Tuberomamillary nucleus neurons, histamine and H3 receptor in hypothalamic regulation of alcohol addiction”.

DRUGS – USA
School-Based Prevention Cuts Drug Use, Violence – Join Together

Fifth-grade students who took part in comprehensive, interactive school-based prevention programs starting as early as first grade were half as likely as their peers to use alcohol or other drugs, act out violently, or engage in sexual activity.

ADDICTION – USA
Narconon Freedom Center Can Help Ohio Addicts – Trans World News

According to recent government statistics, more than 250,000 Ohio citizens have reported drug dependence over a one year period in the state of Ohio and only around one quarter of them actually ended up going into a drug rehab program.

DRUGS – USA
Substance Abuse Linked to Tuberculosis Transmission and Treatment Failure in the United States – Join Together

Although tuberculosis (TB) prevalence is low in the United States, local outbreaks among people with substance abuse have been reported.

CANNABIS – INDIA
Cannabis alters human DNA, increases cancer risk: Study – Indiana Express

Indian-origin researchers at the University of Leicester have found “convincing evidence” that cannabis smoke damages DNA in ways that could potentially increase the risk of cancer development in humans.

ADDERALL – USA
Study Shows Possible Link Between Deaths and ADHD Drugs – Washington Post

Children taking stimulant drugs such as Ritalin to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are several times as likely to suffer sudden, unexplained death as children who are not taking such drugs.

REITALIN – USA
Study: Stimulant Meds May Increase Death Risk – KERO TV News

A new study has suggested that children who take stimulant medications such as Ritalin, Strattera or Concerta may have a slight increased risk for sudden death.

ALCOHOL – USA
How Alcohol Changes the Brain … Quickly – US News and World Report

In the name of science, eight men and seven women drank alcohol through a straw while lying in an MRI scanner, presumably not all together, to see what would happen.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol goes to the head in six minutes, scientists say – Telegraph

For the first time, researchers have proved the rapid changes that drinking alcohol causes in human brain cells.

ALCOHOL – USA
Uganda: Alcohol Ruins Nabumali High School – All Africa

Drunkenness among students is one of the causes of the deteriorating academic performance at Nabumali High School in Mbale district, the head teacher has said.

ALCOHOL – USA
College Drinking Problems, Deaths On The Rise – Science Daily

Alcohol-related deaths, heavy drinking episodes and drunk driving have all been on the rise on college campuses over the past decade, a new government study shows.

DRUGS – USA
Desert Oasis Recovery Treatment Center Announces the Use of Preferred Treatment Method – PR Web

Desert Oasis Recovery, a New Mexico in-patient drug, alcohol, and gambling addiction treatment center, one of only two privately run drug, alcohol and gambling addiction treatment centers in the State of New Mexico, announces the use of auricular “accu-detox” acupuncture therapy for addictive therapy.

ALCOHOL – UK
Too much too young? Alcohol misuse among young Londoners – London Assembly

We hope that this report will highlight the problems of alcohol misuse among young people, as well as outlining a set of recommendations that will help young Londoners stay safe with alcohol, and ensure that this issue is given the priority it deserves.

DRUGS – USA
New drug report says heroin, prescription drug use on the rise in Minnesota – KARE News

A new report finds there is an apparent increase in the use of a hard-core drug in Minnesota and some narcotics that are much more widely available.

ADDICTION – USA
More Pregnant Women Seeking Treatment for Methamphetamine Addiction – Join Together

New research from the University of Chicago indicates that the number of pregnant women seeking treatment for methamphetamine use tripled between 1994 to 2006.

COCAINE – UK
Traces of cocaine found in Red Bull in Hong Kong – AFP

Hong Kong officials have found traces of cocaine in cans of Red Bull, a few days after Taiwanese authorities confiscated close to 18,000 cases of the popular energy drink.

ADDICTION – USA
National Partnership to Meet, Evaluate Addiction Treatment as Component of New Justice Programs – PR NewsWire

Representatives from more than 50 federal agencies, corporations, nonprofits and academic institutions are meeting today in Washington, D.C., as part of a multi-phase process aimed at mitigating what they call the crippling effects of alcohol misuse and crime in the United States.

ADDICTION – USA
New Website to Educate About Addiction Recovery – WABI News

A local organization to get people talking about substance abuse recovery, has launched a new website.

ALCOHOL – USA
Outside Alcohol No Longer Allowed At Jazz In Park – WISN News

One of Milwaukee’s most popular events, Jazz in Park begins Thursday night, and it’s not who is on stage that is getting all the publicity, but rather, what’s in the bottle.

ALCOHOL – USA
Study: Regular Alcohol Consumption Leads To Binge Drinking – All Headline News

A new study made by researchers at the University of Montreal and University of Western Ontario showed regular alcohol consumption increases the chance of binge drinking.

DRUGS – USA
Shoveling Up II: The Impact of Substance Abuse on Federal, State and Local Budgets – Join Together

This major report from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University shows that substance abuse and addiction cost federal, state and local governments at least $467.7 billion in 2005.

ALCOHOL – UK
Daily Alcohol Intake Can Lead To Binge Drinking – Medical News Today

Sipping wine, beer or spirits three to four times per week increases the risk of binge drinking, particularly among young men, according to a new study published in the journal Addiction.

ALCOHOL – UK
Glucose Metabolism And Recidivism Of Severe Violent Crimes In Alcohol Intoxications – Medical News Today

It is commonly known that alcoholism and alcohol intoxications are connected with severe violent crimes such as homicides. For instance, in Finland even 80 per cent of these crimes happen in alcohol intoxications.

METH – USA
Meth labs dangerous for health, safety officials – The Progressor Times

If you ever happen to find yourself in a meth lab, special agent Gary Miller of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office has some advice for you: Run!

DRUGS – UK
The harms and risks of substance use – Wired In

There is much discussion about the harms and risks of drug use, particularly in the popular press. The relative harms of different drugs are compared, and the law tries to operate a control system with drugs purportedly graded by their dangers, albeit with alcohol and tobacco forgotten.

COCAINE – UK
Brain-Behavior Disconnect In Cocaine Addiction – Medical News Today

Parts of the brain involved in monitoring behaviors and emotions show different levels of activity in cocaine users relative to non-drug users, even when both groups perform equally well on a psychological test.

METH – USA
Addiction Assumptions: The Meth Epidemic – Addiction Inbox

A simple question: Has meth use in the United States truly reached “epidemic” levels, as is commonly stated by health authorities and drug experts?

PRESCRIPTION – USA
U.S. prescription drug abuse detailed – KPAX News

It’s the second leading cause of accidental death in the nation, and it’s happening right here in Montana. The Office of National Drug Control Policy released a report on prescription drug abuse, which shows it’s a major health concern in the state.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Illegal use of Rx drugs an ‘epidemic’ – Bangor Daily News

The increasing illegal use of prescription drugs has become a crisis, state law enforcement officials say.

PAINKILLER – USA
FDA takes on prescription painkiller deaths – West Virginia Public Broadcasting

The epidemic of overdose deaths from prescription painkillers started in Appalachia, spread from coast to coast, and finally devastated one California family who decided to do something about it.

ALCOHOL – USA
The day Rome banned alcohol – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

If you’re a soccer fan, today is a big day. On Wednesday afternoon, Manchester United will meet FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League Final in Rome.

ALCOHOL – USA
State Senate Passes Bill To Prohibit Open Containers Of Alcohol On The Road – Hartford Courant

Many state drivers wrongly assume that it’s illegal to have an open bottle of beer in a car. But the state Senate took the first step Tuesday toward changing that and making Connecticut one of at least 40 states to ban “open alcoholic beverage containers” in motor vehicles.