At this point, everyone has heard about the opioid crisis – from the harrowing statistics indicating just how many have wound up addicted or dead, to the federal government’s efforts to limit patient access to the narcotic drug. For people who have thus far successfully managed their pain and improved their quality of life thanks to opioid-based treatment, they may suddenly face a dramatic reduction in the availability of these medications. This includes patients suffering from chronic, ... [Read More]
Opioid Crisis
The Harmful Side Effects of Narcotic Pain Medicines
When dealing with a patient’s chronic or acute pain, there are any number of treatment options your pain management doctor may recommend, depending, of course, on the underlying cause and severity of your distress. For example, if you’re only experiencing mild or moderate head or muscle pain, you may only need over-the-counter medication to quell the discomfort. However, if you’re experiencing intense pain from an injury, illness, or prior surgery, you might be prescribed something a lot ... [Read More]
What Is a Probuphine Implant?
In recent years, combating the rise in opioid dependency has become a national priority. Opioids are prescribed to treat pain – but with prolonged use, their pain-relieving effects can lessen, your pain may worsen, and your body can develop a dependency that is extremely difficult to overcome. Fortunately, there is a treatment for adults with an opioid addiction called the Probuphine implant. This implant involves a procedure in which a doctor inserts four tiny implants, each containing the ... [Read More]
Surgeon General Issues an Advisory on Naloxone to Address the Opioid Epidemic
Naloxone is a drug used to counter the effects that opioids have on the body. Fast-acting and effective, naloxone can temporarily reverse or halt an overdose. When administered to a person who is overdosing on opioids, naloxone can restore normal breathing if it has stopped or become slow and labored. There have been many documented cases where it has saved the lives of people who overdose. For the first time since 2005, the Surgeon General issued an advisory regarding opioid abuse and ... [Read More]
The Opioid Crisis
There is a public health epidemic that knows no prejudice. Doctors and lawyers, housewives and honor-roll students; all races, nationalities and socio-economic strata can fall victim to it. There is no known cure except to limit exposure, which in itself can be hard. And in this case, too much of a “safe” thing can lead to ruined lives and death. This epidemic is called the Opioid Crisis, and it is of such public concern that upon taking office, President Trump made it one of his first ... [Read More]