Tag: prescription drug abuse
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Deaths by overdose, mainly of prescription drugs, hit a new record in U.S. in 2011; a huge problem in Kentucky
Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. rose for the 11th straight year and accidental deaths involving addictive prescription drugs overshadow deaths from illicit narcotics, new federal data show. In 2010,...
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Beshear calls for action to improve state’s health, but says only that ‘It’s time for us to begin looking seriously’ at a smoking ban
By Al Cross Kentucky Health News His priorities were education and tax reform, but Gov. Steve Beshear mentioned several health issues in his State of the Commonwealth speech tonight to...
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Prescription-painkiller epidemic is spurred by societal shift, experts say: People think every problem has a pill for an answer
By Molly Burchett Kentucky Health News The prescription-painkiller epidemic stems partly from an evolution of society’s views toward pain and how to deal with it, said experts at “The Different...
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Experts explain changes to state prescription-tracking system
By Molly Burchett Kentucky Health News The Kentucky All-Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting system, the key to fighting doctor-shopping for painkillers in the state, has undergone several changes since the legislature...
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FDA likely to make hydrocodone painkillers harder to prescribe
Prescription painkillers containing hydrocodone should be placed in a more restrictive federal category, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel of experts voted on Friday. The changes would be an effort to...
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Poll shows depth of prescription drug abuse in Kentucky
By Molly Burchett and Al Cross Kentucky Health News One-third of Kentucky adults have friends or relatives who have experienced problems from abusing prescription pain relievers, and 8 percent have...
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FDA could require tamper-resistant painkillers; without such action, prescription-drug abuse problem would worsen
UPDATE, Jan. 14 : Laura Ungar of The Courier-Journal reports, “Addicts by the scores used to get a quick and easy high from snorting or shooting up the powerful narcotic...
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Pike court will keep lawsuit county and attorney general filed against Purdue Pharma over damage done by its OxyContin
A state court will hear the Kentucky attorney general’s 2007 lawsuit against OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma, against the wishes of the company. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit...
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Legislature likely to tweak, clarify and limit last year’s ‘pill mill bill’
State lawmakers could narrow the focus of last year’s “pill mill bill” during the legislative session that begins tomorrow, to concentrate on adults with long-term prescriptions for frequently abused painkillers,...
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Painkiller epidemic was driven in part by drug makers’ financial relationships with researchers who discounted the risks
For almost a decade, medical officials and experts claimed OxyContin rarely posed problems of addiction for patients. The drug’s label, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration, said addiction...