When doctors take patients off of a prescription medicine, it is often for a good reason. But pharmacists don’t always get the memo. A new study finds that more than 1 in 100 discontinued prescriptions were filled by the pharmacy anyway, putting some patients at serious risk. In the U.S., pharmacists filled more than 3.7 [...]

Antibiotics have been a boon to modern pediatric medicine—transforming many previously fatal childhood ailments into mere inconveniences. But these revolutionary treatments are not a cure-all. In fact, many common pediatric illnesses, including many ear and respiratory infections, fail to respond to antibiotics. And over-prescription of these meds—especially broad-spectrum antibiotics—is not only costly; it can also [...]

The use of uppers to help study for exams—an uncondoned practice that dates back decades—came under renewed scrutiny with a recent front-page story in the New York Times that highlighted the prevalence of the practice. More and more students appear to be taking stimulants to improve mental focus and to elevate test scores. No surprise [...]

In the hours after the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and massive tsunami hit Japan in March, essential infrastructure and communication were cut off, leaving many of the disasters’ survivors without access to phones, electricity or water. And those who were on essential medications were on the cusp of losing their lifelines, too. "The secondary disaster is [...]

I often write that we sidle away from problems and pain in communities under our noses, preferring instead to let struggles go unremarked. Filmmaker Sean Dunne happened across a West Virginia coal mining community thick with prescription painkiller use, dealing and trade and, now, wants to create a documentary film about it: Oxyana is an [...]

Infographics are the internet’s current darling, which got me thinking if there are any good ones on drugs and addiction. Low and behold, they exist! Here are my favorite eye-openers, covering the gamut from prescription drugs to teen drug abuse: ++ Click to Enlarge Image ++Image Source: SpinaBifidaInfo.com ——————————————————————- Via Recovery Connection View More Addiction [...]

It’s easy to zoom in on drug and alcohol use to America, nestling with home-grown problems, but where do we stand with the rest of the world? Are we, the culture of excess and over-consumption, “normal?” Alcohol The world drank the equivalent of 1.6 gallons of alcohol per person in 2005, according to the World [...]

We often hear of addicts’ journeys leading to a stint in an rehabilitation facility or perhaps even multiple stints. But who goes to rehab and what does it say about our perception of addiction? Rehab facilities, originally called “sober houses” and founded to create an isolated area removed from the temptations of substance abuse, are [...]

Two years ago my genes were profiled. Results ranged from useful (high risk for blood clots) to mildly unsettling (I do have curly blonde hair and blue eyes). But among the laundry list of drug response and trait data was something that peaked my interest — sandwiched between ‘Floxacillin Toxicity’ and ‘Lumirazcoxib Side Effects’ was [...]

March 1 — Chemicals used in K2 and Spice, smokeable herbal products that elicit a marijuana-like high, are regulated as Schedule 1 drugs by the DEA April 19 — Over 5,300 sites join the DEA’s second “Take-Back Prescription Drugs” mission, a community effort to collect unwanted, unused or expired prescription medication June 30 — Operation [...]

Call me foolish, but I accept and believe addicts’ tales of their drug use and abuse. In retelling their experiences, most offer an outpouring of descriptive language on how their drug of choice feels, and how their drug of choice has ruined them. I trust these accounts, while accepting that some details could be misfiled [...]

Continuing in my recent vein, I’m still wondering about the intricacies of drug education. I started perusing decades’ worth of drug education campaigns, only to be heartily amused by these videos…and wondering if we’ve advanced much. We can laugh at these and shelve them as vintage relics of yesteryear and ridiculous campaigns if used today [...]

According to recent headlines, we might be poisoning ourselves and our kids with pain pills, yet we’re afraid to tell doctors we’re depressed. Anti-depressants are the second most prescribed kind of medication in the U.S., and an estimated one in 10 Americans reports suffering from depression. This class of drugs has become about as common [...]