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California Rehab Adds Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
The opioid crisis evolves faster and faster these days. One new example is cychlorphine, a synthetic opioid. Officials in East Tennessee linked this drug to 41 deaths so far. Plus, it has also spread far beyond this epicenter. Even though states like Tennessee have many options for those impacted by narcotics, from inpatient care to …
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Groups Distribute 15,000 Naloxone Doses in Southern Nevada
Twenty volunteer teams fanned throughout Las Vegas to give away 15,000 doses of naloxone, the medication that reverses opioid overdoses. To be clear, Nevada features a wide range of services to combat addictions, including local Narcotic Anonymous groups. But way too many young people remain at risk. That’s why the group acted. The distribution took …
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Opioid Addiction Fears Rise as 7-OH Kratom Products Spread
Leaders in Colorado shined a spotlight to warn about an additive product that has shown up in gas stations and smoke shops. It’s called 7-hydroxymitragynine or 7-OH. This is a concentrated kratom derivative that can produce an addiction and severe withdrawal for those who try to quit. To be sure, Colorado features lots of programs …
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Opioid Addiction Raises Stakes for New Moms in Recovery
Childbirth is often a celebration. But women in recovery from opioids might feel like walking through a minefield. A Kaiser Health News story follows one California mom whose sober delivery plan involved fentanyl, wildfire evacuations and Percocet. Even though California boasts many inpatient and local community efforts like Narcotics Anonymous, in this case, careful preparation …
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Opioid Addiction Medication Access Grows in US Pharmacies
More pharmacies and hospital ERs now carry buprenorphine, a medication for opioid addiction, than they did seven years ago. New national data show steady gains, and Philadelphia addiction specialists say telehealth could close the remaining gaps, especially in rural communities. Indeed, Pennsylvania and the other 49 states feature a wide range of options to combat …
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3 in 4 Overdose Deaths Occur in Isolation, CDC Finds
Overdose deaths across the United States may be dropping, but there’s a disturbing pattern that hasn’t decreased. Federal analysis of fatal overdose circumstances to date shows that three in four people who die of an overdose die in isolation with no bystander present or near enough to intervene. The Opioid Crisis Continues in the USA …
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Mizzou Students Hand Out 5,000 Free Naloxone Boxes
Naloxone will be everywhere on the University of Missouri campus this week. The move joins a range of options available to young people in Missouri that includes clinical care and neighborly Narcotics Anonymous chapters. During National Hazing Prevention Week, Sept. 21-25, two sophomores plan to place 5,000 free boxes of the overdose-reversal medication directly into …
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19% of LA Inmates Access Free Vending Machine Naloxone Upon Release
The first weeks after release from jail contains a high opioid overdose from relapse. A new study on the vending machine naloxone program in the L.A. County Jail system shows the promise and the limits of handing out meds right as former inmates walk out the door. To be sure, people in California have a …
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18-Year-Old Accused of Targeting Ventura Students in Drug Operation
The warnings about drugs reaching increasingly younger kids hit parents the hard way in Ventura County. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office arrested an 18-year-old Oxnard man for an alleged narcotics operation that investigators say targeted students at local middle and high schools. He used colorful packaging and cartoon images to appeal to children. Even though …
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SoonerCare Cuts Red Tape for Brixadi Opioid Addiction Treatment
Oklahomans just learned that one of the newest medications for opioid addiction is now much easier to get. The state’s Health Care Authority announced that Soonercare members no longer need prior authorization for Brixadi, an injectable form of buprenorphine, after the agency implemented a first-of-its-kind value-based agreement with the drug’s manufacturer. Even though Oklahoma has a …
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