THURSDAY, Sept. 28, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- People who abuse marijuana may be setting themselves up for heart problems down the road, Canadian researchers report.

The new study found that people with so-called cannabis use disorder may have a 60% higher risk for a heart attack, stroke or other major heart-related event, compared to those who don't abuse the drug.

"There ap...

Sweltering temperatures appear to fuel drug-related hospital visits, a problem that could be worsening with climate change, a new study suggests.

“We saw that during periods of higher temperatures, there was a corresponding increase in hospital visits related to alcohol and substance use, which also brings attention to some less obvious potential consequences of climate change,” said ...

A conversation with a family member or loved one struggling with addiction can be the catalyst for getting help.

But it’s important to choose your words carefully when discussing possible addiction to controlled substances with your loved one, said Dr. Aleksandra Zgierska, a profe...

A new study is adding to evidence that the party drug "ecstasy" can boost the benefits of talk therapy for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In a clinical trial, researchers found that three months of talk therapy, assisted by carefully monitored doses of ecstasy (MDMA), worked significantly better than therapy alone.

Of 52 patients who completed MDMA-assi...

Drugs and children don’t mix, so it’s important to keep little ones safe by storing any marijuana edibles out of reach from small hands.

The New Jersey Poison Control Center is offering warnings that can apply anywhere, after aiding in the medical treatment of 30 children ranging from the ages of 1 to 12 who accidentally ate marijuana edibles in July.

"It is difficult for anyone...

A growing number of overdose deaths in the United States involve counterfeit pills, health officials reported Thursday.

Overdose deaths involving counterfeit pills were twice as common in the latter half of 2021 as they were in the last six months of 2019, accounting for about 5% of overdose deaths, according to a new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In West...

If a loved one were living with addiction, a majority of Americans say they would know how to get help.

About 71% of 2,200 respondents to an American Psychiatric Association poll said they would know how to assist a friend or family members.

Most, about 73%, would refer that loved one to treatment, and 74% would talk to them about their addiction.

"It’s promising, especiall...

Los atracones de bebida y el consumo de marihuana han alcanzado niveles históricamente altos entre los adultos de EE. UU. de 35 a 50 años, anunciaron el jueves los Institutos Nacionales de la Salud (NIH) de EE. UU.

Entre estos adultos de mediana edad, las drogas favoritas son la marihuana, los alucinógenos y el alcohol, y casi un 30 por ciento admitieron que se habían dado un atracón...

Binge-drinking and marijuana use have reached historically high levels among U.S. adults aged 35 to 50, the U.S. National Institutes of Health announced Thursday.

For these middle-aged adults, the drugs of choice are marijuana, hallucinogens and alcohol, with nearly 30% admitting to binge-drinking in 2022.

Binge drinking for this group reached the highest level eve...

Millions of Americans are addicted to drugs or alcohol, and millions more struggle with an addicted family member or friend, a new poll finds.

Two-thirds of those surveyed said either they or a family member have been addicted to alcohol or drugs, been homeless because of an addiction, or overdosed or died from drug use. Moreover, 19% say they themselves have been addicted to drugs or al...

As the United States wrestles with soaring drug overdose deaths, new research finds that nurses, social and behavioral health care workers and health care support workers are at particularly high risk.

Compared with employed adults who are not health care workers, social workers and other behavioral health care workers are more than twice as likely to die of overdose, said study co-...

The U.S. opioid abuse epidemic wages on, and overdose deaths continue to rise, yet just 1 in 5 people receives potentially lifesaving medication such as methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone to treat their addiction, a new study finds.

“These medications are effective for prescription opioids like hydrocodone [Vicodin] and oxycodone [OxyContin] and all those medications we rely on for ...

J.D. Butler was planning a future with his girlfriend at his favorite New York City restaurant when that future came to a sudden, crushing halt.

“They were planning on when she was moving in and arranging floor plans on the table, with where the furniture was going to go,” said his mother, Karen Butler, a lifelong New York resident. “And he had a grand mal seizure, and then his hear...

The family of a mother of four who collapsed and died while cooking breakfast has been awarded $11 million in a wrongful death lawsuit.

The cause of death for Krystal Talavera, 39, involved the opioid-like herb known as kratom.

The lawsuit had alleged that the herb's distributor, Grow LLC, had marketed the product as an all-natural supplement, NBC News reported.

“...

Using marijuana regularly might increase the risk for complications during and after surgery, and doctors should address this when planning operations, a new study suggests.

People with a cannabis use disorder are 20% more likely to have serious complications, such as stroke or blood clots, after a major operation than patients who aren't dependent on marijuana, researchers say.

"...

Stimulant medications like Ritalin are commonly prescribed to help treat the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but there have been concerns the drugs may lay the groundwork for later substance abuse.

New research may now set those worries at ease.

Children who take prescription stimulants for ADHD do not have more substance use disorders as teens or young adults...

Drug overdose deaths involving a powerful horse tranquilizer called xylazine have skyrocketed in the United States, rising 35-fold in just a handful of years, federal health researchers say.

The number of xylazine-involved OD deaths nationwide rose from just 102 in 2018 to 3,468 in 2021, according to a new study released Friday from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

American men die of drug overdoses at a higher rate than women, but new research shows that difference can't be completely explained by factors like misuse or greater use.

A study led by scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City and the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that men were two to three times more likely than women to die of a ...

Lesbians, gays and bisexuals are experiencing more mental health and substance use issues than their heterosexual peers, researchers say.

According to a new government report released Tuesday, this includes major depressive episodes, serious thoughts of suicide,...

The medication buprenorphine normalizes brain function in people addicted to opioids, but teens rarely receive it at U.S. treatment centers, a new study finds.

Only one in four adolescent residential treatment centers in the United States uses the medication to treat opioid use disorder, according to research out of Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).

“These residential tre...

Young American adults have doubled their use of non-LSD hallucinogens in just a few years, a new report warns.

Researchers found that between 2018 and 2021, U.S. adults aged 19 to 30 increased their use of mescaline, peyote, psilocybin ("magic mushrooms") and PCP, though not LSD.

The prevalence of young adults' past-year use of these drugs was 3.4% in 2018, but it hit 6.6% in 2021....

Many Americans who inject illicit drugs are unknowingly getting fentanyl mixed in with their heroin, which can increase their risk for overdose and perhaps their tolerance for the drug.

About 80% of injection drug users in New York City test positive for fentanyl, but only 18% intended to use that drug, according to research from NYU School of Global Public Hea...

Seizures of illicit ketamine by drug enforcement agents have surged throughout the United States, growing 349% from 2017 through 2022, a new study finds.

Rising use of ketamine could increase the likelihood that people who use the drug recreationally may instead get a potentially harmful version of the substance, researchers say.

“This dramatic rise in ketamine seizures by l...

When Medicare expanded coverage for methadone, more people used this treatment for opioid use disorder, a new study shows.

Use rose sharply but did not displace other opioid treatments such as buprenorphine, according to researchers.

Much of the rise in methadone use was among Medicare Advantage enrollees under age 65. It was especially true among those who qualified for both Medic...

The synthetic opioid fentanyl is killing increasing numbers of U.S. kids, emulating the chilling trends seen among adults, a new study finds.

Pediatric deaths from fentanyl increased more than 30-fold between 2013 and 2021, according to study author Julie Gaither, an assistant professor of pediatrics at th...

Exercise might help people who are battling addiction stay on the straight and narrow, a new research review finds.

Investigators who analyzed 43 studies from around the world found a link between physical activity and reduced substance use among people in treatment for alcohol and drug abuse.

The idea for the study review “came to me when I was working as a kinesiologist in ...

When U.S. health officials reported a 500% spike in the number of poison center calls involving kids eating melatonin gummies last year, Harvard researchers decided to take a closer look at the sleep supplements and discovered a disturbing fact: They contained up to 347% more melatonin than the label stated.

What's more, five of the products also contained CBD in higher amounts than the l...

People with cerebral palsy are more likely to be prescribed opioids to manage pain, making them vulnerable to the ongoing opioid crisis in the United States, according to a new study.

While pain is common among patients with cerebral palsy, opioids may not be as helpful for them because their pain is complex, researchers say.

Yet,