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Results for search "Drug Abuse".

28 Sep

Heavy Pot Users Face High Risk of Developing Heart Disease, Study Finds

Adults with cannabis use disorder have a nearly 60% higher risk of suffering a first heart attack, stroke or another major cardiovascular event.

17 Aug

Health Experts Alarmed by Borax Challenge, Latest Tik Tok Trend

Videos showing people consuming borax for its alleged health benefits are all over social media, but experts warn this white powder commonly used in laundry detergent and other cleaning products poses serious health dangers.

Health News Results - 303

College students who use drugs like Adderall to help them focus on their studies may be setting themselves up for trouble.

Researchers asked 700 undergraduates across the United States about drugs commonly used by students — including ADHD medications like Adderall, cannabis, nicotine, alcohol, MDMA and ecstasy. They also asked about students' academic performance and physical and menta...

They're cheap, easy to buy and now new research shows they have become the buzz of choice for American teens.

Delta-8-THC products, which include gummies and vapes, are legal in 22 states and Washington, D.C. There is no federal minimum age requirement for buying them, and they are sold in gas stations, chain drug stores and online. 

That has made the products a marketing magne...

People diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show a marked decline in their two-year risk for death once they start taking medication, new research shows.

That was particularly true for deaths due to accidents and drug overdose.

People taking ADHD drugs also showed no higher...

It's well known that long-acting opioid meds raise the odds for addiction in users -- including folks dealing with pain after an orthopedic surgery.

Now, new research suggests that patients fare just as well if doctors prescribe less risky immediate-release opioids following a knee replacement surgery.

  • Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
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  • March 8, 2024
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  • Full Page
  • U.S. poison center calls related to psilocybin “magic mushrooms” among youth skyrocketed after U.S. cities and states began decriminalizing the hallucinogen, a new study shows.

    Psilocybin-related calls among teens ages 13 to 19 more than tripled between 2018 and 2022, rising from 152 to 464 calls annually, according to data from the National Poison Data System.

    Calls among young...

    After states legalize the sale of weed for recreational use, on-the-job injuries rise among younger workers, new research shows.

    U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics for 2006 through 2020 show that legal “recreational marijuana sales were associated with a 10% increase in workplace injuries among individuals aged 20 to 34 years,” the study authors concluded.

    They note that prior rese...

    American teenagers cite stress as the leading reason they might get drunk or high, a new report reveals.

    That only underscores the need for better adolescent mental health care, according to the research team behind the study.

    Better "access to treatment and support for mental health concerns and stress could reduce some of the reported motivations for substance use," concluded inve...

    Reducing homelessness by 25% could save nearly 2,000 lives lost each year to opioid overdoses, a new study estimates.

    It also could save 850 lives from alcohol poisoning and 540 from cocaine overdoses, researchers from the University of Georgia estimate.

    This is the first study to suggest that homelessness contributes to deaths from substance use, the researchers said.

    “One ...

    Police seizures of “magic” mushrooms have more than tripled within the past five years, the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse reports.

    The total weight of psilocybin mushrooms seized by law enforcement increased from 498 pounds in 2017 to 1,861 pounds in 2022, according to a new report published Feb. 6 in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

    To put those seizure...

    It's known by the street name "gas station heroin," but a new government report finds the highly addictive supplement Neptune's Fix may also contain synthetic pot.

    The product has already been linked to seizures, brain swelling and hallucinations, researchers reported Thursday in Morbidity and Mortality Wee...

    There's one treatment for pregnant women addicted to opioids that's safer for their unborn child, a new study reports.

    Buprenorphine is associated with a slightly lower risk of birth defects overall compared to methadone, according to findings published recently in the journal JAMA Internal Medici...

    Reiterating a warning first issued in November, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is urging Americans to stay away from supplements containing tianeptine, known on the street as "gas station heroin."

    The supplements, sold under the brand name Neptune's Fix online and at gas stations and convenience stores, can cause seizures, unconsciousness and even death.

    "FDA is warning consu...

    Fetal exposure to opioids may change a baby's immune system, triggering a rise in risks for eczema and asthma through early childhood, new research shows.

    Children born to women who used opioids during pregnancy had much higher rates of eczema, as well as conditions such as "diaper rash," during infancy, Australian researchers report.

    These children also went on to have significantl...

    There's no link at all between weed use and a person's use of illicit opioids, one way or the other, a new review concludes.

    Cannabis isn't a gateway drug that can spark a person's desire to try narcotics, results show.

    On the other hand, weed also isn't effective in helping wean addicts off opioids, researchers said.

    These results have significant implications for U.S. opioid...

    An average of 22 U.S. teens die each week from drug overdoses, a death toll driven by the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl, a new study reports.

    Researchers also have identified 19 “hotspot” counties where fatal ODs are occurring as much as double the national average.

    The overdose death rate for 14- to 18-year-olds now stands at 5.2 deaths per 100,000, researchers report in t...

    How much a person believes in the strength of a drug might influence how powerfully that drug influences brain activity, a new study has found.

    Smokers told to expect a low, medium or high dose of nicotine from an e-cigarette showed a brain response that tracked with the purported dose, even though nicotine levels were actually constant, researchers said.

    “We set out to investigat...

    Three twenty-somethings in Chicago took a street drug they thought was a harmless form of Xanax.

    All three were found collapsed and unresponsive eight hours later by one of their mothers, who had them rushed to the hospital.

    After multiple seizures, fever and heart damage, all three are thought to have recovered, but not before spending many days hospitalized.

    According to a n...

    A newly approved test can determine whether a person has a genetically driven risk of becoming addicted to opioids.

    The AvertD test, the first of its kind, uses a DNA sample swabbed from a patient's cheek to determine if they have a combination of genetic variants associated with an elevated risk of opioid addiction.

    The 15 genetic variants detected by the test are involved in the b...

    The market for cannabidiol (CBD) and other products derived from the hemp plant is now wide open in the United States, but that could bring danger to consumers, the authors of a new report warn.

    Many people may not realize it, but there's a largely legal market for products derived from hemp, which has a much lower content of the active ingredient found in the cannabis plant, delta-9-tetr...

    While rates of a deadly heart infection are dropping generally across the United States, a new report finds one exception: Young adults.

    In that group, rates of infective endocarditis are rising, probably fueled by a common cause, injected drug abuse.

    "Substance use was listed as a contributing cause that could explain the higher death rates in the younger age groups and also in the...

    Teens who avidly use weed typically use it either for enjoyment or to cope, but both uses have a dark side to them, new research finds.

    Teenagers who use marijuana for enjoyment or to forget their problems have more demand for it, meaning that they are willing to both consume more weed when it's free and spend more money to obtain it, researchers said.

    These same teens also tend to ...

    Methamphetamine abuse has long plagued the gay community, but a new study finds that any form of substance abuse treatment can help users quit.

    In a news release, University of California, Los Angeles researchers explained that men who have sex with men are "a population that has been disproportionately impacted by the U.S. methamphetamine crisis in recent years."

    Substance abuse tr...

    New research suggests a link between middle school students being disciplined for marijuana use and legalization of recreational weed, particularly when schools are close to dispensaries that sell the drug.

    Researchers studied this in Oregon, where recreational marijuana became legal for adults back in 2015.

    They found that middle school students received office discipline referrals...

    Americans who haven't been to college appear to be a risk group for drug overdose deaths.

    Deaths due to overdose increased among less-educated Americans, with the rate nearly doubling in a three-year period for those without a high school diploma, according to a new study by the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research organization.

    While it's not new that less-educated Americans repr...

    America's kids are safer now than a decade ago when it comes to many types of injury, with two glaring exceptions: drugs and guns.

    That's the crux of a new study that looked at injury trends among U.S. children and teenagers between 2011 and 2021.

    It found that nonfatal injuries from accidents and assaults fell by 55% and 60%, respectively, during that time period. That included sub...

    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 appears to be a substantial association between cannabis...

    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 profess...

    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, es...

    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, especially ...

    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...

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