Should patients who have known IV addictions be offered a PICC line or similar in order to reduce their risks of infections, blood clots, scarring, circulatory damage/ impairment, injecting into arteries or damaging nerves in the surrounding structures, or should these types of device be avoided in order to reduce the temptation the other associated risks of having a VAD in place for any length of time? This is the topic of todays blog post and we want to know what you think!
Tag Archives: Opioids
Heroin Overdose Deaths Often Happen Shortly After Leaving Hospital According To New Cutting Edge Research
Drug-related deaths are four times more likely to occur in the days after hospital discharge than at any other time among users of opioids such as heroin according to research led by University College London, Public Health England and King’s College London.
Top Medications People Intentionally Overdose On In Select Study Between 2008 And 2013
Intentional drug overdose is the most common method of self-harm. As mental health conditions are very common in self-harm patients, the medication used to treat these disorders can become the means for the act of self-harm.
Find out what a study shows are the most used medicines for self harm and what can be done to overcome this issue.
University Students Ultimate Guide To Drugs, Alcohol And Addiction
Going to university is as much about experiencing your first taste of freedom and independence as it is about preparing for your career and any other postgraduate training you may need to do for your job of choice.
For many young adults, going to a university is the first opportunity they have to live away from their parents. It can all be very exciting. Yet all of this new freedom and the experiences that you’ll shortly face means being suddenly faced with a lot of unfamiliar choices and new possible temptations, some involving the temptation or social pressure to use alcohol and drugs.
This article is designed to give you brief, yet full overview of drugs, alcohol and addiction that may come from chronically misusing substances. You’ll find tips, tricks and so much more!…
Why Wouldn’t You Want To Save A Life?
Naloxone AKA Narcan is a medicine used in emergency situations where there is a suspicion that opioids have been taken and/or overdosed on.
This emergency medication reverses the devastating effects of an opioid overdose by blocking the opioid receptors in the brain. This is why it is called an opioid antagonist. It also prevents the person from overdosing again for a short while after it’s been initially administered.
Find out all you need to know about Naloxone in this article.
Needing More And More? Is Your Body Developing A Tolerance To Drugs, Alcohol Or Medications?
A tolerance to a substance occurs when the body gets used to a substance (drugs, alcohol or medication) so that more of the same substance is needed to give the desired effect that was once received initially from smaller amounts.
There are several mechanisms behind tolerance, including changes in the metabolism of a drug, cellular changes or behavioural/psychological effects. Tolerance is not always negative, and people may develop a tolerance to the side effects of a drug over time as well.
We look at these issues and many others in this article. This is one not to miss if you think that you or someone else you know may have developed a tolerance to medications or substances.
Study: Doctors Are Pressurised To Prescribe Opioid Based Medications When Asked Much Later In The Day
The authors of a recent study on opioid use and found another startling factor that might be adding to the ever increasing opioid crisis: the increasing rate of opioid prescribing.
Hannah Neprash, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota and Michael Barnett, an internal medicine specialist practicing in multiple hospitals around Boston, found that physicians are more likely to prescribe opioids as their shift progresses and appointments fall behind schedule when Doctors are to talk to the patient, assess or examine them and refer them to other specialties or prescribe medications in a 10-15 minute window.
Check out the surprising results from this highly illuminating study on this increasing, worldwide issue that’s adding more pressure on the current opioid crisis in developed nations.
Who Would You Give To, A Homeless Dad Or A Homeless Addict?
With a pair of cardboard signs, prankster Coby Persin conducted a social experiment that tested the consciences of New Yorkers.
Would you be more likely to give money to a homeless man who says he will use it for drugs and alcohol, or a homeless father with a coughing child beside him?
Find out how the experiment went and let us know by commenting below our article, or through our social media platforms, have a think, what you would do?…
Addiction and Personal Responsibility: Who’s Problem Is It?
The definition of personal responsibility is the idea that human beings choose, instigate or otherwise cause their own actions. A corollary idea is that because we cause our actions, we can be held morally accountable or legally liable.
There are also various types of responsibility. Some are obvious types and others that are more subtle to identify.
In this article, we look at the various models and common arguments for both sides of the “argument” that are used to understand the role accountability and responsibility plays in active using or drinking, those in recovery and the family and friends of those afflicted by addictions.
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome – Babies Born Addicts
Pregnant women who use substances regularly (both drugs and alcohol) may deliver newborn babies who are born dependent on the same substances as their mother, because substances are passed between mother and baby through their umbilical chord.
This also can affect the growth and development of the fetus, along with causing issues that will affect them throughout their later life.
Find out all you need to know about NAS and more, including treatment options and help and support for those who may be/are or wanting to become pregnant, but are substance dependent or on a MAT program.
Drink ‘n’ Drugs 