The opioid epidemic gets a lot of media attention, and deservedly so. The rate of fatal overdoses involving opioids has been climbing for nearly 20 years and in 2017 reached nearly 50,000. However, there may be another problem looming the shadow of the opioid epidemic. The rate of fatal overdoses involving benzodiazepines has been climbing…
Narcan is the brand name of the drug naloxone, which is a drug used to reverse opioid overdoses. Naloxone is an opioid antagonist, meaning it binds more strongly than opioid drugs to mu receptors but does not activate them. As a result, naloxone shoves opioid molecules off of mu receptors and prevents them from reattaching,…
Medication assisted treatment, or MAT, is the practice of using FDA-approved medication as part of a comprehensive treatment plan. MAT has been shown to be most effective for treating alcohol and opioid use disorders. Typical medications include Antabuse, naltrexone, and Campral for alcohol addiction, and methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone, often in the monthly, injectable form,…
According to the CDC, more than 72,000 people died of a drug overdose in the US in 2017. Nearly 49,000 of those deaths were from opioids. Those numbers have been rising for decades and now it appears the rate is accelerating despite the widespread attention that has been brought to the opioid epidemic. The statistics…
It is possible to overdose on alcohol. When you drink alcohol faster than your liver can metabolize it, toxic byproducts start to build up in your system and cause alcohol poisoning. More than 2000 Americans die of alcohol poisoning every year. We typically think of alcohol poisoning mainly affecting college students, especially in sororities and…
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