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Health News Results - 186
More of America's Pets Are Overdosing on Stray Coke, Meth
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- December 23, 2024
- Full Page
Hundreds of beloved pet dogs and cats were reported as being unintentionally poisoned by cocaine and methamphetamine left out in their owners' homes, new data from one U.S. pet poison control hotline shows.
When a dog or cat consumes cocaine or meth, it can quickly prove...
U.S. Life Spans Rebound from Pandemic Lows, Helped by Drop in Fatal Overdoses
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- December 19, 2024
- Full Page
After years of decline, U.S. life expectancy is finally on the rise again for the first time since 2019, new government research shows.
This turnaround was driven in part by a decline in drug overdose d...
Psychedelics Like Psilocybin, MDMA Tied to Higher Odds for Schizophrenia
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- November 13, 2024
- Full Page
People are at higher risk of schizophrenia if they indulge in psychedelic drugs, a new study warns.
Patients who land in the ER following hallucinogen use have a 21-fold higher risk of developing schizophrenia compared to the general population, Canadian researchers repo...
Marijuana Use Tied to Worse School Outcomes for Teens
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- October 7, 2024
- Full Page
Generations of parental warnings may not be wrong: A massive study of available data finds teens who use marijuana have significantly worse outcomes at school.
Data from 63 studies involving almost 440,000 youths found "cannabis use during adolescence is probably associa...
Diverting Low-Level Criminals to Drug-Treatment Programs Instead of Jail Reaps Rewards
- Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
- October 7, 2024
- Full Page
A Wisconsin program that sends suspects in minor drug-related crimes to treatment instead of jail is paying off, a new study shows.
Researchers who evaluated the Madison Area Recovery Initiative (MARI) found that non-violent offenders who were given a clinical assessment...
Hospital Drug Tests Far More Likely for Minority Teens
- Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
- October 4, 2024
- Full Page
Teens from minority groups seeking treatment at pediatric trauma centers are more likely than their white counterparts to be tested for drugs and alcohol.
That's the takeaway from a new study led by researchers at UCLA and Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
"Wh...
CDC Warns of Fake Drug Dangers From Online Pharmacies
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- October 3, 2024
- Full Page
Americans who turn to online pharmacies to find cheaper versions of expensive prescription medications, especially opioids, may instead be buying themselves dangerous drugs that could trigger an overdose, U.S. health officials warned Wednesday.
The warning, issued by the...
Upping Dose of Anti-Opioid Drug Might Work Better to Curb Addiction
- Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
- September 27, 2024
- Full Page
Patients with opioid use disorder who receive higher doses of a drug to treat their addiction are more likely to have positive results, a new study finds.
Daily doses of the drug buprenorphine is a standard treatment for opioid use disorder, and the findings sugges...
Know What 'Chroming' Is? TikTok Fad Could Harm Your Kids
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- September 27, 2024
- Full Page
Chroming, where toxic fumes from common household items are inhaled for a quick high, is on the rise among youth and TikTok may be to blame, new research suggests.
In findings that are to be presented Saturday at the American Academy of Pediatrics annual meeting in Orlan...
High Doses of ADHD Meds Could Trigger Psychosis
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- September 12, 2024
- Full Page
Prescriptions for amphetamine stimulants to treat ADHD have increased significantly in recent years, particularly during the pandemic.
Unfortunately, high doses of stimulants like Adderal...
Recreational Drug Use Triples Odds for Repeat Heart Crises
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 28, 2024
- Full Page
Recreational drug users are three times more likely to have repeated heart health emergencies than people who don’t use, a new study has found.
About 11% of patients admitted to intensive cardiac care units have been using recreational drugs, said researcher
Most Americans Unsure How to Help Someone in Opioid Overdose
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 26, 2024
- Full Page
The U.S. opioid epidemic has caused a startling number of overdose deaths, but a new survey shows that most Americans still have no idea how to help an OD victim.
More than 3 in 4 people (77%) said they would not know how to respond if they saw someone having an overdose...
Kids' Bedtimes Might Influence Odds for Drug, Alcohol Use as Teens
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- August 15, 2024
- Full Page
Regular bedtimes won't just help your child be alert for a busy school day; they might also help keep them from abusing drugs or alcohol as a teen, new research suggests.
Youth who'd had early bedtimes in childhood and adolescence were significantly less likely to be dri...
FDA Says No to MDMA as Therapy for PTSD
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- August 12, 2024
- Full Page
Advocates for the use of the psychedelic drug MDMA (midomafetamine) to treat mental health conditions were delivered a setback on Friday after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration declined to approve it as treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
There is in...
Painkiller Misuse Common Among People Battling Chronic Pain
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 8, 2024
- Full Page
Nearly 1 in every 10 chronic pain patients treated with prescription opioids winds up addicted to the painkillers at some point, a new review finds.
Brand of Kratom Tied to One Death, Many Severe Illnesses, FDA Warns
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- August 5, 2024
- Full Page
Millions of Americans use the opioid-like herbal supplement known as kratom, but evidence of its dangers continue to mount.
Fake Oxycontin Pills Widespread and Potentially Deadly: Report
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- July 26, 2024
- Full Page
The rate at which young Americans are ending up in hospital ICUs after using fake Oxycontin pills spiked with fentanyl is soaring, especially in the U.S. West, a new report warns.
Medical toxicology data from one unnamed hospital in the western U.S. found the number of c...
Big Drop in U.S. Kids, Teens Misusing Prescription Meds
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- July 24, 2024
- Full Page
Misuse of illicit prescription drugs is falling dramatically among U.S. high school students, a new study says.
The percentage of seniors who say they’ve misused prescri...
Mushroom Gummies That Sickened Users Contained Illicit Psilocybin
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- July 19, 2024
- Full Page
Mushroom gummies being sold to promote brain function might instead contain harmful ingredients not listed on the label, including illicit psilocybin, the hallucinogen found in “magic†mushrooms, experts warn in new report.
Five people in Virginia, including ...
Feds Issue Warnings on 'Copycat' Delta-8 Products That Mimic Popular Foods
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- July 17, 2024
- Full Page
In a joint effort to curb the illegal sales of food products containing delta-8 THC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday they have warned five companies to stop marketing such products.
Because the packaging for these THC e...
Magic Mushroom's Psilocybin Is America's Most Popular Hallucinogen
- Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
- June 27, 2024
- Full Page
As psilocybin mushrooms become the most popular psychedelic in the United States, some states have started to ease regulations on its recreational use.
Now, a new report warns that the federal government will have to decide whether to follow suit.
RAND, a nonprofi...
There's Another 'Magic' Mushroom Being Sold in Gummies -- But It Can Kill
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- June 12, 2024
- Full Page
Growing public fascination with "magic"psilocybin mushrooms as a trendy treatment for depression had led to increased interest in another type of psychedelic mushroom, a new study reports.
Unfortunately, this second sort of shroom -- known as Amanita muscaria --...
Calls to U.S. Poison Control Centers Are Becoming More Severe
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- June 6, 2024
- Full Page
America's poison control centers are increasingly fielding calls on cases of deliberate or accidental poisonings that end in disability or death, a new report finds.
Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System reviewed more than 33.7 million poison exposures ...
Police Seizures of Pills With Fentanyl Have Skyrocketed
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- May 13, 2024
- Full Page
Police seizures of illicit fentanyl pills have soared in recent years, a new study has found.
The number of pills containin...
Getting Help for Alcohol, Drug Abuse Tougher for Rural Americans
- Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
- May 10, 2024
- Full Page
When folks in rural America need treatment for a substance use disorder, significant obstacles stand in their way, researchers say.
They are more likely to have to look outside their insurance network for care, resulting in higher out-of-pocket costs, according to a rece...
How Long Does Marijuana THC Linger in Breast Milk?
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- May 9, 2024
- Full Page
New mothers who like to smoke marijuana might wind up exposing their babies to THC through their own breast milk, a new study says.
THC, the intoxicating compound in cannabis, dissolves in the fats contained in human milk, researchers found.
Mother's milk produced ...
More Than 321,000 U.S. Kids Lost a Parent to Drug ODs in a Decade
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- May 8, 2024
- Full Page
More than 320,000 U.S. children lost a parent to drug overdose during the past decade, according to a new study reported May 8 in JAMA Psychiatry.
What's more, the death rate accelerated during the pe...
Big Rise in Emergencies Involving Synthetic Weed Among Kids, Adults
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- May 8, 2024
- Full Page
Calls to U.S. poison centers regarding so-called synthetic cannabis jumped 88% between 2021 and 2022, as use of these legally sold products rose, research shows.
Synthetic cannabis contain varying forms of the active ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC): d...
Almost All Counterfeit Oxycontin Pills Contain Fentanyl
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- May 7, 2024
- Full Page
Lab tests of counterfeit oxycodone (Oxycontin) pills seized by police in Rhode Island in 2022 found 99.3% also contained dangerous fentanyl.
It was typically mixed with another potentially deadly drug, xylazine.
Both drugs make overdose more likely and more f...
A Parent's Watchful Eye Does Keep Kids From Drugs, Alcohol: Study
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- May 7, 2024
- Full Page
Parents can be very effective buzzkills for their teens, just by letting kids know they're being closely watched, a new study reports.
Parental Deaths to Guns, Drugs Harmed Nearly 100,000 U.S. Kids in 2020
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- May 6, 2024
- Full Page
Nearly 100,000 U.S. children lost a parent in 2020 to gun violence or drug overdose, a three-fold rise since 1999, according to a new study.
Overall, these two causes made up nearly a quarter (23%) of parental losses in 2020, almost double the level cited in 1999, accord...
'Drug Take Back Day' is Saturday: Check for Leftover Opioids in Your Home
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- April 26, 2024
- Full Page
Each year, thousands of Americans head home after a surgery clutching prescription opioids to help ease post-surgical pain.
Trouble is, most won't use all those pills, and that could lead to a lot of misuse and addiction, one study found.
Few Young Adults Could Administer Naloxone to Reverse Fentanyl Overdose
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- April 22, 2024
- Full Page
Even though fentanyl-linked fatal overdoses are soaring among young adults, a new survey of American college students found that just 1 in 7 knew how to administer the overdose antidote drug naloxone.
Many who took the survey "reported high willingness to intervene durin...
Most Homeless Americans Are Battling Mental Illness
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- April 17, 2024
- Full Page
Two-thirds of homeless people are experiencing some form of mental health disorder, a large, new review of data on the subject.
The analysis found that men who are homeless are more likely to be battling mental illness than women, although rates were high for both gender...
Black and Native Americans Hit Hardest by 'Deaths of Despair'
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- April 10, 2024
- Full Page
More middle-aged Black and Native Americans are now falling prey to "deaths of despair"than whites, a new study finds.
These deaths -- from suicide, drug overdose and alcoholic liver disease -- initially had been more common among whites.
But a new analysis has det...
Taking 'Study Drugs' Like Adderall Could Be Gateway to More Drug Abuse
- Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
- March 14, 2024
- Full Page
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, can...
Use of Legal 'Delta-8-THC' Is Rising Among Teens - Is it Safe?
- Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
- March 12, 2024
- Full Page
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, a...
ADHD Meds Cut Odds for Early Death, Especially by Overdose
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- March 12, 2024
- Full Page
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 w...
You Can Safely Avoid Addictive Long-Acting Opioids After Knee Replacement
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- March 8, 2024
- Full Page
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 follo...
Emergency Calls by Youth Rose After States Decriminalized 'Magic Mushroom' Drug
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- February 26, 2024
- 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, ris...
Young Workers' Injuries Rise After Recreational Marijuana Sales Made Legal
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- February 23, 2024
- Full Page
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 wor...
Stress Main Factor Driving Teens to Abuse Drugs, Alcohol
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- February 9, 2024
- Full Page
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 suppor...
Cutting U.S. Homelessness by 25% Could Prevent 2,000 Opioid Deaths Each Year
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- February 8, 2024
- Full Page
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 th...
Surge in Police Seizures of 'Magic Mushrooms' Mirrors Rise in Psilocybin Use
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- February 6, 2024
- Full Page
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, accordi...
CDC Warns That 'Gas Station Heroin' May Contain Synthetic Pot
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- February 2, 2024
- Full Page
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 Th...
What Works Best to Help Pregnant Women Ease Off Opioids?
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- January 31, 2024
- Full Page
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 j...
FDA Issues Another Warning on Tianeptine Products, Which Can Cause Seizures and Death
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- January 25, 2024
- Full Page
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...
Mom's Opioid Use in Pregnancy Raises Child's Asthma, Eczema Risk
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- January 18, 2024
- Full Page
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...
Marijuana Has No Role in Taking Up or Quitting Opioids: Study
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- January 16, 2024
- Full Page
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 ...
Latest Data Show 22 U.S. Teens Die of Overdoses Each Week
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- January 9, 2024
- Full Page
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.<...