Demerol: Prescription Drug Abuse & Testing
Demerol is the trade name of Pethidine / meperidine which is a fast-acting opioid analgesic drug used to treat pain. In the United States and Canada, Pethidine or meperidine is more commonly known by its brand name Demerol whereas in many parts of the world, it is also known as isonipecaine; lidol; pethanol; piridosal; Algil; Alodan; Centralgin; Demerol; Dispadol & Dolantin etc.
Chemically, Demerol is 4-Piperidinecarboxylic acid, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-ethyl ester hydrochloride.
Demerol Prescription, Dosage & Administration:
Demerol, a narcotic analgesic, is prescribed for the relief of moderate to severe pain. Dosage is adjusted by physician according to the severity of the pain and the response of the patient. The oral solution is often a pleasant-tasting, nonalcoholic solution containing 50 mg of meperidine hydrochloride per 5ml teaspoon. The tablets usually contain 50 mg or 100 mg of the analgesic. It is delivered as its hydrochloride salt in tablets, as a syrup, or by intramuscular or intravenous injection although it is less effective orally than on parenteral administration (as by intramuscular or intravenous injection).
Demerol Abuse:
Demerol contains meperidine, a mu-agonist opioid with an abuse liability similar to morphine and is a controlled substance. Abuse of Demerol poses a risk of overdose and death. This risk is increased with concurrent abuse of Demerol with alcohol and other substances. Intramuscular or intravenous abuse of crushed tablets can be expected to result in local tissue necrosis, infection, pulmonary granulomas, and increased risk of endocarditis and valvular heart disease. In addition, such sort of drug abuse is commonly associated with transmission of infectious diseases such as hepatitis and HIV.
Effects of Demerol Abuse:
The major hazards of Demerol, as with other narcotic analgesics, are respiratory depression and to a lesser degree, circulatory depression; respiratory arrest, shock, and cardiac arrest etc.
The most frequently observed adverse reactions include lightheadedness, dizziness, sedation, vomiting, nausea, & sweating. These effects seem to be more prominent in ambulatory patients and in those who are not experiencing severe pain. In such individuals, lower doses are advisable. Some adverse reactions in ambulatory patients may be alleviated if the patient lies down.
Miscellaneous:
There is a category of drugs called MAO Inhibitors. Drugs in this category include the antidepressants phenelzine & tranylcypromine. If you are taking these antidepressants or have used them in last 2-3 weeks, inform your physician well in advance because when taken with Demerol, these MAO Inhibitors can cause unpredictable, severe, & occasionally fatal reactions.
The narcotic antagonist, naloxone hydrochloride, is a specific antidote against respiratory depression which may result from over dosage or unusual sensitivity to narcotics, including meperidine. Therefore, an appropriate dose of this antagonist should be administered, preferably by the intravenous route, simultaneously with efforts at respiratory resuscitation.
Demerol Testing:
A diverse array of techniques is available to test for drug abuse and Demerol or Pethidine/meperidine containing compounds are no exception. As with other drugs, some amount of Pethidine/meperidine remains unchanged while rest of it forms different metabolites.
These unchanged Pethidine or meperidine compounds and their metabolized products can be detected using any of the following methods:
?Urine based Pethidine/meperidine/metabolite testing
?Hair follicle based Pethidine/meperidine/metabolite detection
?GC based Pethidine/meperidine/metabolite detection
?Mass spec based Pethidine/meperidine/metabolite testing
?Pethidine/meperidine/metabolite-specific antibody based diagnostic kits
Posted by admin Date: Sunday, January 3, 2010
Categories: Drug abuse
Tags: Abuse, Demerol, Drug, Prescription, Testing
Codeine: Prescription Drug Abuse & Testing
Introduction:
Codeine or methylmorphine is an opiate used for its analgesic, antitussive and antidiarrheal properties. It is marketed as the salts codeine sulfate and codeine phosphate. Codeine hydrochloride is more commonly marketed in continental Europe and other regions.
Codeine is an alkaloid found in opium in concentrations ranging from 0. 3 to 3. 0 percent. While codeine can be extracted from opium, most codeine is synthesized from morphine through the process of O-methylation. The chemical name of codeine phosphate is 7,8-Didehydro-4,5alpha-epoxy-3-methoxy-17-methyl morphinan-6alpha-ol phosphate (1:1) (salt) hemi-hydrate.
Codeine Dosage & Administration:
Each soluble tablet contains 30 mg (0. 074 mmol) or 60 mg (0. 15 mmol) of codeine phosphate. Codeine is safe at dosage from 10-60mg at once. However, when Codeine is used recreationally it is between 60mg to 400 mg in one shot. If an individual uses more than 400 mg in one shot, it exceeds the amount of drug the liver can metabolize at once which means that it will be wasted. Codeine is usually taken orally, rectally (via the anus) and is also given as a shot. It is never, however, be snorted, smoked or injected intravenously.
Codeine Prescription:
Codeine is medically prescribed for the relief of moderate pain and cough suppression. It is made into tablets either alone or in combination with aspirin or acetaminophen (i. e. , Tylenol with Codeine,). As a cough suppressant, codeine is found in a number of liquid preparations. Codeine is also used to a lesser extent as an injectable solution for the treatment of pain.
Codeine Abuse:
Codeine products are largely diverted from legitimate sources to the illicit market where it forms the daily dose of a large chunk of drug abusers. Prescription drug abuse involves multi-billion dollar market in the US alone and codeine is a significant ?contributor? to it!
Euphoric effects associated with opiates are one of the major reasons for wide spread codeine usage. Easy availability of codeine further promotes its use for recreational purposes. Codeine can be obtained either over the counter in low doses or through prescription combination drugs.
Effects of Codeine Abuse:
Just like any other prescription drug abuse, Codeine abuse is largely reflected in the physiological state of health of a drug abuser. There are many common adverse drug reactions that are associated with the use of codeine. These include – euphoria, itching, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, dry mouth, miosis (pupil shortening), orthostatic hypotension, urinary retention and constipation. Compared to morphine, codeine produces less analgesia, sedation, and respiratory depression, and is usually taken orally. However, as with most other drugs, prolonged use of codeine results in development of tolerance to many of its effects and thus, abuser also becomes tolerant to its therapeutic effects.
Prescription Laws:
In the United States, Codiene is regulated by the Controlled Substances Act. It is a controlled substance for pain-relief products containing codeine alone or more than 90 mg per dosage unit. Preparations for cough or diarrhea containing small amounts of codeine in combination with two or more other active ingredients may be dispensed in amounts up to 4 fl. oz. per 48 hours without a prescription. In locales where dilute codeine preparations are non-prescription, anywhere from very few to perhaps a moderate percentage of pharmacists will sell these preparations without a prescription.
Codeine Testing:
There is diverse array of techniques available to test for drug abuse and codeine is no exception. It can be detected using any of the following methods:
?Urine based codeine testing
?Hair follicle based Codeine detection
?Gas Chromatography based Codeine detection
?Mass spectrometry based Codeine testing
?Codeine-specific Antibody based detection kits
Most of the codeine is excreted within 24 hours. However, 5% to 15% of codeine remains unchanged and some part may also exist as a product of glucuronide conjugates of codeine and its metabolites which may be detected by above said methods.
Posted by admin Date: Sunday, December 20, 2009
Categories: Drug abuse
Tags: Abuse, Codeine, Drug, Prescription, Testing
The Real Extent of Club and Prescription Drug Abuse in Minnesota
On the surface, it does not seem as though the problem of club and prescription drug abuse in Minnesota is that prevalent; at least, it does not seem as high as that of mainstream recreational drugs such as cocaine, marijuana and heroin. But there is indeed a strong undercurrent of this addiction. There are dozens of club drugs and prescription drugs almost quite freely available in the state and being used in dangerous levels too. People are not minding using these substances and situations are also becoming dire enough to require hospitalization and addiction treatment in rehab centers of the state. Here is a brief description on the extent of these problems in the state of Minnesota.
Club Drug Abuse in Minnesota
What is a club drug actually? The addiction treatment program in Minnesota treats all drugs that are commonly available in clubs and used there for recreational purposes as club drugs. One of the distinguishing factors of club drugs is that they are used in a community format. These drugs do not have as much charm when they are used while alone. That is the reason people usually get together in groups and consume these club drugs. The modes of using these drugs are also steeped in cultural inclinations. People who use club drugs will commonly want to snort them. This tendency is followed by that of injecting the drug into their body. There are quite a few drugs that are also smoked as in cigarettes.
Whatever be the mode of usage, there are some things that are quite common in the club drugs available in Minnesota, which are the contributors to their great popularity, actually. These drugs are always associated with the great high that they can produce. People who consume club drugs will experience an extreme degree of euphoria and that too quite quickly. Most of these drugs are also aphrodisiacal in nature, which brings on another risk, that of an HIV addiction.
The best example of club drug that is available in Minnesota is methamphetamine. Methamphetamine has become so popular in the scene of drug addiction in Minnesota over the last ten years that it is now considered in a class of its own. This is a highly addictive drug which is easily available in Minnesota due to its local production in several meth labs that are clandestinely operating in various areas of the state and also due to its illegal import from other states and even Mexico.
Other club drugs that are extremely popular in Minnesota are Ecstasy (also known as MDMA), Rohypnol, PCP, GHB, ketamine, GBL, LSD and even psilocybin mushrooms.
Prescription Drug Abuse in Minnesota
The other trend that is not much mentioned but is nonetheless quite prevalent in Minnesota is that of prescription drug abuse. These are drugs that are prescribed for common ailments but because they are habit-forming in themselves, they can be abused. Many people, especially those above the age of 65 years, are quite actively into prescription drug abuse. There is a mentality here that prescription drugs are not as harmful as the real addictive drugs. Due to this highly erroneous belief, there are many people into this type of addiction without actually realizing that these drugs can be just as detrimental as cocaine and heroin.
Drugs such as benzodiazepines are quite commonly used by people who are into prescription drug abuse in Minnesota. But the two most common drugs in this genre are OxyContin and Vicodin, both of them seriously habit forming in themselves. To a lesser extent, drugs such as Ritalin and methylphenidate are also used in the state by people who are into prescription drug abuse.
There are several supplementary problems that this kind of drug abuse is causing in the state. People are indulging in criminal activities such as making fake doctor prescriptions and going to several doctors for visitation so that they can get a supply of the substance. Also, because most drugs are prescribed for geriatric ailments, it is the senior section of the population that is most actively into this form of drug abuse.
If a person is into a prescription drug abuse in Minnesota, it is highly inadvisable to stop the substance immediately. There are drug rehab centers in Minnesota where such kinds of addictions are specially looked into. These centers will even detox the patient if the need arises and take them through a complete aftercare program. This only goes to indicate that prescription drugs are just as bad as any other drugs a person can get addicted to.
Posted by admin Date: Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Categories: Drug abuse
Tags: Abuse, Club, Drug, Extent, Minnesota, Prescription, Real
How Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Prescription Drug Abuse Affects You?
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly publicized childhood disorder that affects approximately 5 percent to 7 percent of all children. Millions of individuals receive prescription drugs for ADHD every year and various central nervous system (CNS) stimulants like Ritalin & Adderall are frequently prescribed by physicians for ADHD as they have a notably calming and ?focusing? effect on those with ADHD, particularly children.
Ritalin, chemically known as Methylphenidate, is a stimulant that produces pharmacological effects similar to those of cocaine and amphetamines. As a result, a growing number of incidents of ADHD prescription medicine abuse have been associated with teens and young adults nowadays. Many teens are using it for weight reduction since it is a powerful appetite suppressant while others are using it for wakefulness, increased attentiveness, increased focus, & euphoria.
When abused, the tablets are either taken orally or crushed and snorted. Some abusers dissolve the tablets in water and inject the mixture into the veins. Common neurological effects of drug abuse includes impaired memory and learning ability, poor concentration, confusion, panic attacks, flashbacks, impaired motor function, & seizures to name a few. Various common physical effects of drug abuse may include changes in heart rate and blood pressure, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, abnormal weight loss, and increased body temperature, danger to heart, liver, kidneys, chest pain, stomach cramps, & hormonal changes.
Short-term effects can include nervousness and insomnia, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, palpitations, headaches, changes in heart rate and blood pressure, skin rashes and itching, abdominal pain, weight loss, and digestive problems, toxic psychosis, psychotic episodes, drug dependence syndrome, and severe depression upon withdrawal while long-term effects may include tremors, muscle twitching, fevers, convulsions, headaches, irregular heartbeat, anxiety, hallucinations, and delusions, excessive repetition of movements and meaningless tasks, and sensation of bugs or worms crawling under the skin.
Users who inject drugs intravenously are at a higher risk of contracting viruses such as HIV and hepatitis, and often suffer from abscesses & collapsed veins as insoluble fillers in the tablets can block the small blood vessels. Moreover, excessive doses of Ritalin over a long period of time can produce addiction & may lead to development of tolerance so that larger doses are needed to produce the desired effect.
When a child?s performance and behavior improve soon after starting medication, the child, parents, and teachers tend to applaud the drug for causing the sudden changes. Unfortunately, when people see such immediate improvement, they often think medication is all that?s needed. But medications don?t cure ADHD; they only control the symptoms on the day they are taken. Although the medications help the child pay better attention and complete school work, they can?t increase knowledge or improve academic skills. The medications help the child to use those skills he or she already possesses. So, behavioral therapy, emotional counseling, and practical support must be given to ADHD children so that they can cope with everyday problems and feel better about themselves.
Posted by admin Date: Thursday, December 10, 2009
Categories: Drug abuse
Tags: Abuse, Affects, attention, Deficit, Disorder, Drug, Hyperactivity, Prescription
Hydrocodone: Prescription Drug Abuse & Testing
Hydrocodone or dihydrocodeinone is a semi-synthetic opioid derived from two of the naturally occurring opiates, codeine and thebaine.
Hydrocodone Prescription, Dosage & Administration:
Hydrocodone is an orally active, narcotic analgesic and antitussive. Being a narcotic analgesic, it is prescribed for the relief of moderate to severe pain & being a antitussive, it is prescribed as a medicine used to suppress or relieve coughing.
Hydrocodone comes both as a tablet and also in liquid form & thus can easily be taken orally. 5 mg of hydrocodone is equivalent to 30 mg of codeine when administered orally. Earlier hydrocodone and morphine were considered equipotent for pain control in humans. However, it is now considered that a dose of 15 mg of hydrocodone is equivalent to 10 mg of morphine. Hydrocodone is considered to be morphine-like in all respects and thus, final dosage is adjusted by physician according to the severity of the pain and the response of the patient.
Hydrocodone Abuse:Vicodin i. e. hydrocodone in combination with acetaminophen, is a commonly abused version of hydrocodone in United States and Canada. Vicodin, as with all narcotic analgesics, can be habit forming—causing dependence, tolerance, and withdrawal symptoms if not used as it is prescribed. The presence of acetaminophen in hydrocodone-containing products deters many drug users from taking excessive amounts.
Effects of Hydrocodone Abuse:
Some of the common side effects of drug abuse include dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, drowsiness, euphoria, vomiting, and constipation. Some of the lesser common side effects are various allergic reactions, blood disorders, mood swings, mental fogginess, anxiety, lethargy, difficulty in urinating, ureter spasms, rashes and irregular or depressed respiration etc.
Physical Dependence on Hydrocodone:
Opioid analgesics such as Hydrocodone may cause psychological and physical dependence. Physical dependence results in withdrawal symptoms in patients who abruptly discontinue the drug. Physical dependence usually does not occur to a clinically significant degree until after several weeks of continued opioid usage, but it may occur after as little as a week of opioid use.
Commercial Status in United States:
There are over 200 products containing hydrocodone in the U. S. When sold commercially in the US, hydrocodone is always combined with another medication due to a separate federal regulation. In its most usual forms, hydrocodone is combined with acetaminophen. Such commercial hydrocodone products which are combined with acetaminophen are known by various trademark names such as Vicodin & Lortab. Hydrocodone also can be combined with aspirin (Trade name: Lortab ASA), ibuprofen (Trade name: Vicoprofen), & certain antihistamines (Trade name: Hycomine).
Pure Hydrocodone tablets or capsules are not offered currently by any USA drug company. The cough preparation Codiclear DH is the purest available US hydrocodone item, containing guaifenesin and small amounts of ethanol as active ingredients.
With such a huge number of Hydrocodone containing products, the possibility of misuse and addiction remains substantial. As a result, Sales and production of this drug has increased significantly in recent years & so has its diversion and illicit use. To limit abuse of opioid drugs like Dilaudid it is necessary to properly assess the patient, employ proper prescription practices, periodically re-evaluate the opioid therapy, and properly dispense and store the drugs.
Hydrocodone Testing:
Hydrocodone may not cause a positive result in a standard opiate urine test. Many opiate tests test only for morphine (which both codeine and heroin break down into). This is true for both home/business kits and laboratory testing.
However, there are several specialized home and laboratory testing kits available that specifically detects hydrocodone (& hydromorphone, its metabolic product). So test results usually depend on the particular type of test that is used and whether or not laboratory verification is done. If a home drug test is given and the opiate test shows a positive result (due to hydromorphone use), laboratory verification might not result in a positive test because the lab may only test for morphine.
Posted by admin Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Categories: Drug abuse
Tags: Abuse, Drug, Hydrocodone, Prescription, Testing
Recession and Prescription Drug Abuse
These are perhaps the worst times for the economy since the Great Depression of 1929. With many stressors looming large, coping with the down turn may be causing many people to abuse prescription drugs.
A major effect of recession is that of unemployment and as per the latest statistics by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, both the number of unemployed persons (10. 3 million) and the unemployment rate (6. 7 percent) has continued to increase in November. After the recession started in December 2007, the number of unemployed persons increased by 2. 7 million, and the unemployment rate rose by 1. 7 percentage points.
Prescription Drug Abuse
While most people consume medicines only for the reasons their doctors prescribe them. However, an estimated 20 percent of people in the United States at some point in time have taken pharmaceutical drugs for non-medical reasons. And the problem of prescription drug abuse is a serious and growing.
In the context of recession, experts believe that quite a few stressors have surfaced including job loss, health problems caused by stress, gloomy weather, bounced checks, a declining job market, increased heating bills, etc. The American Psychological Association (APA) recently reported that people report financial issues related to money (82 percent), the economy (82 percent) and work (69 percent) as sources of stress. The households with children are more likely to report money (88 percent v. 80 percent without children) and work (74 percent v. 67 percent without) as significant stressors this holiday season.
While some abusers, especially the poor depend on street narcotics and alcohol, others choose narcotic painkillers , sedatives and tranquilizers and stimulants. Also, the declining pharmaceutical industry sales figures might be a consequence of people postponing expensive medications for illnesses such as heart disease. However, this foregoing of treatment shows up as increases in sales of pain killers and mood elevators.
Experts don’t exactly know why the problem of drug abuse is increasing, in general. Some point to the increased availability of drugs. And that doctors today, prescribe more drugs for more health problems than ever before. Part of the reason is also the existence of online pharmacies that make it easy to get prescription drugs without a prescription ? a tactic that works even for youngsters.
Even more surprising is the fact that how some school students who’ve used amphetamines, tranquilizers, or narcotics other than heroin are able to get hold of these pharmaceutical drugs. An investigation by the University of Michigan in 2007 found that the most common source was getting them free from a friend or relative, followed by being sold the drugs by a friend or relative! And lastly by purchasing them from a dealer or stranger.
Posted by admin Date: Monday, November 30, 2009
Categories: Drug abuse
Tags: Abuse, Drug, Prescription, Recession
Vicodin: Prescription Drug Abuse & Testing
Vicodin is a derivative of opium, which also used to manufacture heroin. It is the most widely known brand name for a combination of hydrocodone and acetaminophen. Some of its generic equivalents include brand names Lorcet, Lortab, Norco, Panacet and Zydone.
Vicodin Prescription:
Vicodin is one of the most widely prescribed opiate medications for treatment of moderate to severe pain in injury, illness, surgery or a chronic condition across the globe. Overall, it has been reported as an effective, well tolerated opioid for analgesic purposes. It is quite inexpensive, with a mild side effects profile. It is one of the most favored prescribed pain relievers as allergic reactions are highly unlikely with Vicodin.
Vicodin Abuse:
It is estimated that in 1999, 4 million people were using prescription drugs non-medically and out of these 4 million, 2. 6 million misused pain relievers the most common of which is Vicodin. In 2000, the National Institute on Drug Abuse listed Vicodin as an emerging recreational drug. Its use has risen steadily each year, and has now achieved the status of no longer being emerging. Vicodin has become one of the most commonly abused prescription medications. In 2006, USA Today reported that more emergency room visits are made by Vicodin and other prescription drugs abusers than by all other illicit drug abusers combined.
Effects of Vicodin Abuse:
Some of the common side effects of Vicodin abuse include confusion, nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, dizziness, drowsiness, redness of the face, and temporary changes in vision or mood, along with infrequent constipation. These effects can be subdued by drinking a lot of water and consuming fiber rich foods on daily basis.
Over a period of time, effects of Vicodin abuse become more serious and more damaging. There may be cardiac arrhythmia leading to speeding up or slowing down of the heart rate. As Vicodin use grows, its effects can be characterized by blurred vision, hallucinations, and severe confusion.
Vicodin may interact with many other drugs if taken in conjunction, like, various sedatives, tranquilizers, antidepressants, other analgesics, antihistamines, anti-anxiety & anti-spasmodic drugs to name a few. Because of this high potential for drug interactions, it is highly recommended to avoid alcohol, which can increase drowsiness and dizziness, and may cause damage to the liver, and other medications containing acetaminophen.
As with other Opiate drugs, Vicodin withdrawal symptoms include restlessness, muscle pain, bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes, goose bumps, involuntary leg movements, watery eyes, runny nose, loss of appetite, irritability, panic, nausea, chills & sweating to name a few.
Vicodin Testing:
When consumed, some amount of Vicodin remains unchanged in the body while rest of it is metabolized to different secondary products called metabolites. A diverse array of techniques is available nowadays to detect these unchanged Vicodin or Vicodin metabolites, such as:
?Blood sampling for Vicodin/metabolite testing
?Urine based Vicodin/metabolite testing
?Hair follicle based Vicodin/metabolite detection
?GC/MS based Vicodin/metabolite detection
?Vicodin/metabolite-specific antibody based diagnostic kits
GC/MS or Antibody based screening can be done on any of the blood, urine or hair follicle samples. Some companies have also come out with rapid screening kits for home use which can be used without any previous expertise.
Posted by admin Date: Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Categories: Drug abuse
Tags: Abuse, Drug, Prescription, Testing, Vicodin
Prescription Drug Abuse: Signs you Should Look for in your Home
Drug and substance abuse among adolescents, is important. According to a national survey of youth aged 12 to 17, about 1. 1 million met diagnostic criteria for addiction to drugs in the United States. Several substances / drugs are delivered to different groups of symptoms. The most prominent symptom in all cases is a change, sometimes radically, in behavior.
10 things
1. To identify a potential attacker to the drug house, the first area to look for is the sudden change of personality that include sudden changes at work or school attendance, quality of work, leaving work, grades, discipline, etc.
2. Unusual outbreaks or outbreaks of temper, sudden anxiety, nervousness, aggressiveness, or are a primary connotation of addiction or abuse.
3. The pattern of drug abuse can also lead to the withdrawal of liability and loss of interest in what were once favorite hobbies and activities. This can be stored with a rare lazy.
4. Changes in friends and reluctance to visit friends or talk to them and / or association with known drug users also should be taken seriously.
5. Some medicines can cause red eyes, that the author tends to hide from sunglasses. So sunglasses at inappropriate times is a potential tax.
6. Wear long sleeves all the time, especially in hot weather or reluctance to wear short sleeves may be an attempt to conceal the rash, which are common side effects of drug abuse or signs of needles on the lower arm a lower leg or foot.
7. Now drugs are not free! If you find that your children borrow money from friends, colleagues or unusually often, you should be better Argus-eyed, because it can get close to your loved ones and in some serious trouble.
8. An unusual increase in secrecy or reticence about the actions and behavior of the products is a sure sign that something is happening to the fish.
9. Some physical signs of substance abuse include slurred speech, memory loss, poor concentration and impaired attention and slowed or staggering walk because of poor physical coordination. This can also lead to tremors or shaking of hands, feet or head and an irregular heartbeat.
10. If you have a nose on his feet, trying to smell his breath and clothes! There may be a smell of the substance or drug in the breath, body or clothing of the rapist.
Sometimes, in the absence of conclusive evidence, it becomes difficult to reach a diagnosis of substance abuse reasoning. There are a number of practical and empirical methods to determine drug abuse, including urine, blood or a hair follicle test and subsequent detection by GC / MS / ELISA.
Tarun Gupta, the author of TestCountry FAQ abuse of prescription drugs, a longer version of this article is prescription Drug Abuse: Signs that you should look at home and health resources at home and other data sources are being used as TestCountry Home Drug Testing Kits.
Posted by admin Date: Saturday, November 14, 2009
Categories: Drug abuse
Tags: Abuse, Drug, Home, Look, Prescription, Should, Signs
How to Cope With Prescription Drug Abuse
Millions of people receive medication for their illnesses and injuries each year. Some of them never finish the prescription and others take it as indicated. However, there are many people who use drugs and become addicted to the extreme. In most cases, begins as an innocent way to control pain with permanently. However, the brain begins to want more to feel good, and that leads to monstrous habit called addiction. This is known as prescription drug abuse.
Many drug abusers have families and careers. This is a very different kind of addiction to street drugs, but often the symptoms are the same. People usually do a good job of hiding his need for friends and family. They can also borrow or steal the money to pay for prescription drugs, in some cases.
A problem of prescription drug abuse, drug users are able to return to your physician to get the same prescription drug and over again. So, usually sneak around and go to different doctors. E 'also common to buy the drugs on the black market without any prescription. In some extreme cases, people have been known to break bones or cause serious injury, so a doctor will prescribe what they want.
Pseudo-dependence refers to pain-seeking behavior of patients whose pain is poorly managed. It is considered an iatrogenic effect of pain mismanagement. Drug addiction is a treatable disease, using a multi-disciplinary approach, but relapse is common. Prescription drug abuse is relatively rare in patients with chronic cases, but may be more common in individuals who have a history of alcohol abuse or substance dependence.
The first step to effective treatment of prescription drug abuse is to admit that there is a problem. The next step is to stop hiding their friends, family and colleagues are able to provide the necessary support. For treatment to succeed, it must be treated by a physical and mental health.
Ironically, some employees of prescription drugs can be effectively treated with medication. In some cases this is necessary to control the pain enough that the person can live without addictive drugs. To help prevent addiction to prescription drugs, only prescription medications must be taken and also indicates the dose. Doctor should be notified immediately if you can not control the pain without addictive drugs.
As a rule, in the counter medications are used to treat conditions not necessarily require treatment by a healthcare provider and have proven to meet the highest safety standards for self-medication by patients. Often a lower dose of a drug is approved for OTC use, while higher doses remain the province of a recipe, a noteworthy case is ibuprofen, which was widely available as a nonprescription pain reliever from mid – 1980, but still available in doses of up to four times the dose counter for use in cases of orthopedic pain.
The safety and efficacy of prescription drugs in the United States is regulated by the Federal Prescription Drug Marketing Act of 1987. The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for the implementation of this law. Herbal preparations, vitamins, minerals and dietary supplements are not regulated by the FDA, so that individual consumers should be aware of the possible negative consequences of using these preparations as well as possible interactions with drugs that are needed.
Abuse and addiction are separate and distinct from physical dependence and tolerance. Physicians should be aware that addiction may not be accompanied by concurrent tolerance and symptoms of physical dependence in all addicts. In addition, abuse of opioids can occur in the absence of true addiction and is characterized by misuse for nonmedical purposes, often in combination with other psychoactive substances.
The proper assessment of the patient, prescribing practices, periodic evaluation of therapy, and proper distribution and storage are appropriate measures that help to limit abuse of prescription drugs.
Posted by admin Date: Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Categories: Drug abuse
Tags: Abuse, Cope, Drug, Prescription
Drug Abuse – Prescription, Treatment and Teen Drug Abuse
What kind of people are prone to addiction or substance abuse? Many people are sensitive to these problems, particularly those suffering from depression, low self esteem, loneliness, excessive stress, or are in a relationship that I like and do not feel we could leave. Young people who have difficulty in assembling, are under constant attack by bullies and peer pressure have a lot of stress at home or are extremely unhappy with themselves are also people see signs of possible addiction or substance abuse. Can we stop our young from the dangers of drug abuse? Teen Drug AbuseA teenager with a family history of drug abuse and lack of social skills can move rapidly from experimentation at the level of serious abuse or dependency. Some other teenagers who have no family history of abuse, also can reach the level of absolute dependence. Although any prediction is almost impossible, adolescents with a family history of alcohol or drugs, especially to refrain and abstain from experimentation. The Drug Abuse Warning Network, a system of public health surveillance indicate that incidents of drug abuse in the emergency department more than doubled compared to previous years, these surveys taken from 21 metropolitan cities of the United States, however, among young people aged 12-17 with drug-related incidents have quadrupled alarming! Whose fault is it? It is the fate of our son, a product of chance or the completion of parental care? How does BrainWhen addicted to a chemical enters the brain, is absorbed through the receptor site. Drug trafficking in these receptors are thought to act on the brain as the body's natural chemicals (such as endorphins and dopamine) involved in producing the sensation of pleasure. When the body receives these chemicals from an external source, the brain produces far less of its own and becomes dependent on external sources. How the brain adapts to the presence of drugs, the person using the drug builds tolerance and must continually increase the dose to produce the initial feeling of pleasure. For treatment AddictionThere many types of treatments, starting with medical detoxification, residential short-term, long-term residential, outpatient treatment and often a combination of these options is the best strategy. No selection of career aspirations and relevant agencies that can help people find the best course of treatment for them. Alcohol rehabilitation can begin only after an intervention has occurred, especially if the alcoholic is denial of its use. Talking about the issue at trial can not encourage addicts to get the help you need. Alcohol rehabilitation and treatment can be given in a variety of methods. Group therapy, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) may be beneficial for alcoholics, because they are surrounded by people with similar problems to seek treatment. Prescription Drug AddictionWhen is analgesics, in fact seems to be between a rock and a hard place. After God knows how many people have been killed, injured or become drug addicts with OxyContin, doctors started looking for alternatives. Many chose methadone. Now, methadone is an important epidemic of addiction to prescription drugs and the overdose statistics are alarming. Users of methadone would be advisable to enter a drug treatment center that can help achieve this. Some children start taking Oxycontin because a friend gave it to them, some cabinets of their parents or friends of medicine and the rest were recruited after having been given by a physician for an injury. If your son or daughter is a college athlete who has had an accident, there is a good chance of being prescribed Oxycontin for pain. If taken by a very short time, not necessarily be painful to stop. However, sometimes even for a couple of weeks, can lead to addiction to prescription drugs.
Posted by admin Date: Sunday, November 8, 2009
Categories: Drug abuse
Tags: Abuse, Drug, Prescription, Teen, treatment