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A recent study notes that although there has been progress in decreasing opioid prescribing, coprescribing of opioids and sedatives has not decreased. An estimated 80% of unintentional overdose deaths related to opioids may involve benzodiazepines. The solution to the overprescribing dilemma may lie in helping clinicians better understand the risks and benefits associated with prescription opioids.
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— Barbara Worthington, editor |
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Dangerous Drug Combinations to Treat Chronic Pain and Mental Health Conditions
Study finds that the rate of prescribing for pain medications has slowed while dangerous multidrug use has not.
Although the United States may have passed the peak in the use and abuse of prescription opioids, recent studies show no decline in the coprescribing of opioid pain medications and sedatives, whose interaction can slow breathing and dramatically raise the risk of overdose death.
"Multidrug use is the trailing edge of the opioid epidemic," says Mark Sullivan, MD, PhD, a University of Washington (UW) professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and the executive director of COPE (Collaborative Opioid Prescribing Education) for Chronic Pain CME at the UW School of Medicine. "We are making progress on decreasing opioid prescribing, but coprescribing of opioids and sedatives has not decreased."
This is important, he says, because most prescription opioid deaths commonly involve alcohol, sedatives, and/or illicit drugs such as heroin. But the most fatal combination is opioids and common benzodiazepines, which are medications prescribed for depression, anxiety, and sleep. A leading pain research specialist, Sullivan provided commentary, "What are we treating with opioid and sedative-hypnotic combination therapy?" in the August 2015 issue of the journal Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety.
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Treating Traumatic Brain Injury
Speech-language pathologists help patients to develop compensatory strategies for attention/memory/reasoning impairments following brain injury, which often occurs as a result of falls. Speech-language therapists also train caregivers to assist patients with implementing these strategies. Read more »
Providers and Caregivers: Together on the Front Lines
Caring for a family member requires a partnership between physicians and patients' caregivers to meet the specialized challenges to family caregivers. Physicians must familiarize themselves with basic information to provide to caregivers seeking resources and solutions. Read more »
Tramadol Safety Concerns
Tramadol, a commonly prescribed synthetic opioid analgesic, can result in adverse events of which prescribers should be aware. Read more » |
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Altro Aquarius
Altro has created Altro Aquarius, a safety flooring for all types of wet environments. The new flooring is considered ideal for nurse-assisted bathrooms or other areas in long term care that have both shoe and barefoot traffic. The flooring offers slip resistance for both wet and dry or mixed shoe use. Able to integrate with drains, it incorporates technology for maximal stain and chemical resistance. Learn more »
Home & Away Elite
Medical Care Alert recently introduced its new Home & Away Elite mobile GPS medical alert system. Worn around the neck or on the hip, the small two-ounce pendant can summon help 24/7 from anywhere in the United States using a wireless network. It represents the next generation in mobile and automatic fall detection medical alert systems. Unlike traditional medical alert systems that work only inside the home, the new alert system follows the user anywhere. Designed for active older adults who work or travel, the pendant combines GPS location services, two-way cellular voice communication, and optional automatic fall detection, summoning help at the press of the button. Learn more » |
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