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Is opiate pain medication safe for addicts? Part II
In our previous article on pain medication and addicts we looked at how common opiate prescriptions are among people who are, or ever have been, identified as having substance abuse issues. We saw that although clinicians are often aware of the problem of possible prescription addiction developing, the issue of managing pain often results in…
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Opioid prescription overdose and abuse – Staying safe while reducing pain
A new article just published in JAMA (see here) reports a strong relationship between high-dose opiate prescribing and accidental overdose deaths. The authors focused on a sample of Veterans and found that those prescribed more than 50mg of morphine per day, or the equivalent of other opiate drugs, we much more likely to die of…
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THC for Huntington’s Disease? Cannabinoid receptors are important for more than drug use
Here at A3, we believe in equal opportunity. We recognize that saying we have an addiction problem is not the same as saying we have a drug use problem and that just because some people abuse substances (or belief systems) doesn’t means that these have no actual value when not abused. Enter this recent paper…
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The placebo effect: So strong, doctors don’t even have to lie!
Almost everyone has heard about the placebo effect – the finding that treatment that have no particularly relevant effect (like a sugar or vitamin pill, or a behavioral equivalent) can make patients feel better. The placebo effect is actually the reason that all FDA approved drugs have to go through a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial…
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THC for HIV: Is smoking weed the only way?
The medical marijuana debate is still raging and I have little doubt that it will be around for at least a decade to come. In the mean time, there is little doubt that marijuana, and more specifically its most active ingredient THC, are useful for individuals suffering from a number of medical conditions (see medical…