Day: 05/23/2015

Substance abuse risk not greater in those using medical marijuana with prescribed opioids

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150518081830.htm

Among people who use medical cannabis for chronic pain, those who also take prescription pain medications are not at increased risk for serious alcohol and other drug involvement, according to a study in the May issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

“We expected that persons receiving both cannabis and prescription opioids would have greater levels of involvement with alcohol and other drugs,” Perron said. “However, that wasn’t the case–although persons who were receiving both medical cannabis and prescription opioids reported higher levels of pain, they showed very few differences in their use of alcohol and other drugs compared to those receiving medical cannabis only.” …

Many Parts to Solving Opioid Addiction Problem, Congress Told

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Psychiatry/Addictions/51737?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-05-23&eun=g875301d0r

Mandatory PDMP participation was another issue discussed at the hearing. Adams, of Indiana, Bharel, of Massachusetts, and Wolk, of Colorado, all said their states require physicians to sign up for the PDMP at the time of their acquiring a DEA license to prescribe controlled substances…

Nothing like a mandatory blacklist to increase the stigma on pain patients.

One thing that has helped, at least in Indiana, has been the state’s rules for opioid prescribing. “We’ve seen a 10% drop in overdoses since we instituted the prescribing rules,” which apply to anyone who prescribes more than 60 opioid pills per month to a patient, or more than 15 mg/day, Adams noted. If the patient is receiving more than that “you have to bring the patient in face-to-face [for a visit] and consider referring them” for substance use treatment.

The rules also allow for doctors to “fire” patients who aren’t following their treatment plan, a provision that has had tremendous success, he said…

You don’t need rules to allow doctors to abandon patients — they do it every single day.  I guess no one in Washington can figure out that when patients are abandoned, worse things happen, like overdoses and suicides.

And please, someone define “success” for me.  Indiana doesn’t appear to be too successful at anything:

http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2015/02/16/data-indiana-highest-rate-us-teens-considered-suicide/23508695/

The Institute’s “2015 Kids Count in Indiana data book,” which was released Monday, pulled data from hundreds of national and state sources to analyze the state of Hoosier children and families. It tackled concerns such as a high rate of teen drug use, a low student-to-school counselor ratio and the fact that 22 percent of Indiana children live in poverty.

But some of the most startling facts listed in the report revolved around teen suicide. According to 2011 data cited in the book, 19 percent of Hoosier students contemplated suicide in the past 12 months. About 11 percent of teens attempted it…

http://www.drugs.indiana.edu/drug-info/featured-articles/255-suicide-a-national-and-local-problem

Suicide rates in Indiana are higher than the nation and also than the Midwest…

http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2015/05/21/hiv-outbreak-multiple-causes-indiana-health-chief-tells-congress/27729253/

Under comments:

Josh Robbins said:  The reason that there are so many #HIV diagnoses happening in that part of the state is because prior to this “emergency” declaration, HIV tests were not happening there. For a doctor there to say he diagnosed 1 person in the last 15 years prior to this emergency is pretty telling. When you start testing more, you will find more individuals living with HIV. As much as we can blame drug users, the system, socio-economic status, pharma… ask questions about that particular area’s ignorance to HIV and why the state in general didn’t even offer free HIV testing…

http://www.bannergraphic.com/story/2190242.html

(4/28/2015) Balanced pain treatment coming to community

Putnam County Hospital will soon open a balanced pain management center at the Putnam County Hospital Surgery Center and Outpatient Clinic area inside the hospital…

Putnam County Pain Management Center is committed to patients for the life of their pain and compliance with their care plan. The center establishes an agreement with the patient that holds him or her accountable to the use of only one pharmacy, one prescribing physician, keeping medications safe from loss or theft, pill counts and urine drug testing…

House repeals Intractable Pain Act

http://www.timesnews.net/article/9086024/house-repeals-intractable-pain-act-last-stop-haslam

Tennessee legislators have unanimously repealed the Intractable Pain Act in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, striking down a law local officials say has directly contributed to the prescription drug abuse epidemic in the state.

All that is left to rid the state of this law, also called the “Pain Patient’s Bill of Rights,” is Governor Bill Haslam’s signature…

The Intractable Pain Act was passed after the Tennessee General Assembly found inadequate treatment of acute and chronic pain was a significant health problem. One of the big issues with the law was that a doctor may refuse to prescribe opiate medication to a patient who requests the treatment, but the doctor is legally obligated to inform the patient that there are doctors who specialize in the treatment of severe chronic pain with methods that include the use of opiates…

The State of Tennessee:  Taking away people’s rights, every single day. Bullies and hypocrites, every single politician who voted for this. Must feel good for politicians to fuck over people who are in pain and suffering.

Both sides say Ireland has voted to legalize gay marriage

http://www.aol.com/article/2015/05/23/both-sides-say-ireland-has-voted-to-legalize-gay-marriage/21186559/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl3%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D-1715724285

Gay couples hugged and kissed each other amid scenes of jubilation at counting centers and at the official results center in Dublin Castle, whose cobblestoned central square was opened so thousands of revelers could sit in the sunshine and watch the results live on big-screen televisions…