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Health News Results - 38

U.S. Overdose Deaths Fell 17% in Just One Year

In news that suggest the U.S. opioid epidemic may be easing, drug overdose deaths fell 17% between July 2023 and July 2024.

Per new data released Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 94,000 people died from drug overdoses (ODs) during that 12-month period, down from more than 113,000...

Dolphins Are Testing Positive for Fentanyl

Most Americans understand how deeply the dangerous opioid fentanyl has permeated the illicit drug market.

Now, it's even infiltrated the bodies of Gulf of Mexico dolphins.

Researchers at Texas A&M University report that they've detected traces of fentanyl in the blubber of 30 of 89 bottlenose dolphins living off the coast of Texas and other states adjacent to the gulf.

The...

U.S. Overdose Deaths Linked to Fentanyl May Be Declining

Deaths from fentanyl-linked drug overdoses have begun to decline in the United States, but the crisis is far from over and those numbers could easily rise again, a new government report shows.

About 70% of fatal drug overdoses recorded in 2023 involved fentanyl, the research showed. The number o...

FDA Says Drug Makers Will Stop Producing Fentanyl 'Lollipops'

Controversial fentanyl lollipops and similar products will no longer be made by drug makers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced.

Known as TIRF medications, these products contain fentanyl and are used to manage breakthrough pain in cancer patients who have become tolerant to around-the-clock opioid therapy, the FDA said in a

  • Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
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  • September 20, 2024
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    • Smoking Now Fuels More Drug Overdoses than Injecting Does

    Despite stereotypical images of addicts injecting heroin and then dying, new government research finds that smoking drugs such as fentanyl is now the leading cause of fatal overdoses.

    In the new research, published Thursday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, scientists from the U.S. Centers ...

    New Syndrome May Be Affecting Babies Exposed to Fentanyl

    Doctors report they are seeing what they think is a new syndrome in babies who are exposed to fentanyl while in the womb.

    All of the infants have cleft palates and unusually small heads, and all were born to mothers who said they'd used fentanyl and other drugs while pregnant.

    Six babies were first` identified at Nemours Children's Health in Wilmington, Del., two in California and o...

    More Than 1 in 6 U.S. Adults, Teens Have Substance Use Disorder

    TUESDAY, NOV. 14, 2023 (Healthday News) -- Over 1 in 6 Americans, adults and teens alike, suffered a substance use disorder in 2022, new government data released Monday shows.

    In the survey, alcohol and drug abuse involved roughly the same numbers of people: About 30 million had an al...

    Fatal ODs Are Hitting Less-Educated Americans the Hardest

    Americans who haven't been to college appear to be a risk group for drug overdose deaths.

    Deaths due to overdose increased among less-educated Americans, with the rate nearly doubling in a three-year period for those without a high school diploma, according to a new study by the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research organization.

    While it's not new that less-educated Americans repr...

    Fatal ODs Involving Fentanyl Plus Coke, Meth Rose 50-Fold Over a Decade

    The "fourth wave" of the U.S. overdose crisis involves the use of illicit fentanyl mixed with stimulants such as cocaine or methamphetamine, and it's killing people in droves.

    The proportion of U.S. overdose deaths involving both fentanyl and stimulants jumped by more than 50-fold since 2010, from 0.6% in 2010 to more than 32% in 2021, a new study shows.

    "Fatal overdose involvi...

    New Opioids Are Joining the Illicit Drug Supply, and They're More Potent Than Fentanyl

    In recent years, the opioid epidemic has been worsened by the advent of street fentanyl, an illicit version of a powerful prescription painkiller.

    But experts now warn that the threat posed by fentanyl may ultimately pale in comparison to the emergence of an even more dangerous type of synthetic opioid that's now tainting the illegal drug supply: nitazenes.

    That's because a new inve...

    Opioid OD Rescue Drug Narcan Will Reach Drug Store Shelves Next Week

    Narcan, a lifesaving medication that reverses opioid overdose, will be available on U.S. drugstore shelves and online starting next week.

    People who want to carry Narcan, the nasal spray version of naloxone, will be able to find it at Walgreens, Rite Aid, Walmart and CVS for a suggested retail price of $44.99 for a box of two doses, the drug maker reported Wednesday.

    T...

    After U.S. Warns of Counterfeit Pills Laced With Fentanyl, Mexico Shuts Down 23 Pharmacies

    Following a four-day raid, Mexico has closed 23 pharmacies in Caribbean resorts of Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum for irregular pill sales.

    Last spring, the United States warned of dangerous pill sales to foreigners and tourists where counterfeit drugs contained fentanyl, her...

    First Murder Conviction for Fentanyl Dealer Delivered in California

    A fentanyl dealer has been found guilty of second-degree murder in what authorities believe is the first-ever murder conviction for dealing the dangerous drug.

    The conviction happened in Placer County, Calif., in a case involving the fatal overdose last summer of a 15-year-old girl in Roseville, about 20 miles northeast of Sacramento, ABC News reported.

    "This conviction cou...

    Drug Overdoses Are Killing Men at Much Higher Rates Than Women

    American men die of drug overdoses at a higher rate than women, but new research shows that difference can't be completely explained by factors like misuse or greater use.

    A study led by scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City and the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that men were two to three times more likely than women to die of a ...

    Teens Rarely Get Anti-Addiction Meds When Treated for Opioid Misuse

    The medication buprenorphine normalizes brain function in people addicted to opioids, but teens rarely receive it at U.S. treatment centers, a new study finds.

    Only one in four adolescent residential treatment centers in the United States uses the medication to treat opioid use disorder, according to research out of Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).

    "These residential treat...

    Most Injection Drug Users Are Not Seeking Out Fentanyl: Study

    Many Americans who inject illicit drugs are unknowingly getting fentanyl mixed in with their heroin, which can increase their risk for overdose and perhaps their tolerance for the drug.

    About 80% of injection drug users in New York City test positive for fentanyl, but only 18% intended to use that drug, according to research from NYU School of Global Public Hea...

    Methadone Treatment Does Help Curb Fentanyl, Heroin Use, Study Shows

    When people receive methadone treatment for opioid use disorder, their use of the dangerous drugs heroin and fentanyl significantly declines, a new study shows.

    But decreases in cocaine or methamphetamine use were not seen in a year of treatment, researchers report.

    "Methadone treatment can have tremendous success reducing fentanyl and heroin use in individuals, but this study show...

    U.S. Child Deaths From Fentanyl Jumped 30-Fold in Just 8 Years

    The synthetic opioid fentanyl is killing increasing numbers of U.S. kids, emulating the chilling trends seen among adults, a new study finds.

    Pediatric deaths from fentanyl increased more than 30-fold between 2013 and 2021, according to study author Julie Gaither, an assistant professor of pediatrics at th...

    Mix of Vet Tranquilizer, Fentanyl an 'Emerging Threat,' U.S. Officials Warn

    U.S. officials are intensifying efforts to crack down on illicit use of the veterinary tranquilizer xylazine, which can cause painful and deadly side effects in humans.

    The drug, when mixed with the opioid fentanyl, has been designated an "emerging threat,"the Office of National Drug Control Policy announced Wednesday.

    "As a physician, I am deeply troubled about the devastating imp...

    U.S. Travelers Warned About Counterfeit Pills Containing Fentanyl in Mexico Pharmacies

    Traveling in Mexico? Use caution when buying medications there, cautions the U.S. State Department.

    The warning was issued in response to concerns about counterfeit pills containing fentanyl being sold at pharmacies in tourist areas and border regions.

    "Counterfeit pills a...

    Opioids Cause Half of All Poisonings in U.S. Kids Age 5 and Younger

    Opioids pose the greatest poison risk to children in the United States, accounting for more than half of poisoning deaths in infants and toddlers, a new study reports.

    About 52% of poisoning deaths of children aged 5 and younger in 2018 involved the ingestion of an opioid, according to findings published online March 8 in the journal

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • March 8, 2023
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    • U.S. Deaths Involving Meth Are Skyrocketing, Fentanyl a Big Factor

    Deaths from methamphetamine among Americans increased 50-fold between 1999 and 2021, a chilling new study reports.

    Most of these deaths also involved heroin or fentanyl, according to researchers.

    "The staggering increase in methamphetamine-related deaths in the United States is largely now driven by the co-involvement of street opioids," said lead researcher

  • Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
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  • February 21, 2023
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    • U.S. Tourists in Northern Mexico Are Buying Counterfeit Pills Containing Fentanyl

    Researchers have uncovered groundbreaking evidence that pharmacies in tourist areas of Northern Mexico are selling counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamines.

    The pills, mainly sold to U.S. tourists without a prescription, were passed off as controlled substances, including oxycodone, percocet and Adderall,

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • February 6, 2023
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    • Pandemic Brought Surge in Teen Drug Overdose Deaths

    Deaths of teens from drug overdoses soared starting in late 2019, and though they appear to be on the decline, they remain much higher than in 2019, U.S. health officials report.

    Most of these deaths are due to illegally made fentanyl mixed with other drugs, said study author Lauren Tanz<...

    A Vaccine Against Deadly Fentanyl Might Be Near

    Researchers report they have created a vaccine to fight fentanyl addiction, in a potential breakthrough in the opioid epidemic.

    The shot would block the ability of fentanyl to enter the brain and cause the "high"that users crave. It could be used to prevent relapses in people trying to quit opioids, once it gets through clinical trials, the scientists said.

    "We believe these finding...

    Deadly 'Rainbow Fentanyl' Looks Like Candy, Could Entice Kids

    The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is warning the public that colorfully dyed fentanyl -- dubbed "rainbow fentanyl" -- is readily available across the United States.

    "Rainbow fentanyl -- fentanyl pills and powder that come in a variety of bright colors, shapes, and sizes -- is a deliberate effo...

    Brain Study Shows How Fentanyl Kills

    Fentanyl, the synthetic opioid that's driving a surge in drug overdose deaths, kills by stopping breathing even before someone loses consciousness, a new study reveals.

    To come to that conclusion, researchers ran

    Meth Plays Big Role in Drug ODs in Rural America

    Methamphetamine is driving an epidemic of drug overdoses in rural America, a new study concludes.

    Researchers attribute the surge to meth laced with fentanyl or combined with an opioid that contains fentanyl.

    "

    Wave of Opioid Overdoses Expected to Hit U.S. Rural, Urban Areas

    Experts predict opioid overdoses will climb in both rural and urban areas because of the lethal practice of mixing the highly addictive narcotics with other drugs.

    The coming wave of opioid overdoses "wi...

    Pandemic Brought Surge in Fatal Drug Overdoses in U.S. Teens

    Drug overdose deaths among America's teens have skyrocketed during the pandemic, and not because drug use is more common, researchers report.

    In 2020, overdose deaths among adolescents nearly doubled, compared with 10 years before the pandemic. They rose another 20% in the first six months of 2021, a new study finds.

    "Teen drug use rates are at historic lows, so this is really becau...

    Police Records Show Use of Illegal Fentanyl-Laced Pills Soaring

    Dovetailing with a surge in overdose deaths, the United States has seen a sharp rise in seizures of illicit fentanyl, according to a new report.

    Law enforcement seizures of pills containing illicit fen...

    As Fentanyl Overdoses Rise, So Does Use of 'Party Drug' Test Strips

    Potent and poisonous, the synthetic opioid known as fentanyl has infiltrated nearly every corner of the U.S. illegal street drug market, experts warn.

    In the process, it's killing addicts and recreational "party drug" users alike.

    "This is the time of fentanyl, a drug that's 50 to 100 times more powerful than mo...

    Opioid Addiction Treatment in Jail Could Change Lives

    No magic bullet exists for ending the U.S. opioid crisis, but there's hopeful news for one high-risk population: Providing addiction medication in jails reduces the odds of addicts being re-arrested after their release, new research shows.

    "Studies like this provide much-needed evidence and momentum for jails and prisons to better enable the treatment, education and support systems that i...

    U.S. Fentanyl Deaths Soaring, Especially in West

    Synthetic forms of the potentially lethal opioid fentanyl are flooding the illicit drug market, leaving a soaring number of fatal overdoses in their wake, a new U.S. report finds.

    The latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that between May 2020 and April 2021, nearly two-thirds (64%) of the more 100,000 drug overdose deaths in the country were tied to i...

    Over 100,000 Americans Died From Drug Overdoses in One Year: Report

    New government data confirms what many have suspected: The pandemic has prompted a record number of drug overdose deaths, with more than 100,000 Americans succumbing to addiction as COVID-19 raged across the country.

    That figure is almost 30% higher than the previous year, when 78,000 overdose deaths were reported, according to provisional figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control...

    How the COVID Pandemic Made the Opioid Epidemic Worse, Even as Telehealth Helped

    The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken up the U.S. opioid crisis in ways bad and good, increasing the risk of use and overdose but also spurring innovative approaches to treatment.

    The pandemic has definitely been linked to an increase in opioid use and overdose deaths, Tufts University's Thomas Stopka said during a HealthDay Now video interview.

    "We've been seeing increases in o...

    DEA Warns of Fentanyl in Counterfeit Opioid Pills

    People buying pills that look like prescription opioid painkillers or stimulants who are not buying them from a licensed pharmacy may be buying a lethal drug, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration warned this week.

    This was the first public safety alert the DEA has issued in six years, CNN reported.

    Many of these counterfeit pills are laced with fentanyl and methamphetam...

    Fatal ODs From Illicit Tranquilizers Jumped 6-Fold During Pandemic

    Overdose deaths linked to illicit "designer" benzodiazepines have surged in the United States, as underground labs crank out new synthetic variations on prescription tranquilizers like Valium, Xanax and Ativan.

    Overdose deaths involving illicit benzos increased more than sixfold (520%) between 2019 and 2020, rising from 51 to 316, according to data from 32 states and the District of Colum...