Jessica Bliss May 28, 2017 More than 15 tons of drugs were collected statewide at the most recent DEA take-back event, setting a new record. The total, 5 tons more than last year, marks the continuation of a Tennessee effort to address the opioid epidemic that plagues the state. A new report from the Tennessee […]
State overdose data sheds new light on opioid crisis
Holly Fletcher, Kristi L. Nelson and Anita Wadhwani May 24, 2017 A new report from the Tennessee Department of Health on drug overdose deaths sheds new light on the opioid epidemic plaguing the state, darkening the lines of an emerging portrait of the typical abuser killed by the powerful painkillers. The drug overdose fatalities are overwhelmingly […]
1 in 4 Americans Knows Someone Hooked on Opioids: Poll
May 22, 2017 Robert Preidt More than a quarter of Americans — and 1 in 3 millennials — say they know someone addicted to opioids or prescription painkillers, according to a new survey from the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Also, most respondents from the poll of more than 1,000 adults believe treatment is a better […]
Drug exposure poses risk for first responders
Don Green May 21, 2017 The rash of overdoses related to opioid use is skyrocketing. Not only are individuals caught in the grips of addiction at risk, but innocent victims who may come into contact with these substances can be affected. Most recently, an Ohio police officer was inadvertently exposed to fentanyl during a traffic […]
Technology helping medical professionals combat Tennessee’s opioid crisis
Aaron Wright May 20, 2017 KNOXVILLE – Multiple pharmacies, multiple prescribers. Professionals say those are the red flags to look for to stop doctor-shopping and prescription pill abuse in Tennessee, a state under siege because of opioid abuse. According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, America makes up 4.6 percent of the world’s population but […]
Worse pain outcomes after knee replacement for patients who took opioids before surgery
May 18, 2017 Six months after knee replacement surgery, pain outcomes were not as good for patients who previously took prescription opioids, according to a study in the May 17 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. “Our results should be viewed as a warning that using opioids during the preoperative period may […]
How Untreated Depression Contributes to the Opioid Epidemic
Olga Khazan May 15, 2017 It can sometimes seem strange how so much of the country got hooked on opioids within just a few years. Deaths from prescription drugs like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone have more than quadrupled since 1999, according to the CDC. But pain doesn’t seem to be the only culprit: About one-third […]
Hep C rates climb in Tennessee amid opioid epidemic
Holly Fletcher May 11, 2017 Rural parts of Tennessee have been hit hard by a nationwide rise in Hepatitis C infections in pregnant women, likely a result of the opioid abuse epidemic, according to new study from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Tennessee Department of Health. The presence of Hepatitis C at birth increased 89 […]
How a Tennessee OB-GYN turned into an addiction specialist for pregnant women
Anita Wadhwani May 6, 2017 SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. – Dr. Jennifer Maddron was drawn to obstetrics in her third year of medical school after she witnessed her first delivery. Guided by her Christian faith, it became a calling, she said. But a few years after setting up her practice, just a few miles from the Smoky […]
Stopping the opioid crisis in the womb
Wayne Drash May 5, 2017 Knoxville, Tennessee (CNN) – The sound of a heartbeat pulsates through the air, and a grainy image of a baby flashes on screen. Jessica Hill smiles from her chair in the ultrasound room. Gathered around are her doctor, nurse and best friend. They are all eager, anxious, excited — and worried […]
