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 […]
Beyond pills: Treating pain without opioids
April 8, 2017 Holly Fletcher John Moore tried several prescriptions to treat his recurring, excruciating headaches. But each came with its own drawbacks. The side effects of one prescription put him on the verge of tears; another made him feel like he “wanted to shoot myself; another made me want to shoot everybody else,” Moore said. […]
Tennessee Legislature: Now Is the Time To End Opioid Abuse
The Tennessee General Assembly has formed a joint task force on opioid and prescription drug abuse. House Speaker Beth Harwell, who is leading up the task force, has set her sights on determining best practices to dismantle Tennessee’s opioid and prescription abuse problems. According to the Tennessee Department of Health, data show that 1,451 people […]
Faces of Addiction, Part III: Tommie Arnold
When Tommie Arnold, from Smith County, Tenn., was prescribed Lortab and Xanax pills for back problems in 2006, she didn’t realize it would be the beginning of a 10-year battle with addiction. Shortly after her prescriptions ran out, Tommie began buying the pills off the streets. She would even steal from her friends and neighbors […]
Long-term Users Say They’re Hooked on Opioids
According to a recent poll conducted by the Washington Post and The Kaiser Family Foundation, at least one-third of Americans who have taken prescription opioids for two months or more say they have become addicted to the drugs. Among the respondents who are long-term users, all of them say they were introduced to the prescription […]
Know the Signs and Symptoms of Prescription Medicine Abuse
The best way to prevent prescription drug abuse is to educate yourself and others on the issue and the dangers associated with it. If you believe someone you know is abusing prescription drugs, check for these signs: Fatigue, red or glazed eyes, and repeated health complaints Sudden mood changes, including irritability, negative attitude, personality changes, […]
Guest Column: Dr. Andrea Willis
Each year, thousands of lives are taken by what has become one of the biggest health crises in recent years – prescription drug abuse. In 2015, there were approximately 1,263 drug overdose deaths in Tennessee. While pain medication is necessary to treat many conditions, there is a need to take action to help prevent what the […]
Reminder: Tomorrow Is National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day!
Just a reminder that tomorrow, Oct. 22, is National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. If you or someone you know has leftover prescription pills, bring them to one of several locations across the state to dispose of them safely and securely. For an entire list of Take-Back locations or to find the one closest to your […]
Tennesseans Share Opioid Abuse Stories in BlueCross-Sponsored Ad Series
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — In the fight to reduce prescription painkiller abuse across the state, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation has launched a public service campaign – “The Faces of Opioid Addiction” – to encourage Tennesseans to safely store or properly dispose of medications. The first of three TV spots recently debuted in Knoxville and […]
Dr. Manoj Jain: Doctors must play a role in curbing opioid addiction
Last week, thousands of my physician colleagues and I received a letter from the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy. He asked us to change our behavior in prescribing pain medicines. Around the same time, I was seeing a middle-aged man who had been admitted to the hospital for the fifth time in the same […]
