Driving Off Course: Tiger Woods’ DUI Steers Prescription Drug Safety Conversation

Maybe you’ve struggled with back pain from being sedentary, pulled muscles after heavy lifting or have had repeated surgery like Tiger Woods. Although athletes are known for their health, they’re no stranger to injuries or taking prescription painkillers to get through the next day’s demands.

Is it Worth Taking Opioids for Pain Relief?

As human beings, it is difficult to be patient when we have acute or chronic pain. It is a sensation we desperately try to avoid, and if it hits we do what we can to limit the experience. Julius Caesar said, “[i]t is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience.”

When easing the pain turns fatal: Fentanyl took Prince from us and continues to gain popularity

In April 2016, the world learned about the untimely death of a legend known as Prince. He died of an accidental fentanyl overdose, the autopsy showed. However, the pills found at his Paisley Park home were mislabeled, according to reports, highlighting an ongoing issue: opioid deaths. Despite efforts to rein in opioid-related deaths in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that death rates continue to rise.

When easing the pain turns fatal: The big problem with opioids and anti-anxiety drugs

You may or may not have heard that opioid painkiller use has skyrocketed into epidemic proportions, with deadly overdoses on the rise. For example, The Washington Post reported that between 1999 and 2014, deadly opioid overdoses among middle-aged white women shot up 400 percent. But it’s not just opioid use we have to worry about. In fact, anti-anxiety drugs called benzodiazepines contributed to many of those deaths, even as much as a third of them in recent years.

Over-prescribing opioids: Where does this problem stem from?

We’ve recently reported on the tremendous overuse of prescription painkiller drugs in this country. Almost everyone knows someone on Vicodin, Percocet, or Norco. Some patients have trouble getting off the drugs, and part of the problem is over-prescribing. So, where is this over-prescribing coming from?

Opioid overdoses on the rise

The U.S. is experiencing an epidemic in drug overdose deaths, the CDC says, and misuse of opioid painkillers are a big part of the problem. Since 2000, overdose deaths from opioids have risen 200 percent. In 2014, there were approximately one and a half times more drug overdose deaths than deaths from car crashes in the U.S.

Be proactive to prevent opioid addiction

Addiction to opioids such as morphine, heroin and prescription painkillers is a growing global problem. Generally, opioids have an important role in the treatment of certain types of pain, but they have inherent risks and side effects, including being highly addictive. Even infrequent use can lead to dependence.

Popping pills for pains?

The U.S. is one of the richest, most privileged countries in the world — and also the most avid consumers of pain pills, according to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control. We take twice as many opioid pain-relievers per person as Canada does (they are #2 on the dubious list of pill-popping nations).