painkillers

Overdose death is the leading cause of injury death in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Heroin is a major ...

There's more research pointing to an increased risk of heart attack when taking over-the-counter pain medications, especially in the first week after surgery. In ...

Each day, 78 people in the U.S. die of opioid overdoses, and more than 1,000 are treated in emergency departments for opioid misuse, federal figures ...

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the opioid crisis is real. They report that, in 2012, more than 2 million people in the ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Elk7YmaUGro Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Hall-Flavin are available in the downloads. Heroin is cheap, easily obtainable and on the rise as a killer across the nation. Because it is so cheap, heroin abuse is being seen in younger people and more people in the middle class. Experts say oxycontin use can easily lead to heroin addiction as it costs costs a fourth as much. Parents, friends and colleagues should be aware of the symptoms of heroin use, especially if they suspect or know that a person has used illegal drugs or prescription painkillers before: The person shows a reduced sense of pain. They appear to be sedated. They are frequently depressed or seem confused. If they are constipated. If their breathing appears slow. MEDIA CONTACT:Bob Nellis, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu “Heroin is prevalent, it’s out there and it is deadly,” says Dr. Daniel Hall-Flavin, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic psychiatrist and addiction expert. “But it doesn’t have to be. There is hope out there for people if they can get treatment.”  A heroin overdose most often occurs when the heart stops or from lack of breathing, says Dr. Hall-Flavin. That’s because opiates suppress the brain stem, the part of the brain that regulates breathing and your heartbeat.

ROCHESTER, Minnesota — 12 de febrero de 2014 — La heroína no solamente es adictiva y mortal, sino que su consumo aumenta entre los estadounidenses. Esta perturbadora tendencia corre paralela al alza en el abuso de analgésicos recetados de base opioide ocurrida en los últimos años, dicen los expertos de Mayo Clinic. La heroína, droga que puede fumarse, absorberse por la nariz o inyectarse por vía intravenosa, es sumamente adictiva. Comparada frente a otras drogas, 25 por ciento de los consumidores de heroína se convierten en adictos; mientras que con la marihuana, la cifra es de alrededor de 9 por ciento, cerca de 17 por ciento con la cocaína y de 15 por ciento con el alcohol. Eso significa que uno de cada cuatro consumidores de heroína se torna en adicto. “La heroína es predominante, disponible y mortal”, comenta el Dr. Daniel Hall-Flavin, psiquiatra de Mayo Clinic y experto en adicciones. “Sin embargo, esto no necesariamente debe ocurrir, y más aún, hay esperanza para quienes deciden tratarse”. La sobredosis de heroína generalmente ocurre cuando el corazón se detiene o la persona no respira, explica el Dr. Hall-Flavin. Eso se debe a que los opioides suprimen las funciones del tallo cerebral, o parte del cerebro que regula la respiración y el latido cardíaco.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Feb. 12, 2014 — Not only is heroin addictive and deadly, its use is increasing among Americans. That disturbing trend parallels the spike of opioid based prescription painkiller abuse in recent years, say Mayo Clinic experts. Heroin, a drug that can be smoked, sniffed/snorted or injected intravenously, is highly addictive. For comparison, about 9 percent of people who use marijuana will become addicted. Close to 17 percent of cocaine users will. It’s 15 percent for alcohol. But for heroin, 25 percent or more of users will become addicted. That means roughly one in four users become addicts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Elk7YmaUGro Journalists: Video of Dr. Hall-Flavin talking about heroin addiction is available in the downloads. “Heroin is prevalent, it’s out there and it is deadly,” says Dr. Daniel Hall-Flavin, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic psychiatrist and addiction expert. “But it doesn’t have to be. There is hope out there for people if they can get treatment.”