Opioids

Women & the Opioid Epidemic: What Works and What Doesn’t 

By NWHN Staff | Dec 23, 2019 | Comments Off on Women & the Opioid Epidemic: What Works and What Doesn’t 

The opioid crisis is big news these days, and with good reason. In 2017 alone, there were 70,237 drug overdose deaths, two-thirds of which involved opioids.i Accidental drug overdose is the leading cause of death in the U.S. among people under age 50.ii 

Women Bear the Greater Burden of the Opioid Epidemic

By NWHN Staff | Aug 28, 2019 | Comments Off on Women Bear the Greater Burden of the Opioid Epidemic

The United States is in the grip of an opioid epidemic. It has been declared a public health emergency, and the US government is launching a campaign to raise awareness of this issue. But one thing such campaigns fail to acknowledge is that women bear the greater burden of this epidemic. Due to a variety of factors, they are most at risk of opioid addiction. Read on to discover why, and what alternatives are available to help break this cycle.

Hanging on to Old Opioids? No Judgment—We Are Too.

By NWHN Staff | Jul 18, 2019 | Comments Off on Hanging on to Old Opioids? No Judgment—We Are Too.

Based on an informal poll of 9 staff members, 4 of us admitted to having an old bottle of unfinished opioids on the shelf at home, gathering maybe its 10th year of dust. But how could that be? Aren’t we all knowledgeable health advocates that follow every single up-to-date health recommendation?

Women and the Opioids Epidemic: The Need for a Woman-Centered Response

By NWHN Contributor | Jun 18, 2019 | Comments Off on Women and the Opioids Epidemic: The Need for a Woman-Centered Response

Opioid dependency is a bodily adaptation that is likely to disproportionately affect women, because they are more likely to develop opioid dependency in a shorter period of time, compared to men.

Rx for Change: Throw Away Your Opioids

By Charlea T. Massion, MD, and Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD | Sep 12, 2018 | Comments Off on Rx for Change: Throw Away Your Opioids

Adriane just had dental surgery and the surgeon provided a prescription for Tylenol with codeine. When she told him that opioids were not better than over-the-counter (OTC) painkillers for dental pain, the surgeon argued, “But it’s such a weak opioid.” And then he said, almost to himself, “Well, I guess it does turn to morphine in the gut.”

Opioids and Women: From Prescription to Addiction

By NWHN Contributor | May 24, 2018 | Comments Off on Opioids and Women: From Prescription to Addiction

Women are more likely than men to experience chronic pain and use prescription opioid pain medications for longer periods and in higher doses.

Rx for Change: Alternatives for Chronic Pain

By Intern Contributor | Jan 30, 2018 | Comments Off on Rx for Change: Alternatives for Chronic Pain

We’ve previously discussed the risks of opioids, and how pharmaceutical companies have encouraged over-prescription of these drugs that has created an opioid addiction epidemic. But what’s a person in pain to do?

Women & the Opioid Epidemic

By Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD | Jan 26, 2018 | Comments Off on Women & the Opioid Epidemic

The number of Americans who die from drug overdoses has doubled since 1999, and drug overdoses are now thought to be the leading cause of death among Americans under 50.1

Rx For Change: Obfuscating Opioid Risks

By Charlea T. Massion, MD, and Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD | Sep 21, 2017 | Comments Off on Rx For Change: Obfuscating Opioid Risks

Back when we were in training, more than 30 years ago, opioids were considered dangerous drugs that could cause addiction and life-threatening respiratory depression. Medical students were taught that opioids were very useful for end-of-life pain (especially for cancer, which can cause excruciating pain) and that they were important for a few days after surgery or a severe injury.