Antipsychotics Increasingly Prescribed for “Off-Label” Conditions

By Join Together Staff | March 13, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed inHealthcare, Mental Health, Prescription Drugs & Youth

A growing number of patients are receiving “off-label” prescriptions for a class of drugs called atypical antipsychotics, according to The Washington Post. These drugs are increasingly being prescribed to treat anxiety, attention deficit, sleep problems, behavior problems in toddlers, and other conditions for which they are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Atypical antipsychotics, such as Seroquel, Zyprexa and Abilify, are approved to treat mental illnesses including schizophrenia andbipolar disorder. Some also have been approved to treat severe depression, the article notes.

A recent study found prescriptions for antipsychotics for non-approved uses doubled between 1995 and 2008—from 4.4 million to 9 million.

“Antipsychotics are overused, overpriced and oversold,” Allen Frances, former Chair of Psychiatry at Duke University School of Medicine, told the newspaper. He said in some cases, off-label use of these medicines may be appropriate for patients who have not responded to other treatments for certain conditions, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. He added that they are being used “promiscuously, recklessly,” in many cases to control behavior. He points out the drugs have serious side effects, including rapid, major weight gain, diabetes, irreversible facial tics, and breast development in boys. The drugs also increase the risk of death in the elderly.

One factor driving the rise in antipsychotic prescriptions is the growing number of non-psychiatrists prescribing them, says James H. Scully Jr., Medical Director of the American Psychiatric Association. Many of these doctors do not have the experience and expertise to properly diagnose and treat mental illness, he said.

Among children, antipsychotic prescriptions are growing in large part because of the increase in bipolar disorder diagnoses, experts say.

12 STEPPING TO RECOVERY DAILY THOUGHT!! 3-14-12

STEP 1

I think its time to move on, we have spent the last two months going over step one and I am hoping and believing you have reached the point of, "my life is a mess".

STEP 2

Now we have come to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

Most of the 12 step groups are not very specific in regards to a higher power.  Some think its self, others think it is some sort of God and there are those like myself who know its God and his son JESUS CHRIST.  In fact they are the only living true higher powers on the planet and beyond.  Lets examine this.  My favorite book (Bible) states he created the world and us in his image.  You were designed for a purpose and without proper instruction from parents, you were lead away, left to fill whatever purpose you felt fit you. Lets put it this way.  Did you ever put a round peg in a square hole?  Won't fit will it?  No matter what you do with that peg it wont fit. Well that's what happens to our lives when we are not taught about GOD and we are left to our own vices.  We fumble through life with a constant emptiness.  No matter what we try to satisfy that emptiness with we just cant seem to fill that void.  You are missing the most important part of you, and that's being one with your creator!  Its like buying the most expensive exercise bike in the store, opening the box and there are no directions on how to put it together.  Your life is unmanageable because your not reading the instruction book GOD gave you(BIBLE).  I dare you to read the book.  My recommendation, Tyndanle life recovery bible is available at all book stores.  Just think about this.... the BIBLE is still the number one selling book in the world. 3,000 years and still counting.

Prescription Drug Abuse: America’s Problem

By Karen Kelly | January 13, 2012 | 3 Comments | Filed in Advocacy,Community Related, Government, Healthcare, Legislation & Prescription Drugs


A toddler sits silently amid the squalid interior of his modest home. Jack longs for food, but the shelves have not been stocked in days. What little money that was available has been used to feed the addiction of his caregivers.

Jack is not alone. At least 75 percent of all child abuse or neglect cases across the country involve substance abuse by parents or caregivers, according to the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare.

The teenage daughter of a prominent city official is caught shoplifting. Although she lives in a nice home, Jane says she needed the merchandise to pawn for pills purchased from an unscrupulous cash-only pain clinic.

Jane’s case isn’t unique. An estimated 12 million people in the United States used prescription drugs for non-medical purposes in 2010, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse(NIDA). Unbelievably, NIDA notes that there were enough prescription painkillers prescribed “to medicate every American adult around-the-clock for a month.”

Prescription drug abuse has no socio-economic barriers. But it does come with a huge human cost.

Each day an estimated two people die from drug overdoses and another 40 are admitted to emergency rooms with life-threatening conditions, according to the Prescription Monitoring Program of Excellence at Brandeis University.

American businesses – from industry to mom-and-pop establishments – face lost productivity and increased workplace hazards because of addicted employees. This is a threat to sustainable economic development in both urban and rural communities.

Health insurers alone lose up to $72.5 billion annually in bogus claims. These costs are, by necessity, passed along to consumers.

Trying to get a handle on the problem – which has now reached epidemic proportions – is not easy. Ten years ago, Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-5th) created a program to help states track the sale of prescription drugs. In 2010, he helped launch the bi-partisan Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse, which seeks to raise awareness of abuse, and to work toward innovative and effective policy solutions incorporating treatment, prevention, law enforcement and research.

Finding a solution goes beyond political allegiances. As Rogers notes, “The prescription drug abuse problem can’t be solved in one state, with one simple strategy.”

In an effort to bring all parties together, Operation UNITE is coordinating a National Rx Drug Abuse Summit in Florida from April 10-12, 2012. This will be the first conference focusing only on the issue of prescription drug abuse. The goal of the Summit is to foster better understanding and cooperation between state and national leaders, law enforcement officials, medical professionals, community advocates, treatment experts, educators, private industry leaders and others who are finding success in battling this nationwideepidemic.

Keynote speakers at the Summit will include R. Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy; Vice Admiral Dr. Regina M. Benjamin, the U.S. Surgeon General; Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse; and the Hon. Joseph T. Rannazzisi, deputy assistant administrator for the Office of Diversion Control with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Left unchecked, the prescription drug abuse problem will continue to grow out of control, draining limited resources and devastating families.

Join this important national conversation on April 10-12, 2012. America’s future is at stake.

Karen Kelly, President/CEO, Operation UNITE

Sober St. Patrick’s Day

A Grand Celebration of Irish Culture!

Saturday, March 17th from 3pm to 7pm

The best in Irish, music, dance and comedy!
Purchase your ticket (only $12 per person)


A Family Friendly Alcohol-Free Party
World-Class Irish musicians and dancers to entertain.
Regis H.S. Use entrance at 60 East 85th Street, NYC

Many New Yorkers in recovery, who have long since abandoned this holiday, and those who also want an alcohol-free, family-friendly event, will gather to enjoy the best of Irish culture. Irish step dancers in colorful costumes will twirl around the floor to live traditional music. Actors, pipe bands and musical guests, like KT Sullivan, John Whelan (eight time “All Ireland Champion” button accordion player), and Brian Conway(five time “All Ireland Champion” fiddle player) will serenade the crowd with soulful and lively Irish tunes. Light food and soft drinks will be served.

“Sober St. Patrick’s Day” will be a welcome new addition to the hundreds of events on March 17th thanks to all of our sponsors listed at the bottom of this page. All ticket sales will be made payable to NCADD.

View the full program

LSD May Help People With Alcoholism Quit or Reduce Drinking, Study Suggests

By Join Together Staff | March 12, 2012 | 3 Comments | Filed in Alcohol,Drugs, Research & Treatment

A new analysis of studies originally conducted in the 1960s suggests LSD may help people with alcoholism quit or reduce their drinking.

The new study combines the results of six trials that tested a single dose of LSD in 536 people with alcoholism. The researchers found 59 percent who took the drug either quit or significantly reduced their drinking, compared with 38 percent of participants who took a much smaller dose of LSD or used another treatment to prevent drinking,Time reports. Eight cases of adverse effects from LSD were reported; none lasted longer than the high itself, according to the article. The positive effect of LSD on drinking lasted at least six months, but was no longer apparent one year later.

Previous studies have suggested that LSD was not effective for alcoholism. The researchers of the new analysis said the earlier findings appear to be related to the fact that they did not include enough participants to show an effect.

“LSD had a significant beneficial effect on alcohol misuse at the first reported follow-up assessment,” the researchers wrote in theJournal of Psychopharmacology. “The effectiveness of a single dose of LSD compares well with the effectiveness of daily naltrexone [reVia, Vivitrol] acamprosate [Campral], or disulfiram [Antabuse].” Those drugs are approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat alcoholism.

A number of hallucinogens and other illicit drugs are being studied as possible treatments for conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, addiction and depression

Recovery From Drug or Alcohol Abuse

By Join Together Staff | March 6, 2012 | 3 Comments | Filed in Addiction &Recovery


Ten percent of American adults consider themselves to be in recovery from drug or alcohol abuse problems, according to a newsurvey released today by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services(OASAS). The findings indicate there are 23.5 million American adults who are overcoming an involvement with drugs or alcohol that they once considered to be problematic.

The nationally representative survey found 10 percent of adults answered yes to the question, “Did you once have a problem with drugs or alcohol, but no longer do?” – one simple way of describing recovery from drug and alcohol abuse or addiction that was devised by Dr. Alexandre Laudet, a leading researcher in addiction recovery, now at National Development and Research Institute (NDRI).

“Bill White, a treatment and recovery champion, has said that there is ‘a science of addiction, but not a science of recovery,’” explained A. Thomas McLellan, PhD, Former Deputy Director, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. “That statement is completely correct. With the survey conducted by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and OASAS, we now have a very strong beginning to developing that science. Through past initiatives, we established some sensible definitions of what ‘being in recovery’ actually means – and this additional work provides fundamental information on how many people are in recovery. These are not only the building blocks for the ‘recovery science’ that have been called for, but they are the foundation for public understanding, acceptance and ultimately, the celebration of recovery.”

The survey also uncovered some basic demographic information about those saying they once had a drug or alcohol problem, but no longer do: more males say they are in recovery than females (12 percent of males vs. 7 percent of females). More adults ages 35-44 report being in recovery, compared to younger adults (18-34) and adults who are 55 years of age or older. The Midwest has a higher prevalence of adults (14 percent) who say they are in recovery compared to adults in the South (7 percent). In other regions of the country, the percentage of adults (not statistically significant) who say they are in recovery is 11 percent for the West and 9 percent for the Northeast.

“This research marks a vitally important step for those who are struggling with addiction by offering clear evidence to support what many know experientially – that millions of Americans have found a path to recovery,” said New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez. “It is my hope that this new evidence will strengthen and inspire individuals and those that provide treatment and recovery services to help the broader community understand that treatment does work and recovery is possible.”

The survey was conducted in 2011 by Opinion Research Corporation for The Partnership at Drugfree.org and OASAS via phone (landline and cell) among a nationally representative sample of 2,526 adults.

“The OASAS study is an important contribution to the public’s understanding of recovery, as it represents the actual voices of millions of Americans whose lives have improved because they are living free of alcohol and other drug problems,” stated Steve Pasierb, President and CEO of The Partnership at Drugfree.org. “This newlearning provides a big reason – more than 23 million reasons – for all those who are struggling with their own, or a loved one’s substance use disorder, to have hope and know that they are not alone. These findings serve as a reminder that addiction is a treatable disease and recovery can be a reality. We are just scratching the surface here and more research is needed in this area, but we are proud to collaborate with New York OASAS in this meaningful process.”