Injecting Painkiller Opana Can Lead to Serious Blood Disorder, FDA Warns

By Join Together Staff | October 12, 2012 | 1 Comment | Filed in Prescription Drugs


Injecting the painkiller Opana ER can lead to a serious blood disorder that can result in kidney failure or death, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Thursday.

Opana is an opioid that contains the ingredient oxymorphone,Reuters reports. The drug is made by Endo Pharmaceuticals. Injecting Opana can cause thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, which causes clots to form in small blood vessels throughout the body. These clots limit or block blood flow to the organs, the article explains.

Opana ER is a pill meant to be taken orally. It causes the blood clotting disorder only when it is abused by being crushed and injected intravenously, according to the FDA. The pill has an extended-release design, but crushing it releases the drug all at once.

Law enforcement officials are alarmed by the rise of Opana abuse, which they said started after OxyContin was changed in late 2010 to make that drug more difficult to snort or inject for a heroin-like high. OxyContin is a brand of oxycodone.

Opana abuse can be deadly because it is more potent, per milligram, than OxyContin and users who are not familiar with how strong it is may be vulnerable to overdosing.

Endo Pharmaceuticals has announced it is reformulating the drug. The pill will be more difficult to crush, and will turn gooey if liquid is added to it. Opana is prescribed for chronic back pain, as well as pain related to cancer and osteoarthritis.

Tennessee Officials Study Drug-Testing Programs for Welfare Recipients in Other States

By Join Together Staff | October 11, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed inCommunity Related, Drugs & Legislation

Tennessee state officials are studying drug-testing programs for welfare recipients in six other states, as they shape their own program, The Tennessean reports.

Earlier this year, the state legislature passed a law that mandates drug testing for welfare recipients. The state’s Department of Human Services has until January 2014 to finalize a plan. Department Commissioner Raquel Hatter reported to two legislative committees that her agency is studying similar programs in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma and Utah, to gain insight into how they have implemented their policy, and any obstacles they have faced.

The Tennessee law requires drug testing for any welfare applicant with a prior drug conviction or anyone who raises suspicion based on a screening. Human services officials must consult with drug treatment experts to set up a screening program to establish reasonable cause for drug testing of welfare applicants.

Arizona’s program, in place since 2009, requires adult applicants to fill out a three-question statement on illegal drug use. They must submit to drug testing if their answers provide a reasonable cause. In Florida, 108 adults out of 4,000 applying for welfare benefits who took a drug test failed. Florida’s law has been challenged in federal court.

Georgia has passed a drug-testing law for welfare recipients, but put implementation on hold until the Florida case has been resolved, the article notes.

Under all six state laws, a person who fails a drug test is ineligible for benefits for a defined period of time, between one month and three years. In most of the states there is a provision that reduces that period if the person enters a drug rehabilitation program, according to the newspaper.
By Join Together Staff | October 11, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed inCommunity Related, Drugs & Legislation

Tennessee state officials are studying drug-testing programs for welfare recipients in six other states, as they shape their own program, The Tennessean reports.

Earlier this year, the state legislature passed a law that mandates drug testing for welfare recipients. The state’s Department of Human Services has until January 2014 to finalize a plan. Department Commissioner Raquel Hatter reported to two legislative committees that her agency is studying similar programs in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma and Utah, to gain insight into how they have implemented their policy, and any obstacles they have faced.

The Tennessee law requires drug testing for any welfare applicant with a prior drug conviction or anyone who raises suspicion based on a screening. Human services officials must consult with drug treatment experts to set up a screening program to establish reasonable cause for drug testing of welfare applicants.

Arizona’s program, in place since 2009, requires adult applicants to fill out a three-question statement on illegal drug use. They must submit to drug testing if their answers provide a reasonable cause. In Florida, 108 adults out of 4,000 applying for welfare benefits who took a drug test failed. Florida’s law has been challenged in federal court.

Georgia has passed a drug-testing law for welfare recipients, but put implementation on hold until the Florida case has been resolved, the article notes.

Under all six state laws, a person who fails a drug test is ineligible for benefits for a defined period of time, between one month and three years. In most of the states there is a provision that reduces that period if the person enters a drug rehabilitation program, according to the newspaper.

Medicine Abuse drug guide for parents

As a parent who has lost a son to medicine abuse, the past couple of weeks have been truly moving. The Partnership at Drugfree.org showed me some of the stories people shared about medicine abuse over this past week, and as a parent who has experienced the epidemic's effects firsthand, they really resonated with me. In 2004, my son Mark died from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. We found a bag of loose pills in his room -- none of the drugs had been prescribed for him, or for anyone else in the family for that matter. I wish that I could tell Mark what I've learned about the dangers of abusing prescription drugs, but it's too late. At a time when most of life's experiences should lie just ahead, his life ended and I will always wonder if I could have saved him. Now that I've gotten involved with The Partnership, I believe that their resources may have provided me the information I so desperately needed. Read the medicine abuse drug guide and arm yourself with information you need to fight this epidemic at home: http://my.drugfree.org/the-drug-guide The guide can help you learn the signs and symptoms commonly experienced by people abusing the three main types prescriptions drugs -- pain relievers, stimulants, and depressants. It's crucial for us as parents to talk with our kids about the dangers of abusing medicine and to make sure that the medicines in our homes are secure at all times. Please do this before it's too late. Educate yourself by looking at the medicine abuse drug guide now. It could be a lifesaver. http://my.drugfree.org/the-drug-guide Thank you, Phil Bauer Parent Advisory Board Member P.S. If you're feeling overwhelmed with your child's drug problem and would like to talk to someone, you can call The Partnership's Parents Toll-Free Helpline at  1-855-378-4373 or get more information now: http://my.drugfree.org/if-you-need-help

“Red Ribbon Week” October 23-31 Raises Awareness About Drug Prevention

By Join Together Staff | October 10, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed inCommunity Related, Drugs, Marketing And Media, Parenting, Prevention &Youth

The 27th annual “Red Ribbon Week,” October 23-31, will raise awareness about drug prevention around the country. Families can get involved this year by entering a contest to promote awareness in their neighborhoods, and win a drug prevention grant for their children’s school.

The week was created after parents, students and teachers began wearing red ribbons in commemoration of the 1985 murder of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Kiki Camarena.

The National Family Partnership has announced a Red Ribbon Week contest that families can enter to win a $1,000 grant for their school, and a new iPad for their home. The DEA is co-sponsoring the contest. To participate, families and students are invited to decorate the outside of their homes with the message, “The Best Me is Drug Free.” They can take a photo with the family and their Red Ribbon Week decoration, and upload it towww.redribbon.org/contest or www.facebook.com/RedRibbonWeekby November 2nd. To upload the photos, you must be at least 18 years old.

Voting for entries will take place November 2-16 atwww.redribbon.org/vote. There will be 10 winners from across the United States, who will be announced at events at their schools in December.

Free Family Addiction Education program

CONTACT:

Noni West, strategic marketing coordinator Cathie Cush

PRO-ACT C2 Communications

215-345-6644, ext. 3111 215-579-2076

nwest@councilsepa.org CathieCush@comcast.net

Beverly J. Haberle, executive director

The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc.

215-345-6644

bhaberle@councilsepa.org

PRO-ACT Family Addiction Education Program helps families address drug and alcohol addiction

Next free sessions start Nov. 1, 6 and 7 at various locations in five counties
Each month PRO-ACT (Pennsylvania Recovery Organization–Achieving Community Together) hosts a free Family Addiction Education Program to help individuals and families recognize and address an addiction problem in a spouse, parent, child or other loved one. Led by trained volunteers who have been in the same situation, these information and support programs begin the first week of each month and run one evening a week for three consecutive weeks. Each session lasts two hours.



Programs are offered at several locations throughout the five-county southeast Pennsylvania region:

· Tuesdays—From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Media and Northeast Philadelphia.

· Wednesdays—From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Pottstown; from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in North Philadelphia; and from 7 p.m.to 9 p.m. in West Chester.

· Thursdays—From 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Northern Liberties; 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Bristol and Colmar



Sessions are free and confidential—first names only. Pre-registration is required. To register, call 800-221-6333, weekdays 9 a.m. through 5 p.m., or visit www.proact.org and click the Family Addiction Education Program link.

Trents Lighthouse Ohio

About
Transitional Living for Men in Recovery - Cincinnati, Ohio
Description
For More Information Please see:

www.trentslighthouse.com

Facebook: Trents Lighthouse


Contact Information for Trent's Lighthouse:

Kim Trent (513) 546-5151
Owner/Operator
trentslighthouse@aol.com
kimtrent@trentslighthouse.com

Jack Whittle (513) 526-2587
General Manager

General InformationTransitional Living for Men

Providing a safe, sober-living environment for men who are in recovery from
addiction and/or alcoholism.

Located in Northside



4576 Hamilton Ave
Cincinnati, Ohio 45223
Always open

Phone (513) 546-5151
Email trentslighthouse@aol.com
Website http://www.trentslighthouse.com