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Friday, February 15, 2013
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Florida Task Force on Prescription Drug Abuse and Newborns Releases Report
A task force of doctors, public health experts and social
workers in Florida has released a report designed to combat the growing
problem of babies born to mothers who are addicted to prescription
drugs.
The report
found more than 1,560 babies born in Florida in 2011 were diagnosed
with symptoms of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). These babies often
spend three weeks in neonatal intensive care, with a cost as high as
$53,400 per baby. In contrast, the typical hospital cost for a healthy
newborn is $9,500, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
NAS babies suffer from withdrawal symptoms such as tremors, abdominal
pain, incessant crying, rapid breathing, and sometimes seizures, the
report notes.
The task force made recommendations in the areas of prevention,
intervention and best practices, and treatment. It recommended that
hospitals be required to report babies born with symptoms of NAS, as
they do with babies born with infectious diseases such as measles and
tuberculosis. The group wants to help treatment facilities reach more
women, and recommended considering new laws to offer pregnant women
immunity for seeking substance abuse treatment.
Task force member Dr. Ken Solomon, a neonatologist, told the
newspaper more research is needed to identify the best way to treat
newborns in withdrawal. He noted that some hospitals administer
methadone, while others use morphine.
Neonatologist Dr. Mary Newport said she is concerned about the
long-term effects of NAS. At her hospital, 30 percent of neonatal
intensive care unit admissions last year involved drug exposure. “We’ve
had this rash of all of these children who had this very intense drug
exposure, and then withdrawal and treatment for that. They are about to
hit the school system,” Dr. Newport said.
Veterans with PTSD Often Prescribed Drugs Not Supported by Guidelines
Veterans with post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) are
often prescribed medications not supported by existing government
guidelines, according to a new study. Most of these prescriptions are
written by mental health care providers, according to UPI.
Researchers analyzed electronic pharmacy data from the Veterans
Health Administration (VHA) for 356,958 veterans with PTSD, who received
medications from VHA prescribers. The researchers from the Iowa City
Veterans Affairs Health Care System found among veterans with PTSD who
had continuous VHA medication use, 65.7 percent were prescribed elective
serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSRI/SNRIs).
Second-generation anti-psychotics were prescribed for 25.6 percent of
the veterans, while benzodiazepines were prescribed for 37 percent.
The findings appear in the journal Psychiatric Services.
Four Loko Maker to Put “Alcohol Facts Panel” on Can
The maker of the sweet alcoholic drink Four Loko will put
an “alcohol facts panel” on the back of cans containing more than two
servings of alcohol, to settle the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC)
charges of deceptive marketing.
The panel will be similar to the nutritional facts label found on foods, the Associated Press reports. It will disclose the alcohol by volume, and the number of servings in the can.
According to a FTC news release,
the drink’s maker, Phusion Projects, must redesign cans with more than
two-and-a-half servings of alcohol so they can be resealed. This new
design will encourage drinkers not to consume the entire can in one
sitting.
The agency noted it does not have the jurisdiction to ban Four Loko,
or to force the company to limit its size or alcohol content.
The FTC had said Four Loko ads implied the 23.5-ounce can was equal to one or two regular 12-ounce beers, but is really more like four or five beers, the article notes. The cans contain up to 12 percent alcohol.
The FTC had said Four Loko ads implied the 23.5-ounce can was equal to one or two regular 12-ounce beers, but is really more like four or five beers, the article notes. The cans contain up to 12 percent alcohol.
The commission had wanted to require Phusion to put new labels on
drinks with more than two-and-a-half servings of alcohol, but changed
the requirement to cans with more than two servings of alcohol, based on
public comments about the dangers of supersized drinks.
The FTC also wanted to require a label on the front of the can that
compared the amount of alcohol in Four Loko to a regular beer. It
dropped that recommendation after some critics said it could lead to
binge drinking, by suggesting the drink was a fast, inexpensive way to
get drunk.
Four Loko originally contained caffeine and alcohol. Following warnings by the Food and Drug Administration, Phusion Projects removed caffeine from the drink.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Accidental Poisonings from Prescription Drugs on the Rise in Pets
A growing number of pets are being accidentally poisoned, and prescription medicines are largely to blame, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
reports it received more than 180,000 calls about poisonous substances
last year, up 7 percent from 2011. Since many pet owners rush poisoned
pets to their veterinarian instead of calling a hotline, the number of
accidental poisonings may be higher, the article notes.
Prescription medications for humans have accounted for the majority
of calls about accidental poisonings for the past five years, increasing
2 percent last year to more than 25,200 calls. Pet owners made almost
18,500 calls about over-the-counter medications and supplements, up 2.8
percent from the previous year.
While insecticides and rodenticides are the most deadly household
items for pets, common human medicines can also be fatal, depending on
the pet’s weight, how much the pet consumes, and the strength of the
medicine. “One acetaminophen will kill a cat,” Kevin T. Fitzgerald, a
veterinarian with VCA Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in Denver, told
the newspaper.
Last year, calls about prescription painkillers increased 63 percent,
while calls about antidepressants rose 47.5 percent. “More and more
people are on these drugs, and dogs find them on the nightstand,” Dr.
Fitzgerald said.
The fatality rate among pets from accidental poisoning appears to be
low, at 0.2 percent of cases, according to Tina Wismer, Director of the
ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center. She notes the center does not know
the outcome of each call, so the rate might be higher. Dogs are more
likely than cats to be accidentally poisoned. Labrador Retrievers
accounted for almost 14,000 calls to the center.
To limit pets’ access to dangerous substances, keep medications in a
secure location such as a medicine cabinet, and take the medication when
the pet isn’t nearby.
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