POWER IN THE PROVERB

November13 v 2 v 3  POWER IN THE PROVERB

A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth,
But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.
He who guards his mouth preserves his life,
But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

Changes by Makers of Cold and Cough Medicines Reduced Children’s ER Visits

By Join Together Staff | November 11, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Parenting & Youth

Changes made by makers of cold and cough medicines in 2007 have resulted in a significant decrease in visits by infants and toddlers to hospital emergency rooms due to these medicines, according to a new study.

Drug makers voluntarily withdrew infant cold and cough medicines intended for children under age 2 from the market in 2007, and made changes in labeling on other products warning parents they should not be given to children under 4, The New York Times reports.

The study, conducted by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, included data from 63 hospitals. The study estimated the number of visits to emergency rooms from 2004 to 2011 by young children who had taken cold and cough medicine. Before the 2007 changes, children under 2 accounted for 4.1 percent of emergency room visits for suspected drug-related effects. After the change, they accounted for 2.4 percent of the visits.

Among children ages 2 to 3, ER visits related to cold and cough medicines dropped from 9.5 percent before the changes took effect, to 6.5 percent afterwards. There was no significant reduction in ER visits among children 4 to 11. Among children ages 4 and 5, visits related to cold and cough medicines increased from 5.6 percent to 6.5 percent.

“We’re making great progress in under-2s, and we’re making relatively good progress in 2 to 3s,” said Dr. Don Shifrin, a spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics. “But we’d like better news for kids over 4.”

Most infants and toddlers who end up in the ER for problems related to cold and cough medicines got hold of the medicines when a parent’s back was turned, the article notes. “Of adverse events still occurring, 90 percent in 2- to 3-year-olds were unsupervised ingestions,” said study senior author Dr. Daniel S. Budnitz.

The findings are published in Pediatrics.

POWER IN THE PROVERB

November 12 v19 POWER IN THE PROVERB

Truthful words stand the test of time,

    but lies are soon exposed.

My advice tell the truth even if it hurts !

Veterans Face Dangerous Combination of Painkillers and PTSD

By Join Together Staff | November 11, 2013 | 1 Comment | Filed in Addiction,Mental Health, Military & Prescription Drugs


Many of the more than two million veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from both pain and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Often they are treated with opioid painkillers, which can be a dangerous mix with mental illness because of the risk of addiction,The Wall Street Journal reports.

Veterans with PTSD are nearly twice as likely to be prescribed opioids as those without mental health problems, according to a study by a Veterans Affairs researcher. They are more likely to get more than one opioid, and to receive the highest dose. The study found veterans with PTSD were more than twice as likely to suffer injuries, overdoses and other bad outcomes if they were given opioids.

According to VA records, about 30 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans under VA care have PTSD. More than half of them suffer chronic pain.

More than 50,000 veterans were treated by the VA last year for serious problems associated with opioid use—almost double the number compared with 10 years earlier. During that time, the total number of VA patients grew 30 percent. The newspaper found the number of opioid prescriptions written by the VA increased by 287 percent between 1999 and 2012.

Another study led by a VA doctor found the rate of accidental drug overdoses among veterans receiving VA care is almost double that of the U.S. population as a whole.

Dr. Andrew Kowal, who helped develop clinical guidelines for pain management used by the VA, said the number of troops “retiring out of the Army on narcotics chronically is just absolutely unbelievable.”
In 2010, the VA revised opioid prescribing guidelines to emphasize the risks. The VA says it will make additional revisions.

Todays Online Meetings at myRecovery November 12

                                                    Daily Quote    
"If you are waiting for anything in order to live and love without holding back, then you suffer. Every moment is the most important moment of your life. No future time is better than now to let down your guard and love. " - David Deida


Today's Online Meetings


AA Meeting - 9:00 pm CST: "Tuesday night AA "

                                                 

POWER IN THE PROVERB

November 11 v 30 POWER IN THE PROVERB

 The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life;

    a wise person wins friends.