Safety Warnings About Antidepressants Linked With Increase in Suicide Attempts
/By Join Together Staff
June 19th, 2014/


After health officials warned antidepressant use could lead to an increased risk of suicidal thoughts among young people, there was a rise in suicide attempts in this age group, according to a new study.

Doctors may have avoided prescribing antidepressants after media reports of the warnings by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Reuters reports. This could have led to an increase in depressed children and teens who were untreated, the researchers report in BMJ.

“This study is a one of the first to directly measure a health outcome driven by the interaction of public policy and mass media,” lead author Christine Lu of Harvard Medical School said in a news release. “The FDA, the media and physicians need to find better ways to work together to ensure that patients get the medication that they need, while still being protected from potential risks.”

In 2004, the FDA required warnings about the link between antidepressants and an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children and teens to be printed on antidepressant drug labels. The warnings were expanded in 2007 to include young adults. Previous research indicated use of antidepressants decreased after the warnings were issued, but other treatments for depression, such as therapy, did not increase.

The new study looked at data from healthcare organizations that provide care to about 10 million people. They found after the warnings were issued, use of antidepressants fell 31 percent among teens, 24 percent among young adults and 15 percent among adults.

During the same period, there was an increase in the number of teens and young adults who received medical care for overdosing on psychiatric medications, which the researchers said indicated an increase in suicide attempts. These overdoses rose by 22 percent among teens and 34 percent among young adults. There was no change among adults, and no change in completed suicides.

FDA Wants Drug Companies to Tweet Medication Risks Along With Benefits
/By Join Together Staff
June 19th, 2014/
0

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed social media guidelines that would require drug companies using Twitter to include the risks of their products along with benefits.

Experts said the guidelines would make it almost impossible for companies to tweet about the most commonly prescribed drugs.

All tweets would have to include the most serious risks associated with a drug, including those known to be fatal or life-threatening, according to ABC News. All side effects and warnings printed on approved product labeling would also have to be included, and the company would have to include links to more information about the drug’s risks and benefits. The guidelines, if approved, would go into effect in 90 days.

In the guidelines, the FDA offered a sample tweet for a fictional drug named NoFocus: “NoFocus (rememberine HCl) for mild to moderate memory loss-May cause seizures in patients with a seizure disorder www.nofocus.com/risk.”

Pfizer, which makes the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, would have to include nine potentially serious side effects. The drug also has nine potentially dangerous interactions with other medications. There are at least 14 health conditions for which Viagra is not recommended for safety reasons.

“They wouldn’t be able to do it,” said Thomas Sullivan, editor of the Policy and Medicine blog for Rockpointe, a Maryland-based medical education company. “You’re not fitting that into 140 characters.” He added, “The FDA isn’t necessarily up on the realities of social media.”

JUNE 19 v 20 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB
 

Listen to advice and accept discipline,
and at the end you will be counted among the wise.

STEP 10 Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

In the end how will your obituary read . Place    your name and                     on June 19 went to be with the devil .They have left behind a legacy of addiction cheating stealing lieing sorrow and suffering . The family is glad they are dead there loved one was a real  A hole and just mean too everybody .There is not a single person who will say different. Is this how you will be remembered ? The only way to find out what people will say is ask them and for those still using don't bother we already know what they will say .
 

Romans 1 :32 - Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
By Joseph Dickerson

 School Nurses Know that It’s Time for Students to Make “Smart Moves, Smart Choices”
/By Mary Louise Embrey
June 18th, 2014/
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During my many years of working in the substance abuse field, I have seen the rise and fall of many different trends. In recent years, teen prescription (Rx) drug abuse has been of significant concern. The trend towards Rx drug abuse has been supported by national data sources indicating that one in four high school students has taken a prescription medication that was not prescribed for them by a doctor, and more teens abuse prescription drugs than illegal drugs, with the exception of marijuana.

In my work with the National Association of School Nurses (NASN), I have been fortunate to assist school nurses in responding to the concern of Rx drug abuse impacting students. In 2007, NASN and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., teamed up to create Smart Moves, Smart Choices (SMSC). As an effort to raise national awareness, the SMSC initiative has been informing parents, teens, and educators about teen prescription drug abuse and its serious risks. Smart Moves, Smart Choices features a website and educational videos. The multi-faceted initiative also offers a tool kit that enables educators to hold school assemblies about teen prescription drug abuse in their communities.

When working on the development of SMSC materials and delving into what school nurses were seeing with regards to Rx drug abuse, I spoke with Beth Mattey, a Delaware school nurse and NASN President-Elect. She shared, “In my practice as a high school nurse, I am well aware of the choices students must make on a daily basis. The reality is that our youth face the availability of all types of substances. The presence of responsible adults with positive messages and support is critical for helping students navigate safely into adulthood.”

More and more schools and parents are recognizing that school nurses are critical prevention agents in schools. Their education and assessment skills provide them with an added advantage in addressing substance-related issues. In addition, school nurses are often considered the most trusted school professional, and they have a better than average understanding of student behaviors and culture due to their daily interactions with students outside of the classroom. Often the school nurse will be the first person to identify when a student may potentially have a problem with prescription drugs.

Having access to the free-of-charge resource of Smart Moves, Smart Choices over the last several years has made a positive impact on students and their families throughout the country. School nurses and other specialized instructional support personnel (school social workers, psychologists, counselors, etc.) have taken the lead to implement the various components of the initiative. Awareness has been raised about the serious health problem related to the misuse and abuse of prescription medication among teens; and practical resource information has been provided. The recognized myths and misconceptions about prescription drug use are now being discussed in strategic ways and students and their families are learning how the abuse of prescription drugs can impact judgment and decision making. The message is being relayed that the misuse and abuse of prescription drugs can lead to risky behaviors; and can result in addiction, serious health issues and in some cases, death. Additionally, the fact that mixing prescription drugs with alcohol can be deadly is explained through the SMSC materials.

New Additions to the Smart Moves, Smart Choices Initiative
Animated Video About Teen Prescription Drug Abuse

The video entitled “Choices” depicts the serious decisions faced by teens, including whether or not to abuse prescription drugs.
Start Smart Elementary School Tools

These materials are designed to be used by educators in the elementary school setting to raise children’s awareness of safe and proper use of medicines.

Everyone who wants to learn more about prescription drug abuse and access free-of-charge prevention materials designed to reach elementary and secondary students and their families are encouraged to go to www.SmartMovesSmartChoices.org. Without age appropriate factual information and prevention messages, young people will draw their own uninformed conclusions which often lead to negative consequences.

Going back to a practicing school nurse to determine the usefulness of Rx drug abuse prevention materials, Beth Mattey further explained, “School nurses appreciate the comprehensive resources brought to them through the work of NASN and Janssen. Many of our nurses stand ready to put them to good use. They know that the time has never been more right to encourage young people to make smart moves and smart choices!”



Mary Louise Embrey began working in the substance abuse field in 1974 at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. After her retirement from federal service, she became the first director of government affairs for the National Association of School Nurses (NASN), and currently serves as NASN’s substance abuse prevention consultant.

 

New England Governors Devise Plan to Tackle Heroin and Painkiller Abuse
/By Join Together Staff
June 18th, 2014/
1



The governors of five New England states announced Tuesday they are working together to tackle heroin and prescription painkiller abuse, The New York Times reports. The governors of Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts described the agreement at a press conference.

The states will share data on painkiller prescriptions, in an effort to stop “doctor shopping” by patients trying to obtain pills from multiple doctors. They also plan to formulate agreements among their state Medicaid programs, so that low-income patients in one state can be treated for addiction in facilities in another state.

“This epidemic has affected too many of our families and communities, but if we work together, we can recover together and we will come out of this crisis with strength and hope,” Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said in a news release. “Each of the New England governors has taken strong action to combat opiate abuse in their own states, and now we are acting together as one region to take on this challenge.”

The group will also work with Maine, Governor Patrick said. In the future, the states hope to work with New York and Canada, the governors noted.

The states will partner with Brandeis University’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Center of Excellence, which will analyze data from each state’s prescription monitoring programs. The initiative will focus on prescription drugs that often lead to heroin abuse. Brandeis researchers have found that areas with high levels of prescription drug abuse often have high levels of heroin abuse three years later, the article noted.

Drug Maker Will Study ADHD Medication in Preschool Children
/By Join Together Staff
June 18th, 2014/
0

The manufacturer of the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drug Vyvanse has agreed to study the drug in preschool children, at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The company, Shire, also makes the ADHD drug Adderall, the only such drug approved to treat children under age 6 in the United States.

A government study published last month found more than 10,000 toddlers in the United States are receiving medication for ADHD outside established guidelines. The report found children covered by Medicaid are most likely to receive drugs such as Ritalin or Adderall.

The American Academy of Pediatrics does not have guidelines for use of ADHD medications in children ages 3 and younger, because their safety and effectiveness in that age group has not been established.

Because so many young children are taking ADHD drugs, the FDA asked for additional information on the effects of the drugs in this population, according to Reuters.

Shire said the company is designing three clinical trials for children ages 4 to 5, which are expected to begin in the first half of 2015. One study will investigate how the body absorbs, breaks down and excretes the drug. Another will look at the drug’s safety and effectiveness in young children, and the third will test the drug’s safety over a longer period.

ADHD drugs have been linked with growth suppression in children, the article notes. They also can cause hallucinations, mania and delusions.