DEA to Increase Restrictions on Hydrocodone Combination Products

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

September 3rd, 2014/

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The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has announced it will reclassify hydrocodone combination products such as Vicodin. Under the new rules, patients will be able to receive the drugs for only up to 90 days without receiving a new prescription, The Wall Street Journal reports.

In October 2013, the Food and Drug Administration recommended tighter restrictions for hydrocodone combination products.

The DEA hopes the move will reduce prescription drug abuse, the article notes. Under the new rule, hydrocodone combination products will be classified as Schedule II drugs. Currently these products are Schedule III drugs, meaning they can be refilled up to five times, and prescriptions can cover a 180-day period. In most cases, patients who wish to refill their hydrocodone combination prescription will now have to give their pharmacy a prescription from a healthcare provider, instead of having it phoned or faxed in.

“Almost seven million Americans abuse controlled-substance prescription medications, including opioid painkillers, resulting in more deaths from prescription drug overdoses than auto accidents,” DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart said in a news release. “Today’s action recognizes that these products are some of the most addictive and potentially dangerous prescription medications available.”

Critics of the new rule have said it could reduce access to pain medication for patients suffering acute pain. Mark Fleury, a policy analyst at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said seriously ill patients will now be required to visit their doctors more often than necessary to receive the drugs. In some states, the new rule will limit the ability of nurse practitioners and physician assistants to prescribe the medications, Fleury said.

Drug manufacturers and pharmacy groups have opposed the change, according to the newspaper. Pharmacies will now have to store hydrocodone combination products in a secure location, noted John Norton, a spokesman for the National Community Pharmacists Association.

More States Increase Access to Naloxone in Response to Overdose Deaths

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

September 3rd, 2014/

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In the past two years, 17 states have passed laws increasing access to the overdose antidote naloxone, bringing the total to 24. Most of the laws allow doctors to prescribe naloxone to friends and family members of a person who abuses opioids. The laws also remove legal liability for prescribers and for those who administer naloxone, according toThe Wall Street Journal.

In addition, 17 states and the District of Columbia have passed “Good Samaritan” laws, which provide limited legal immunity for people who call for help for a person who is overdosing. These laws were passed in response to concerns that people who are present during an overdose may hesitate to call 911 because they fear legal consequences, according to overdose prevention expert Traci Green, a professor of emergency medicine at Brown University.

Naloxone bills have been passed in states with both liberal and conservative legislatures, the article notes.

The antidote has been used for decades in emergency rooms and doctors’ offices. It can be administered by nasal spray or injection. In at least 26 states, at least one police department has equipped personnel with naloxone. Overdose-prevention organizations such as the Harm Reduction Coalition have distributed thousands of naloxone kits.

Earlier this year, federal officials urged first responders to increase their use of naloxone to reverse overdoses of heroin and prescription opioids.

September 3 Chp 78 v 72 TWELVE STEPPING WITH STRENGTH FROM THE PSALMS 

He cared for them with a true heart and led them with skillful hands.

STEP 6 - Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

Back in the day drugs and alcohol defined me . All you needed to know about me was my personality revolved around the use of chemical substances . Because of my use I was labeled a junkie ,stoner , loser , mad man , and strange . What you fill your life with will determine the person you are .For a long time I saw nothing wrong with the way I was and I used to tell myself I was a survivor and this world demanded me to be tough show no emotion or love towards anything or anyone . Using made that possible , senseless defected in character is what I had become. Steps 1 through 5 help me discover just how messed up I was and how much I hurt the people who really mattered . Now I am sober mean and miserable , if you look at me funny I will rip your face off . Feeling was something I was never good at that is why I used and the only way I can find peace and joy is give it to God . I love what the Psalm states , God has a true heart and skillful hands .I have a destiny and a purpose .God made me , I just gotta stop giving Him my opinions and for once in my life relax and trust that the maker of the universe can and will change me for the better .

James 4 8 - Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

BY Joseph Dickerson

Daily Quote

"Life is wonderful, so revel in its beauty. Be all you can be, and let go of the past. It is nothing but shadows" - David Clement-Davies

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