Abuse-Deterrent Opioids Bring Up Many Thorny Issues at FDA Hearing

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

November 4th, 2014/

A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hearing last week revealed there are a number of disagreements among experts about abuse-deterrent opioids, MedPageToday reports.

The FDA has granted abuse-deterrent labeling to three drugs: Targiniq (oxycodone hydrochloride plus naloxone); Embeda (morphine plus naltrexone); and a reformulated version of OxyContin (oxycodone).

Drug companies that want to produce a generic opioid that competes with an abuse-deterrent brand-name opioid lack a clear set of rules to meet FDA expectations, the article notes. It is a challenge to develop a standard battery of tests to compare two drugs’ abuse-deterrent properties, experts said. In part that is because there are a number of ways these drugs can be abused, such as crushing a pill manually with a grinder, dissolving the drug in alcohol or water, or smoking it. There are also many ways to make the drugs harder to abuse, such as causing a burning sensation in the nose if the drug is inhaled, or making it harder for the particles to be absorbed.

Several speakers at the hearing expressed concern about limiting use of opioids that lack abuse-deterrent formulations. C. Bernie Good of the Department of Veterans Affairs noted the VA spends almost $89.4 million on drugs annually, primarily on generic drugs. He said more evidence is needed that using abuse-deterrent formulas are having the intended effect. He called for more studies “to know that we are benefiting society, and it’s not just decreasing the abuse in terms of crushing or snorting, but that actually at the end of the day, we have fewer deaths, fewer unintentional overdoses, et cetera, and that there aren’t unintended consequences like people going to heroin.”

Other speakers were concerned that removing non-abuse deterrent formulations would lead to a drug shortage or increase prices so much they would become too expensive for many patients. People who are determined to abuse drugs that cannot be ground or crushed could simply take more pills, some speakers noted.

Study: 19 Percent of Americans Suffer From Chronic Pain

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

November 4th, 2014/

A new study concludes 19 percent of Americans suffer from chronic pain. Women and the elderly are most likely to have constant pain, HealthDay reports.

The findings come from a poll of about 35,000 American households. The researchers asked respondents if they suffer from chronic pain, defined as constant or frequent pain that lasts for at least three months.

Study author Jae Kennedy of Washington State University in Spokane said narcotic painkillers such as hydrocodone, oxycodone and morphine can be helpful in treating chronic pain, but only on a short-term basis. “We are clearly overusing opioids [narcotics],” he told HealthDay. “The U.S. consumes about 80 percent of the world’s opioid supply, and 99 percent of the hydrocodone supply. These medications are effective in the short term, [such as] for managing postoperative pain, but long-term use often leads to dependency or addiction.”

The survey found many people with arthritis or back and join pain did not say they had constant and persistent pain. Of respondents who did have chronic pain, more than two-thirds said their pain was constant, and more than half said their pain was sometimes unbearable and excruciating.

The study appears in the Journal of Pain.

“If you’re dealing with pain constantly for a long period of time, that’s going to affect your work life, your family life, your social life. It also puts you at higher risk for things like mental illness and addiction,” Kennedy said in a news release.

Bob Twillman, Director of Policy and Advocacy for the American Academy of Pain Management, noted narcotic painkillers are not helpful for many people with chronic pain. “Those medications are wonderful when they work, but on average, they only relieve about a third or less of the chronic pain people experience, and may be completely ineffective in treating some kinds of chronic pain,” he said.

Daily Quote

"In the last analysis, the individual person is responsible for living his own life and for 'finding himself.' If he persists in shifting his responsibility to somebody else, he fails to find out the meaning of his own existence." - Thomas Merton


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The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc.                                                   and           Pennsylvania Recovery Organization --      Achieving Community Together (PRO-ACT)  Recovery in Our Communities November 4, 2014      Like us on Facebook                                   www.councilsepa.org                       Follow us on Twitter Information and Recovery Support Line 24/7: 800-221-6333 HALT Series: Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired:  Does Being TIRED Really Affect My Recovery?   Everybody gets tired to varying extents. Being tired can take a significant toll on your body, mind and spirit. It can also often contribute to feelings of depression. We all need to relax as well as make sure we are getting the right amount of sleep, especially in recovery.  We have all heard the expression "you will never die from lack of sleep. Well truth be said, lack of sleep may not be fatal, but insomnia, for the person in recovery, can lead to relapse which can be fatal or at minimum lead to a negative outcome which could have been prevented. Insomnia is all too common among so many of us today. It is a double edged sword for both the person in active addiction as well as the person in early recovery. It is a specific problem for those in an addiction whose sleep is constantly being disrupted by the brain altering effects of the chemicals being ingested. Our sleep habits are governed by what are called circadian rhythms. These are cyclical patterns in the brain that regulate our neurological activity during the nighttime hours allowing us to sleep. Drugs and alcohol impact every natural process in our bodies including these circadian rhythms.     (Click here to continue) NEW! Certificate in Supporting Youth Recovery Program! The Council is excited to announce an innovative certificate program to prepare individuals to provide peer-based recovery support services to youth, adolescents, young adults, and their families.  The Peer Paraprofessional Certificate in Supporting Youth Recovery goes beyond the current requirements for the Certified Recovery Specialist Credential in Pennsylvania by providing students with enhanced and specialized training to work with youth, adolescents, young adults and their families. Read more here.     UPCOMING COMMUNITY PROGRAMS ON OPIATES  "Opiates and Youth: A Comprehensive View" November 19, 8 am - 4:45 pm at Spring Mill Manor, 171 Jacksonville Road, Ivyland, PA.  Click here for more information or email David with questions.  AT OUR CENTERS    "Fed Up," Movie, November 7, 6 - 9 pm, Bailiwick Unit 12, 252 West Swamp Road, Doylestown. A movie that will change the way people think about eating. Bring a dish, Pot Luck Dinner. Register with Rick, 215-345-6644, or email Rick. "Minute For Moms" at SBRCC, 1286 Veterans Highway, Unit D-6, Bristol Support group for Moms and Moms to Be discussing parenting, healthy relationships and support networks. 2nd Wednesday of every month. Next meeting is November 12 at 6 pm. Call 215-788-3738 X100 or email Karen for more information. "A Sugar Seminar" at CBRRC, November 19, 9 am - 12 noon, Bailiwick Unit 12, 252 W Swamp Road, Doylestown.  Learn how sugar affects your recovery and relapse potential.  Click here for more information.  Recovery Enhancement Classes at PRCC, 1701 W Lehigh Ave, Philadelphia, 19132. 10 week course running Thursdays Nov. 20 - Feb. 12 from 5 - 7 pm.  Various topics.  Call 215-223-7700 to register. Space is limited.    Gateway to Work every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00 am at SBRCC, 1286, Veterans Highway, Unit D-6, Bristol; 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month at 1:00 pmat CBRRC, 252 W Swamp Road, Doylestown. Get help with resume building, barriers to employment and motivation. Contact Rick at 215-345-6644 or email for more information. Click here for November calendars.    WAYS TO GET INVOLVED WITH PRO-ACT Committee Meetings All Volunteer Meeting, at PRTC, November 20, 5:30 - 7:30 pm Volunteer Orientation, at PRTC, November 4, 10 am - 1 pm Bucks Chapter, at CBRCC, Unit 33, November 4, at 6:00 pm Amends in Action, at PRTC, November 12, 3 - 4 pm Recreation Celebration, at PRCC, November 14, 3 - 4 pm Young People in Recovery, at PRTC, November 17, 7:30 - 8:30 pm Educating the Community, at PRCC, November 21, 3 - 4 pm. Recovery Walks 2015 Planning Committee, at PRTC, December 1, 6 - 7:30 pm Employment Opportunities: Click here

DONATE Donations help us to reduce the impact of addiction for more individuals and families. The Council is a 501(c)(3) organization.

November 4 Chp 73 v 21 v 22 TWELVE STEPPING WITH STRENGTH FROM THE PSALMS

Then I realized my heart was bitter , and I was all torn up inside .I was so foolish and ignorant - I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you .

Step 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction - that our lives had become unmanageable.

This was my bottom ! Bitter Broken and battered is where my life left me . This is where a lot of you are now ! Most are medicating cause they are all torn up inside . Like a senseless animal they are emotionless due to the heavy medicating they administer on the daily . Medicating the pain and running from feeling does not fix it or make it go away. Caged is where you will remain until you over medicate or your hauled off to a jail cell to add more to your life of misery. Man up and deal with it ! Expose it so it cannot keep  holding on to you .Discuss it , hash it out , and cry a river but get it out before it takes you out. 

1 Peter 5:9-10 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace,who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

By Joseph Dickerson

Best of the Week: October 25–31

COMING UP IN THE FIX// Percy Menzies, Vivitrol Activist * Housing for the Sober Transgender Community * Interview with Jack Kornfield * Drug Smuggling in Prison* Hypocrisy of Smoking * Juliet Abrams Interviews Stephanie Covington about Sexism and AA * PLUS: Other incisive articles

	HELPING MOMS// Pregnancy and Addiction Treatment The number of pregnant women who receive treatment for substance abuse is shockingly low, but options do exist. By Jeanene Swanson
	LEGAL TROUBLE// K2: A Dangerous Peak to Climb The stuff is available not just in head shops where drug paraphernalia is sold, but even in gas stations. So what could be the harm? By Daniel Genis
	MENTAL HEALTH// Two Bipolar Chicks Wendy K. Williamson and Honora Rose talk mental illness, drug addiction and their new book. By McCarton Ackerman
	RECOVERY 2.0// The Next Phase in Recovery—The Tommy Rosen Solution Tommy Rosen—architect of Recovery 2.0—on his own recovery, drug laws, recovery modes and how yoga can save your life in The Fix Q&A. By The Fix staff
	ON TV// Recovery with a Laugh-Track Chuck Lorre and Gemma Baker on the story behind their recovery themed sitcom Mom. By Malina Saval

 

BEST OF THE QUICK FIX UK Study Finds Punitive Drug Laws Don't Reduce Drug Use Kentucky Teens Impacted By Drug Abuse Eligible For College Scholarship Lena Dunham Humorously Bares Her Dark Past in New Memoir

British Teen Petitions Government to Tackle 'Thinspiration' Blogs Philip Seymour Hoffman's Death Contributing to Greater Naloxone Access Dutch Study Claims Creativity Not Improved By Smoking Weed

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

Mom On TV This week, Malina Saval examined CBS' sober sitcomMom. Many readers who had a bone to pick with AA were skeptical about how the program would be portrayed:

I would be interested to see how AA is painted in this. I suspect it will be viewed through rose tinted glasses. How about an episode where she gets hit on by an older member who offers to teach her how to have sober sex? Or one where she expresses doubt about the religious nature of the program and is advised in the resultant cross sharing that her best thinking got her there and she should stop asking questions? I think I could write a whole season actually. Are they looking for writers) -AnotherPaul