drug overdoses

First responders have found that standard doses of naloxone aren't always enough to counteract the powerful sedating effects of carfentanil.

An Even Deadlier Opioid, Carfentanil, Is Hitting The Streets

4:54pm September 02, 2016

by Jennifer Ludden

Carfentanil, a powerful opioid used to sedate elephants, is being blamed for a record spike in drug overdoses in the Midwest. It's much stronger, and riskier, than heroin or fentanyl.

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Diazepam, also known as Valium, is used to treat anxiety and insomnia. But when combined with opioids, it can suppress breathing and cause death.

Health & Safety

FDA Boosts Warning On Danger Of Combining Opioids And Anxiety Meds

3:16pm August 31, 2016

by Joe Neel

Doctors increasingly prescribe opioid painkillers with benzodiazepines — medications used to treat anxiety and insomnia. That combination is causing a spike in overdoses and deaths, the FDA warns.

Tommy, a repeat patient at the Supportive Place for Observation and Treatment in Boston, says the room has saved lives.

In Boston's 'Safe Space,' Surprising Insights Into Drug Highs

3:39pm August 08, 2016

by Martha Bebinger

As doctors and nurses learn more about what the body goes through during drug use, they are changing the treatment they provide for patients on heroin and other drugs.

People in their mid-40s to mid-60s are more likely than any other group to be prescribed opioids with benzodiazepines. Both kinds of drugs can hamper breathing and mixing them is especially risky.

Risk Of Opioid Overdose Climbs At Middle Age

5:40pm May 05, 2016

by Kristin Gourlay

Most of the millions taking prescription painkillers are older than 45, research shows, and there's been a recent increase in drug overdose deaths among people over 55. Drug mixing is partly to blame.

Thousands of parents have lost sons and daughters across the country to an epidemic of accidental drug overdoses.

When A Loved One Dies Of Overdose, What Happens To The Family?

8:52pm February 18, 2016

by Kristin Gourlay

Grieving the loss of a loved one to drug overdose can be difficult when it is mixed with guilt and remorse. But support is scarce for those who are left behind.

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A "speedball" mix of heroin and cocaine has caused overdose deaths for decades. Today, high-risk blends may alternatively include heroin or opioid pain pills plus Klonopin, Clonidine, or Fentanyl.

Drug Cocktails Fuel Massachusetts' Overdose Crisis

7:28pm December 08, 2015

by Martha Bebinger

A state analysis reveals that the majority of overdose deaths in 2014 came from heroin or prescription opioids taken in combination with cocaine, anti-anxiety medications or alcohol.

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A nasal spray version of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone demonstrated at police headquarters in Quincy, Mass., in 2014.

Price Soars For Key Weapon Against Heroin Overdoses

2:24pm September 11, 2015

Baltimore Health Commissioner Leana Wen is working to put the anti-overdose medication naloxone into the hands of as many heroin users as possible. But the price of the antidote has nearly doubled.

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Health worker Nathan Fields (left), Rep. Donna Edwards and Dr. Leana Wen show people how to use naloxone on a street corner in Sandtown, a Baltimore neighborhood where drug activity is common.

Baltimore Fights Heroin Overdoses With Antidote Outreach

6:59pm September 10, 2015

by Audie Cornish

Fatal overdoses are rising among an estimated 19,000 people who use heroin in Baltimore. To curb deaths, the city's health commissioner aims to make an antidote widely available to drug users.

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Stacy Emminger holds the death certificate for her son, Anthony, who was addicted to heroin. His death was marked as a multidrug toxicity in Pennsylvania.

States Lack Accurate Statistics On Widespread Heroin Use

7:51am May 21, 2015

by Ben Allen

Opiate abuse has reached crisis levels, but some states aren't doing all they can to determine the depth of the problem. Finding up-to-date statistics for specific drugs is often difficult.

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Detective Lt. Patrick Glynn holds a nasal injection containing the overdose-reversing drug naloxone at police headquarters in Quincy, Mass.

Health & Safety

A Lifesaving Medicine That My Patient Didn't Get In Time

5:56pm April 13, 2015

by Leana Wen

Drug overdoses — many from opioid painkillers — cause more deaths in the U.S. than car crashes, shootings or alcohol. But stigma keeps many addicts from an antidote that could quickly save them.