According to KFF Health News (8/1), teenagers who end up in emergency departments with “an opioid overdose generally receive naloxone to reverse the effects of dangerous drugs in their system and are sent home with a list of places they can go for follow-up care,” but “too often, those teens never seek additional help.” Instead, “they are left to suffer through the agony of withdrawal with no medications to ease their cravings.” Consequently “many, seeking relief, go back to opioids, often with tragic consequences.” Findingspublished online June 13 in a research letter in JAMA revealed that “most areas of the U.S. lack facilities that offer medically managed withdrawal for patients under 18.”
Related Links:
— “Teens with addiction are often left to detox without medication,”Markian Hawryluk, KFF Health News, August 1, 2023