Psychiatric News (7/22) reports, “Deaths involving illicit opioids, stimulants (such as methamphetamine), heroin, and cocaine rose dramatically between 2015 and the end of 2019,” the American Medical Association’s Opioid Task Force concluded in a new report. In addition, the report “showed a 37.1% decrease in opioid prescribing; wider use of state Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs; and increasing numbers of doctors trained to prescribe buprenorphine (a medication used for treating opioid use disorder).” In a press release, Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA, chair of the AMA Opioid Task Force, “emphasized the importance of naloxone, a drug that can be used to reverse an opioid overdose in an emergency. ‘If it weren’t for naloxone, there likely would be tens of thousands additional deaths,’” she stated.
Related Links:
— “Deaths From Illicit Opioids Rise Dramatically While Deaths From Prescription Opioids Fall, Psychiatric News, July 22, 2020