opioid drugs

Lost in the discussion of the alleged danger of opioid medications is that most of them also contain acetaminophen (Tylenol). Although acetaminophen is generally seen as benign, it is not. Here is what happened when the FDA cut the maximum acetaminophen dose to 325 mg. You may be surprised.
As if our policies for treatment of pain patients aren't horrific enough? If you happen to be black or Hispanic and suffer from Sickle Cell Disease, life is far worse. Do patients with a known, easily-diagnosed disease get a break with pain relief? No, it's quite the opposite. Disgraceful. 
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb condemned the use of kratom, which is a plant-based mixture of chemical compounds, some of which are opioids. The evidence is strong that kratom does contain multiple opioid drugs – and therefore carries with it some risk. But those who use it to treat pain are adamant about needing it. Who's right? Maybe both sides. 
There is no disputing the fact that the U.S. is overwhelmed by addiction to opioid narcotic drugs. The number of prescriptions written for the drugs has dropped past three years. This sounds encouraging, but have new laws gone too far? Maybe so.
The DEA tried to curb addiction by making it more difficult for everyone to obtain opioid narcotics, including people who desperately need them. Would a new measure, modeled after Oregon's Right-to-Die law, make it easier for those with a legitimate need for these narcotic painkillers to get them?
We have been discussing narcotic abuse lately. It is a huge and growing problem in the US, and there is no apparent solution at this time. But, in at least one case, there is a solution. And it should involve time in jail. Not for the drug abusers/addicts, but for doctors and other officials of sports teams, especially on the college level.
Today s New York Times editorial board addresses narcotic abuse in a piece called Painkiller Abuses and Ignorance. We wonder whose ignorance are the editors trying to discuss they seem to have enough to go around.
A debate that s been squarely in the headlines in recent weeks about how to manage the rapidly growing problem of opiate addiction in the U.S., is now heating up even more. This is due to a recent JAMA viewpoint, as well as statements made by an advocacy group
A current article in the Journal of Adolescent Health reports that adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17 are often prescribed opioid drugs to treat headaches.