Teens In Denmark Increasingly Hooked On Opioids

America is not the only country fighting a battle against opioid addiction. In Denmark, a disturbing new trend of adolescents as young as 12 experimenting with pills. Teens as young as 15 have sought treatment for being hooked on drugs like Tramadol, Oxycontin, and other opioids.

Experts say the problem is worse than that.

Trend Of Teens Using Opioids Recreationally Is a Wake-Up Call

“This is serious,” said Christina Ekmann, a Danish addiction treatment specialist, who told Euronews about the increased enrollment at her youth addiction center in the town of Greve. Six out of twenty current clients have opioid use disorders. All of them said that tramadol was their drug of choice. “Let’s say they have four friends, then suddenly we’re up to 20-30 young people taking them. And that’s just the ones we know about,” Ekmann told …

Continue ReadingTeens In Denmark Increasingly Hooked On Opioids

Fentanyl Overdoses Among The Young Are Killing

Young people are getting back together in real life, and with that socializing comes new experiences. Kids are being kids, pushing boundaries, partying, and rebelling. Snapchat, TikTok, and other apps put things like Molly pills and other club drugs in their hands overnight. Many of the drug dealers drop off packages in mailboxes at night. And the drug users, aged as young as fourteen or as old as in their 30s, don’t have the experience or know-how to test their drugs for fentanyl. And due to their lack of opioid exposure, this leads to overdoses – and death. Teens and young adults are overdosing at record rates.

Why Are Drugs Tainted With Fentanyl?

Nobody knows just one reason for drugs being tainted with fentanyl. Often the powder for club drugs and opioids comes from overseas. Drug dealers may mix the …

Continue ReadingFentanyl Overdoses Among The Young Are Killing

Does the Dental Industry Has an Opioid Script Problem?

Recent studies show that the dental industry in America may be an essential link in the addiction crisis, with nearly half of dental prescriptions exceeding prescription guidelines for acute pain management.

The research, published today in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, covered a five-year study period of dental prescriptions.

What Do the Numbers Say?

Dentists are a vital component in addiction prevention that has often been overlooked in research studies. However, the dental industry is responsible for 10% of all opioid prescriptions in the United States. Yet, in three out of ten prescriptions, dentists prescribed a more powerful opioid than necessary following painful procedures. And the prescriptions were typically for longer than three days, which is the current opioid prescription guideline for acute surgery pain.

For the study, the researchers analyzed data on nearly 550,000 dental visits by …

Continue ReadingDoes the Dental Industry Has an Opioid Script Problem?

Drug Testing Teens at Home

To help combat teenage drug abuse, many parents are turning to do-it-yourself drug tests. Home drug testing kits are now widely available on the Internet and in many pharmacies. These tests typically use urine, hair or saliva to test for a panel of drugs that may include marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines and opioids.

There is no question about the importance of stopping teenage drug abuse. Because the body and brain are undergoing critical development during adolescence, drug use can be especially damaging to a teen’s health and emotional well-being.

Studies have shown that the earlier a teenager begins using drugs, the greater the risk of developing drug dependence or addiction. However, there is limited evidence that home drug tests are an effective way to deal with teen drug abuse.

According to a 2008 article in U.S. New & World Report, there …

Continue ReadingDrug Testing Teens at Home