Patient Resources
Get Healthy!
Results for search "Drugs: Misc.".
30 Jan
Legalizing Pot Does Not Make It a Gateway Drug to More Harmful Substances, Study Finds
Legalizing recreational marijuana does not cause adults to try other illicit drugs, nor does it lead to additional behavioral and financial problems, researchers find.
02 Sep
With 'Chemical Imbalance’ Theory in Doubt, What’s Next for Depression Care?
HealthDay’s Mabel Jong will be joined by Dr. Joanna Moncrieff, professor of psychiatry at University College London, and Dr. Srijan Sen, professor of depression and neurosciences at the University of Michigan. Moncrieff and Sen will discuss the future of depression treatment -- within the context of a large systematic review, co-authored by Moncrieff, that found no evidence to back up the “chemical imbalance” theory linking depression and low serotonin levels.
29 Aug
Popular Painkillers May Pose Heart Risk for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes, Study Finds
Older adults with type 2 diabetes face an increased risk of heart failure after using certain NSAIDs, researchers say.
Health News Results - 178
Opioid Overdose Survivors Face Higher Odds for Death in Following Year
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- May 24, 2023
- Full Page
Surviving a trip to the emergency room for an opioid overdose dramatically increases a patient's odds of dying in the year after, U.S. health officials reported Tuesday.
Of nearly 287,000 emergency room visits in 2016, more than 8,300 were for opioid overdoses. Of these,...
5-HTP Supplement: What Is It, and Can It Help You?
- Kirstie Ganobsik HealthDay Reporter
- May 24, 2023
- Full Page
The supplement known as 5-HTP is available in both natural and synthetic versions and is used by some people to treat a variety of wellness issues.
Here's a look at what this supplement is, its safety profile, side effects and drug interactions, and the potential health ...
Less Than a Third of Heavily Advertised Drugs Have 'High Therapeutic Value': Study
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- January 18, 2023
- Full Page
Television ads for drugs are filled with glowing images of people living their best lives, all thanks to that new med they've been prescribed.
But drugs being touted on TV often have little to no benefit compared to other treatments, a new study published o...
Who Will Respond Best to Ketamine for Severe Depression? New Study Takes a Look
- Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
- December 29, 2022
- Full Page
Made infamous as the club drug Special K, ketamine is nowadays being seen as a wonder drug for some folks with hard-to-treat depression.
However, a new study finds that some types of patients are more...
Cost of Epilepsy Meds Continues to Soar
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- December 2, 2022
- Full Page
Costs for epilepsy medications in the United States are skyrocketing, outpacing inflation and straining federal insurers Medicare and Medicaid, according to new research.
Spending on antiseizure medications more than doubled in eight years for the government insurers, la...
Using an Online Pharmacy to Buy Meds? It's Buyer Beware, FDA Says
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- November 18, 2022
- Full Page
It might be tempting to buy prescription medication online, but buyers should beware, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns.
While some pharmacy websites operate legally and can offer convenience, privacy and lower costs, others may be selling unapproved, counterfe...
Is Mind-Altering Ayahuasca Safe? No, But Folks Who Try It May Not Care
- Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
- November 17, 2022
- Full Page
Ayahuasca, a powerful psychoactive drug derived from a South American plant, is a traditional Amazonian-based medicine and an increasingly popular hallucinogenic brew used by devotees worldwide.
But what is the ayahuasca experience really like?
Colorado Says Yes to Medical Use of 'Magic Mushrooms'
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- November 14, 2022
- Full Page
Colorado voters have voted narrowly to approve the medical use of “magic mushrooms” in Colorado.
“I'm in awe of what we were able to accomp...
Could Psychedelics Help You Kick the Habit?
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- October 26, 2022
- Full Page
Smoking is an incredibly hard habit to break. Anne Levine of Baltimore can attest to that.
But Levine, 58, is getting help from a potential ...
Magic Mushroom Hallucinogen May Treat Problem Drinking
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 24, 2022
- Full Page
Jon Kostas, a lifelong resident of New York City, started bar-hopping at age 13. At the height of his alcoholism, he was consuming as many as 30 drinks a night.
Desperate for a way out, Kostas, 32, turned to a new therapy: psilocybin -- the
LSD Is Making a Comeback Among Young Americans
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- August 23, 2022
- Full Page
If you think hallucinogens like LSD are a thing of the past, think again.
New research estimates that the use of mind-altering LSD rose from less than 1% in 2002 to 4% in 2019 among people aged 18 to 25. An...
Use of Pot, Hallucinogens Soaring Among Young Americans
- By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- August 23, 2022
- Full Page
Marijuana and hallucinogen use are at an all-time high among young adults, U.S. health officials reported Monday.
Compared to five or 10 years ago, the use of these drugs over the past year has risen significantly among 19- to 30-year-olds, according to the
Want That Pill to Work Fast? Your Body Position Matters
- By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- August 17, 2022
- Full Page
If you need to take a pill, you might want to take it lying down -- on your right side, that is.
Researchers studying how body positioning affects the absorption of pills found that one taken when a person was lying on the right side speeded pills to the deepest part of ...
Here's How New Federal Legislation Might Cut Your Drug Costs
- By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- August 12, 2022
- Full Page
The Inflation Reduction Act is expected to bring out-of-pocket drug costs down for many U.S. seniors, but most of its benefits aren't immediate.
Under the law, Medicare will now be allowed to negotiate the cost of some drugs. That should eventually bring down out-of-pock...
Methadone ODs Didn't Rise in Pandemic, Supporting Use as At-Home Treatment
- By Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling HealthDay Reporter
- July 14, 2022
- Full Page
Giving more patients at-home access to the opioid addiction treatment drug methadone during the COVID pandemic did not lead to more overdose deaths, a nationwide study shows.
The research, which covered the period from January 2019 to August 2021, found that the push to ...
Odds for Emergency Room Visits Rise With Pot Use
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- June 28, 2022
- Full Page
Toking up increases your risk of landing in the hospital, a new study reports.
Recreational marijuana use was associated with 22% greater odds of needing to visit an emergency room or be hospitalized, Canadian researchers found.
Intentional Overdoses Rise Among U.S. Kids, Teens
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- June 3, 2022
- Full Page
A growing number of U.S. kids are attempting suicide by medication overdose - with the biggest increase seen among preteens, a recent study shows.
Researchers found that between 2015 and 2020, there was a 27% increase in overdose suicide or attempted suicide among U.S. c...
How the 'Magic Mushroom' Drug May Tweak the Brain to Ease Depression
- Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
- April 12, 2022
- Full Page
Psilocybin - the active component in "magic mushrooms" - may help rewire the brains of people with depression.
Psychedelics including psilocybin have shown promise in treating many mental health disorders in recent years, and a
Ketamine May Be Emergency Deterrent for People at Risk of Suicide
- February 7, 2022
- Full Page
A new clinical trial strengthens the case that ketamine -- once famous as a club drug -- can rapidly ease suicidal thoughts.
Researchers found that among 156 adults hospitalized for severe suicidal thoughts, those given two doses of ketamine often saw those disturbing id...
People High on Pot Used a Driving Simulator. Here's What Happened
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- February 1, 2022
- Full Page
You smoked a joint an hour and a half ago. Now it's worn off enough that you feel fine to get behind the wheel.
But you're fooling yourself, a new study says. You're likely about to drive under the
Common Gout Drug Is Safe in Patients With Kidney Issues
- Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
- January 26, 2022
- Full Page
Allopurinol, a frequently used gout medication, does not appear to drive up the risk for dying among gout patients who also struggle with chronic kidney disease, new research shows.
The finding is based on an analysis of two decades worth of British health records. And i...
More Folks Drive High When Pot Made Legal: Study
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- January 13, 2022
- Full Page
Here's more evidence that marijuana may make driving more dangerous: As pot has been legalized in more countries and states, a greater number of people are driving intoxicated by the drug and crashing, researchers report.
THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, has been ...
Opioid Misuse Keeps Rising Among Older Americans
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- January 13, 2022
- Full Page
The opioid addict you know might not be the college kid who has always dabbled in alcohol and drugs.
It could be your grandparent.
Opioid misuse doesn't discriminate by age -- and rates are rising steadily among adults aged 55 and up,
Marijuana Can Really Mess With Your Sleep, Study Suggests
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- December 7, 2021
- Full Page
Many folks turn to pot to help them relax and get a good night's sleep, but new research finds the practice may do the exact opposite.
"I think [the results] were somewhat surprising because, in our mind, anecdotally cannabis seems to help with sleep, but … the evidenc...
'Magic Mushroom' Drug Edges Toward Mainstream Therapy
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- December 6, 2021
- Full Page
Tony Head was depressed and fearing death from stage 4 prostate cancer when, as part of a supervised scientific trial, he took a large dose of the psychedelic agent in "magic mushrooms," psilocybin.
Head donned a mask and headphones to shut out the world around him, and ...
Wearable Device Spots, Reverses Opioid Overdoses
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- November 24, 2021
- Full Page
A wearable device that could inject a lifesaving antidote for an opioid overdose might be on the horizon.
A new study shows that the device, worn on the stomach like an insulin pump, can detect when someone stops breathing from an overdose and inject the drug naloxone to...
Addictive Opioid Painkillers Might Not Be Needed After Knee Surgery
- Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
- November 23, 2021
- Full Page
Addictive opioid painkillers aren't the only option for patients seeking relief following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee reconstruction, researchers say.
As the United States wrestles with skyrocketing rates of opioid abuse and drug overdose deaths, the findings m...
Over 100,000 Americans Died From Drug Overdoses in One Year: Report
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- November 17, 2021
- Full Page
New government data confirms what many have suspected: The pandemic has prompted a record number of drug overdose deaths, with more than 100,000 Americans succumbing to addiction as COVID-19 raged across the country.
That figure is almost 30% higher than the previous yea...
Medicare Could Negotiate Drug Prices Under Democrat Proposal
- Robert Preidt and Robin Foster
- November 3, 2021
- Full Page
A measure designed to lower prescription drug costs for seniors has been added to President Joe Biden's social safety net and climate change bill that Democratic leaders hope to bring to a House vote this week.
For the first time, the measure would enable the federal gov...
Number of Teens Who Vape Marijuana Doubled in 7 Years
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- October 26, 2021
- Full Page
Teenagers have followed the vaping trend into marijuana use, with recent studies chronicling a boom in pot vaping among adolescents in the United States and Canada, researchers report.
The percentage of teens who've experimented with vaped pot has more than doubled in re...
Scientists Develop Quick Test for Marijuana Use
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- October 22, 2021
- Full Page
Researchers may be one step closer to developing the equivalent of a Breathalyzer for detecting marijuana use.
In an early study, scientists found that their rapid test was able to reliably detect THC in people's saliva in under 5 minutes. THC, short for tetrahydrocannab...
DEA Warns of Fentanyl in Counterfeit Opioid Pills
- Cara Murez
- September 29, 2021
- Full Page
People buying pills that look like prescription opioid painkillers or stimulants who are not buying them from a licensed pharmacy may be buying a lethal drug, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration warned this week.
This was the first public safety alert the DEA has is...
Pot Use by Pregnant Women Rose During Pandemic: Study
- Cara Murez
- September 29, 2021
- Full Page
Marijuana use by mothers-to-be may have increased by as much as one-quarter during the pandemic, a new study suggests.
Researchers found a substantial increase in the number of women in Northern California using pot early in their pregnancies after the pandemic emerged c...
Opioid Use Disorder Is as Deadly as Heart Attack: Study
- Steven Reinberg
- September 20, 2021
- Full Page
Hospitalized opioid addicts die at a rate similar to people who have a heart attack after leaving the hospital.
Nearly 8% of patients addicted to opioids died within 12 months of hospital discharge, according to researchers from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)....
Half of Adults With ADHD Have Struggled With Alcohol, Drug Use
- Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
- August 30, 2021
- Full Page
Fully half of all young adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may also battle alcohol or drug abuse.
And folks with ADHD who have a history of depression or anxiety are particularly vulnerable to substance abuse problems, a new study showed.
...
Fatal ODs From Illicit Tranquilizers Jumped 6-Fold During Pandemic
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 26, 2021
- Full Page
Overdose deaths linked to illicit "designer" benzodiazepines have surged in the United States, as underground labs crank out new synthetic variations on prescription tranquilizers like Valium, Xanax and Ativan.
Overdose deaths involving illicit benzos increased more than...
Rising Number of U.S. Cardiac Arrests Tied to Opioid Abuse
- Ernie Mundell and Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporters
- August 23, 2021
- Full Page
There's been a sharp rise in opioid-related cardiac arrests in the United States and they now equal those associated with other prime causes, a new study finds.
Of more than 1.4 million cardiac arrest hospitalizations nationwide between 2012 and 2018, more than 43,000 (3...
How Your Medicines Make Their Way Into Rivers, Lakes and Bays
- Robert Preidt
- August 23, 2021
- Full Page
Leaky sewer pipes are to blame for large amounts of human medicines getting into rivers, lakes and other bodies of water, a new study reveals.
Researchers found that tens of thousands of doses of drugs get into Chesapeake Bay in Maryland every year due to seeping sewer p...
Two PrEP Meds Work Equally Well; One Is Much Cheaper
- Ernie Mundell and Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporters
- August 5, 2021
- Full Page
The two HIV prevention drugs available in the United States are equally safe and effective, and the biggest difference between them is price, a new study contends.
However, a sizable minority of patients have switched from the older and cheaper "preexposure prophylaxis" ...
Could Heavy Marijuana Use Be Driving Rise in Schizophrenia Cases?
- Robert Preidt and Ernie Mundell
- July 27, 2021
- Full Page
There's been a sharp rise in schizophrenia cases linked with marijuana use since the mid-1990s, a new Danish study finds.
Prior research has suggested that marijuana -- particularly very heavy use -- is associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia. Although s...
U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths Jumped Nearly 30% During Pandemic
- Ernie Mundell and Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporters
- July 14, 2021
- Full Page
As America went into lockdown and treatment centers closed their doors, drug overdose deaths in the United States jumped by nearly a third last year, new data show.
The estimated 93,331 drug overdose deaths recorded during 2020 are a sharp increase -- a 29.4% rise -- ov...
Is Medicare Overspending? Costco Prices Much Less for Generic Drugs
- Robert Preidt
- July 7, 2021
- Full Page
Can Costco beat Medicare Part D when it comes to prescription drug prices?
Apparently so, claims a new study that found that roughly half of generic medications were cheaper when purchased from the discount retailer than from the government program.
The researchers...
Pot Use May Change the Teenage Brain, MRIs Show
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- June 17, 2021
- Full Page
Smoking pot appears to affect teens' brain development, altering it in ways that could diminish their reasoning, decision-making and memory skills as they age, a new study reports.
Brain scans of about 800 teenagers found that those who started smoking pot tended to have...
Doctors May Be Overprescribing Opioids After Surgeries
- Robert Preidt
- June 14, 2021
- Full Page
Many patients who are prescribed opioids after surgery could get the same level of pain relief with non-opioid alternatives such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen without the risk of addiction, researchers say.
"Opioids have been a routine part of postsurgical pain care for ...
Newly Approved Drug Fights Lung Cancer Tied to Certain Genes
- June 4, 2021
- Full Page
A newly approved lung cancer drug shows promise in improving survival in patients whose tumors carry a common and tough-to-treat genetic mutation, researchers say.
Sotorasib - brand name Lumakras - was approved May 28 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a targete...
There's Been a Shift in Who's Funding Alzheimer's Research
- Robert Preidt
- May 27, 2021
- Full Page
The U.S. government and nonprofits are replacing drug companies as the main drivers of Alzheimer's disease research, two new studies show.
The findings are from an analysis of national data by Jeffrey Cummings, a research professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas ...
Reviews Find No Evidence Weight-Loss Supplements Work
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- May 10, 2021
- Full Page
You're getting no real benefit from taking weight-loss supplements like garcinia cambogia, green tea extract, glucomannan, conjugated linoleic acid or chitosan, two new reviews show.
Most of the clinical trials studied didn't show these supplements producing any weight l...
When Drug Companies Raise Prices, Patients' Out-of-Pocket Costs Rise
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- May 6, 2021
- Full Page
When prescription drug "list" prices go up, patients often take a hit in the wallet, a new study shows.
Researchers found that while some people are buffered against drug price hikes by their health insurance plan, many are not.
Those in plans that require co-insur...
Many Older Americans Aren't Telling Their Doctors They Use Pot
- Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
- May 3, 2021
- Full Page
Aging potheads are now past 50 and still puffing away, but new research shows that many don't disclose this to their doctors.
Folks who use marijuana for medical reasons are more likely to tell their doctors about it than recreational users. Still, just a fraction of med...
Who Is Using Herbal Kratom?
- Robert Preidt
- April 29, 2021
- Full Page
Herbal kratom is used by less than 1% of the U.S. population, but the rate is much higher among those who misuse opioid painkillers, a new study finds.
Kratom is used to manage pain and opioid withdrawal. However, it carries the risk of addiction and harmful side effects...