Nigerian Times

More than Five Million Americans Abuse Painkillers Each Month During Medicine Abuse Awareness Month, BeSmartBeWell.com shares the story of Julie, who overcame a nearly fatal addiction to painkillers Chicago, October 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Drugs are everywhere. The use of prescription painkillers has increased dramatically in recent years, and prescription drug abuse is now the nation’s fastest-growing drug problem. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than 5 million Americans misuse painkillers each month. Opioid painkillers—a class of very powerful and potentially addicting pain relievers—are the most common source of drug overdose deaths, resulting in more unintentional deaths than cocaine and heroin combined. Who is taking all these drugs? Americans like Julie, a preschool teacher who suffered from back pain and became addicted to painkillers. “When you think of an addict, you think of the person laying in the street that’s addicted to heroin,” Julie ...

New ad campaign urges patients to consider medical treatment options Washington DC., June 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — “Explore Your Treatment Options,” a new multimedia ad campaign announced today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Ad Council, encourages patients to become more informed about their options before choosing a treatment for a health condition or illness. The goal of this campaign is to increase consumers’ involvement in their care by providing easy access to unbiased information about treatment options and tools to encourage patients to work with their doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other clinicians to make health care decisions. It features television, radio, print, web and outdoor ads that encourage consumers to visit AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program website to find plain-language guides that summarize the scientific evidence on treatments for numerous medical conditions, including diabetes, o...