New rules attempt to curb opioid-related deaths in Australia. These changes are a step in the right direction – but we need to tread carefully to avoid unintended consequences.
Many LGBTQ+ people at risk for overdose are left out of harm reduction efforts.
(Unsplash/Delia Giandeini)
The overdose crisis — coupled with a lack of accessible harm reduction services — represents a growing concern for young queer and trans men who use drugs.
On average, more than 130 Americans die from an opioid overdose every day.
AP Photo/Keith Srakocic
There's widespread attention on the dangers of opioid addiction, but use of damaging crystal meth continues in the U.S., with police seizures rising.
A student cramming for exams. Some college students take stimulants to cram for exams, but studies suggest that has little positive effect.
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Students looking to gain an academic edge by taking stimulants such as Adderall fail to do better on tests and also mess up their sleep. A neuroscientist explains why.
Paracetamol overdoses can cause serious liver damage.
From shutterstock.com
The annual number of paracetamol poisoning cases in Australia has increased by 44% over the last decade. To tackle this problem, we need tighter regulation around the way paracetamol is sold.
The first of its kind in Australia, the offence of ‘drug supply causing death’ carries a maximum 20 year sentence.
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With several music festival patrons dying this year the pill testing debate is in full swing. Yet people can already purchase legally available test kits. Do they work?
At higher-than-prescribed doses, pregabalin causes sedation and euphoria.
Bruno van der Kraan
Ambulance call-outs associated with the misuse of pregabalin (Lyrica) have increased tenfold in Victoria since 2012, mirroring an increase in prescription rates.
The biological pathways related to physical and emotional pain overlap.
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People who use painkillers for non-medical reasons often justify it as a form of self-medication for legitimate medical diagnoses such as depression, anxiety and stress.
Few medical schools offer training in addictions medicine and most doctors feel they lack the specialist expertise to deal with the inpatient opioid crisis.
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan)
Phenibut is a central nervous system depressant, and is currently being investigated for its possible role in seven overdoses at a Queensland school.
A woman holds a photo of her best friend, who died of a drug overdose in January 2017, before a march to draw attention to the opioid overdose epidemic, in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, B.C.
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)
Catastrophic increases in opioid overdose deaths across Canada require a broad response -- tackling housing, food and income insecurity as well as the contaminated drug supply.
An injecting centre has been set up in Victoria after years of requests from the local community.
Julian Smith/AAP