I was really hoping that the next time I blogged about Zohydro, it would be to announce the fate of this much-publicized painkiller—whether it had been approved or rejected by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). I certainly did not anticipate writing how Zohydro’s approval date has been pushed back yet again. But it’s true. Originally scheduled for March 1, a press release from late last month announced that the FDA needed a few more weeks to decide. The FDA did not provide any reason for the possible delay, except for saying that the delay ... Read More →

For decades, society has dreamed of a miracle drug that can end substance addiction. We've hoped for a way to make recovery from addiction effortless and painless--that “quick fix” for addiction itself. Lunbeck, a Danish international pharmaceutical company, claims to have finally bagged that dream and squished it into a little tablet dubbed Selincro. Have we finally found a "miracle fix" for addiction? Touted as the “first major innovation in the treatment of alcohol dependence in many years,” Selincro is one of the few medications to be approved by the European commission for the reduction ... Read More →

Question: Does drinking alcohol cause me to gain weight? Answer: Yes. Drinking any kind of alcoholic beverage will cause you to gain weight. Alcohol slows the rate at which the body burns fat by nearly one third. The body’s fat, which would ordinarily be broken down and sent out of the body, is more likely to end up on the hips, thighs or abdomen. Why does alcohol cause me to gain weight? Alcohol that enters your body is broken down into a chemical compound called acetate. Since acetate cannot be stored in your body, it must be immediately ... Read More →

There are lots of different approaches to treat alcohol addiction, like using medications (Naltrexone) or the meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous. Or biomarkers. Biomarker testing have been used to monitor treatment outcomes for quite some time, and lately biomarkers have been linked with genetic testing to facilitate personalized treatment. A recent pilot study done by the Waukesha County of Wisconsin have shown the value of biomarkers in delaying relapse.  With all the news about biomarkers, it’s easy to lose the fundamental concepts: what biomarkers are and how they can help in addiction treatment. So let’s answer ... Read More →

Painkiller addiction has hit the news pretty hard this year, shocking the nation with triple digit statistics about the prescription drug epidemic. If your someone who has just been prescribed pills from your doctor, you might be wondering what your chances are of getting addicted to them.  The data out there is confusing with studies citing vast differences, ranging from 1% to 40%. WebMD's estimates roughly between 3% and 16%.  Remember, it’s not the pill that makes an addiction. Addiction, like any disease, rises from a number of physiological, psychological, and social factors.  Who is at a ... Read More →

A recent study touting a new version of marijuana could be just the push needed to help legalize medical marijuana: marijuana without the high. Researches in Israel found a way to reduce the amount of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, to less than 1%, while adding 15.8% of cannabidiol, the “good” substance in marijuana that has medical benefits. The Impact of Highless Marijuana Is this a breakthrough? The psychotic “high” are unwanted effects to some users of medical marijuana, and any decrease of addiction potential will be welcome to medical and recreational users alike. However, some are ... Read More →

Question: Does alcohol really cause brain damage? If it really causes brain damage, then why do so many people who drink seem to be perfectly healthy?  Answer: Yes, alcohol really does cause brain damage! (It’s not exaggerated; those scientists are telling the truth). But the "how" and "to what extent" alcohol does this is dependent on a variety of factors. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism lists them as  how much a person drinks how often a person drinks the age at which an individual begins drinking a person’s family history of ... Read More →

In a recent article we talked about the Pros and Cons of Vicodin, and here’s the sequel you’ve all been waiting for: how do you die from it? Most importantly, how do you avoid this? First, let’s consider two easy ways Vicodin can harm you—for good. Vicodin is Really Dangerous When Taken With Alcohol Alcohol and Vicodin are both Central Nervous System (CNS) Depressants, which mean they both slow down the brain and spinal cord. Most importantly, they slow down the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls breathing, blood pressure, ... Read More →

What do Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith, Heath Ledger, and Whitney Houston have in common? They were celebrities who all died from lethal drug or alcohol combinations. And they're not the first. Have you ever wondered whether it's okay to drink alcohol and take Vicodin? Or is it safe to mix cocaine and alcohol? How lethal are these drug combinations? Are you, in your quest to overcome tolerance and create a bigger high, putting yourself at risk? Whether done purposefully or accidentally, all of the following dangerous drug or alcohol combinations come with a heavy price ... Read More →

America has fallen hard for Vicodin. It was love at first sight when Uncle Sam first laid eyes on Vicodin in 1978. Thirty-four years later, the infatuation still holds strong: With over 131 million prescriptions filled in 2011, Vicodin is the most popular drug in the nation. The United States makes up only 4.6 percent of the world's population, but we consume 99% of the world's hydrocodone, the active ingredient of Vicodin. Why is Vicodin so Popular? Two reasons: It works, and we can get it. It works. Vicodin is a very effective painkiller. As a combination of acetaminophen and hydrocodone, Vicodin targets ... Read More →