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How do I know when a prescription becomes an addiction? This is a critical question. Many Oklahomans have a legitimate need for prescription painkillers for the relief of pain from surgery or an injury. Unfortunately, even legitimate reliance on medication can easily and unintentionally turn into physical dependence. That can be confusing, as the medications ARE prescribed by a doctor, so doesn’t that mean that they are needed and safe to use? Alarmingly, the most commonly prescribed drugs including OxyContin, Vicodin, hydrocodne, hydrocodone, Darvocet, Lortab, Lorcet and Percocet can cause one to start "needing" the drugs in order to feel...

Three tribes lead the best practice initiative treating the epidemic of painkiller addiction in Native America, Oklahoma, the nation's leader in painkiller addiction. Treating all adults, Medicaid. Last month the Center for Disease Control called prescription painkiller addiction an epidemic in the country, identifying Oklahoma as leading the nation in both the addiction and related deaths. It is only fitting that the battle against such addiction in "Native America" be led by three tribal owned clinics, Absentee Shawnee Counseling Services, OKC; Keetoowah Cherokee Treatment Services, Tulsa; and Quapaw Counseling Services, Miami. Generally speaking, prescription painkillers are opiates. There are 14...

John J. Cannell, M.D writes that he receives numerous questions from individuals who ask, "My doctor prescribed Drisdol, is that OK?" Drisdol is vitamin D2 in a form that doctors write prescriptions for. Sun exposure does not produce vitamin D2 in the body, the vitamin is produced by plant matter and irradiating fungus. When consumed, numerous metabolic forms of D2 can be traced in the body. According to some studies, vitamin D3, which is produced by the skin, is more powerful, hence more effective at raising blood levels compared with vitamin D2, however, some studies say they are equal. Few...

Using the legal force of an executive order, President Obama is taking action on the health care front as part of his pressure on Congress for action on his jobs plan. White House officials say at a midday signing ceremony in the Oval Office, the president will address price gouging and the availability of prescription drugs. He will also endorse what he describes as bipartisan legislation awaiting action. “The shortage of prescription drugs drives up costs, leaves consumers vulnerable to price gouging and threatens our health and safety,” an administration official says.

WASHINGTON (AP) - A headache awaits people who use those tax-free health spending accounts to pay for over-the-counter allergy relievers, heartburn blockers and other drugstore remedies. Starting next year, you'll need a prescription for the drugs to qualify.

Congress passed the bill without knowing what was in it. Barack Obama signed it without reading it. Now it looks as though the Associated Press reported on ObamaCare without comprehending its content. Readers will have to scroll far down to discover that the elimination of a key tax break that kept retirees on company prescription-medication plans will mean dumping millions of seniors onto Medicare — and that the AP ignored it until now: The health care overhaul will cost U.S. companies billions and make them more likely to drop prescription drug coverage for retirees because of a change in how...

This last Thursday morning, Huntington looked like a major city. Huntington PD in conjuction with Huntington County Sherrif's Department, Indiana State police and officers from surrounding communities, moved across the community in Operation Cocktail Party. They hit home after home in an operation that would make the DEA proud.

I've been ordering my most expensive prescriptions from Canada, I pay cash, at a very considerable savings. The cost difference is great enough to affect my overall standard of living, the choice between just getting by or having a basic life. I was expecting trouble with the passage of Obamacare, he promised big pharma that imports would be ended, but I didn't expect it so soon. If customs refuses an order I'll still be stuck paying for it. I don't know how the medicare copay will compare to what I've been paying, I guess I'm about to find out. The...

MORE than 10 years after she tried without success to have a baby, Marcy Campbell Krinsk is still receiving painful reminders in her mail. The ads and promotions started after she bought fertility drugs at a pharmacy in San Diego. Marketers got hold of her name, and she found coupons and samples in her mail that shadowed the growth of an imaginary child — at first, for Pampers and baby formula, then for discounts on family photos, and all the way through the years to gifts suitable for an elementary school graduate. “I had three different in vitro procedures,” said...

One week from today, network news will be broadcast from the Blue Room of the White House, in what could easily be interpreted as a sparkling endorsement for socialized health care. The ABC News ‘Prescription for America,’ moderated by Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer, is the network’s first occasion to air from inside the administration, as compared to CBS’ 60 Minutes on election night, and NBC’s recent primetime special. ABC programs including Good Morning America, World News Tonight, and Nightline will cover, all day long, what many fear to be a mere ‘infomercial’ for the president’s health care agenda, far...

Because the medications I must use to treat my COPD now will cost me $600.00 a month at Walmart, I placed an order with a Canadian pharmacy, for equivalent medications, at about $200.00 a month. All went well, but then I learned that my order may be held up, for up to 3 weeks, by U.S. Customs. Maybe I should just start doseing myself with Mexican heroin, they let it in with no delay! I try to take care of myself, I could go to the county and beg, but I'm not down that low yet, I'll tough it out!

Doctors 'prescribed drugs for dead' Some 100 Sicilian GPs accused of swindling state (ANSA) - Trapani, March 18 - Some 100 doctors in this Sicilian city are suspected of prescribing drugs for dead people and pocketing the money. The general practitioners allegedly wrote prescriptions for people who had died as long as nine years previously, according to tax police. The GPs are accused of embezzling some 50,000 euros from the Italian state. Tax police busted the scam after comparing parent IDs with some 30,000 suspect prescriptions issued between 2004 and 2007. They focused on elderly patients using expensive drugs and...

Prescription painkiller addiction has grown exponentially in the last several years fueled by the illicit online pharmacies whose spam inundates your inbox. The DEA is abruptly shutting down this cheap & easy supply. What seemed like a problem will be revealed as the tip of the iceberg, sending a tsunami through the criminal justice, social services, and health care systems. SAMHSA best practice Medication Assisted Treatment is capable of managing most cases on an outpatient basis avoiding a progressive deterioration, costly to individuals and taxpayers. Communities must act now. http://myspace.com/nhsoklahoma

Exponential growth in addiction met with a dramatic reduction in supply, creates a situation where a large number of people get sick and desperate. Prices spike as addicts clamor to find the drugs they need so badly. Alternative, and often illegal, methods for raising funds are employed. Progressively risky behavior and criminal associations occur. People lose jobs, lose housing, and lose families, dismantling a network of support systems that are challenging, if not impossible, to rebuild. The magnitude of people potentially involved will send shockwaves through the criminal justice, social services, health care, and criminal justice service delivery systems as...

If there's just one candidate of change this fall, John McCain will be the Horatio Seymour or James Cox of 2008 - a presidential also-ran all but forgotten to history. The only way McCain can hold the White House for the Republicans is if he trumps his opponent on values and national security and sells the public on a domestic reform agenda that keeps Democrats from sole ownership of the theme of change. Otherwise, Barack Obama will out-inspire him, or Hillary Clinton out-policy him, in a classic out-with-the-old election. McCain would seem a natural candidate of reform, given how often...

The Medicated Americans: Antidepressant Prescriptions on the Rise Close to 10 percent of men and women in America are now taking drugs to combat depression. How did a once rare condition become so common? I am thinking of the Medicated Americans, those 11 percent of women and 5 percent of men who are taking antidepressants. It is Sunday night. The Medicated American—let’s call her Julie, and let’s place her in Winterset, Iowa—is getting ready for bed. Monday morning and its attendant pressures—the rush to get out of the house, the long commute, the bustle of the office—loom. She opens the...

West Virginia replaces Tennessee as No. 1 in prescription drug useby The Associated Press Wednesday February 6, 2008 CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- A report shows Tennessee has lost the top national ranking of per capita prescription drug use to West Virginia. The report by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee shows West Virginia took the lead, with 17.4 prescriptions per capita in 2006, compared with 16.9 prescriptions per person in Tennessee. The report uses data from drug company Novartis' most recent Pharmacy Benefit Report. Tennessee's rates dropped 6.6 percent from 18.1 prescriptions in 2004. The drug use rates remain well above...

PELOSI'S PRESCRIPTION FOR FAILURE November 9, 2007 -- Next time Nancy Pelosi tries to play politics with funding for U.S. troops in Iraq, she might want to check the newspaper first. Pelosi announced yesterday that House Democrats would bring a vote, possibly as early as today, to insert a host of mission-hampering conditions into an appropriations bill needed to sustain the American effort. Her bill would designate $50 billion over the next four months for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan - provided that President Bush immediately begin to draw down forces in Iraq, with all major combat operations to...

WASHINGTON - Nearly 2 million low-income Medicare participants could be switched to different insurance plans for their prescription drug coverage next year. Millions more will have to shop around if they want to avoid double-digit increases in their monthly premiums. The reassignment of the poorest beneficiaries and the higher premiums for many others are just two reasons why seniors and the disabled may want to look into other plans as the Medicare drug benefit enters its third year. The shopping season officially begins Nov. 15 — the first day of an open enrollment period that continues through Dec. 31. Advocacy...

WASHINGTON - Many seniors and the disabled will need to shop around next year to avoid an increase in their monthly premiums for the Medicare drug benefit. Medicare officials announced Monday that the average premium for basic coverage will increase from about $22 this year to $25 next year. About 24 million elderly and disabled people are enrolled in the drug benefit or in more comprehensive health plans that include drug coverage. The federal government subsidizes the cost of the insurance coverage, with the poorest participants getting extra help. Overall, the monthly premium is still much lower than the $41...