WDSU - The game has changed when it comes to sports medicine and prescribing painkillers, according to Tulane's Dr. Felix "Buddy" Savoie.
Savoie said when he started out 30 years ago as an orthopedic surgeon, the rules of prescribing opioids were much different than they are with today's athletes. He said during that time, drugs were quickly prescribed to get athletes back on the field as quickly as possible.
Health bills reported to full chamber for debate
The Advertiser - The Senate Health and Welfare Committee reported to the full chamber for debate Tuesday bills to create cheaper medicine, to lower obesity rates and to provide more stringent opioid regulations.
Senate Bill 14 by Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, expand the legal definition of “auto-injector" to include more than EpiPens, which treat allergy emergencies.
Luneau said his bill could drive the market to make less expensive options more competitive and help down drive prices that recently soared from $100 to around $600 per dose. He said the bill makes no changes to administration of the medication, but allows for the use of more modern technology.
Prescription pills you no longer need? Get rid of them to help fight the opioid epidemic, recovering addict says
The Advocate - Anthony Pierre, a recovering opioid addict who has been clean for more than a year, pleaded Thursday night for people who have unused and unneeded prescription pills in their homes to get rid of them because of how easily they can make others spiral into addiction.
Pierre was one of many who spoke at a "fighting the opioid abuse epidemic" town hall that Capital Area Human Services hosted at BREC's headquarters. Around 60 people attended. A panel, which included Pierre, discussed the high rates of opioid usage in Louisiana, where there are more opioid prescriptions than there are residents.
Louisiana AG launches website to fight opioid abuse
WDSU - Attorney General Jeff Landry is working with Louisiana's ambulance operators and a drug company on a new informational campaign to educate the public on opioid abuse. Visit the website here.
Attorney General launches effort targeting opioid abuse
Southwest Daily News - Attorney General Jeff Landry is working with Louisiana's ambulance operators and a drug company on a new informational campaign to educate the public on opioid abuse.
Landry announced Wednesday a new website at www.EndTheEpidemicLA.org that has information about assistance and treatment. The effort also will include advertisements and community outreach.
The campaign is a joint effort with the Louisiana Ambulance Alliance, with funding from drug company Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, which produces the overdose antidote naloxone.
AG Jeff Landry announces initiative to help fight the opioid epidemic in Louisiana
WVLA - Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry calls opioid abuse an epidemic facing our state and those right here in the capital area. Today, the attorney general announced a new initiative to fight this dangerous addiction and save lives.
More than a hundred people die every day from this deadly drug, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
"When you look at statistics, in the fact that more people across the country are dying of opioid overdoses than are people dying in automobile accidents, I think it's an epidemic," said Landry.
AG Landry launches campaign to end opioid abuse
WWL - Attorney General Jeff Landry is working to end the opioid epidemic in Louisiana with the new Opioid Abuse Prevention Fund. Landry that fund will pay for an informational campaign complete with a website, advertisements, printed materials, and community outreach.
“It’s designed to teach children and adults alike the responsibilities and dangers associated with opioid addiction,” Landry said.
Landry says the fund will be paid for through a partnership with Louisiana Ambulance Alliance and Amphastar Pharmaceuticals. He says rebates from medications that treat opioid overdoses will pay for the cost of the End the Epidemic LA campaign.
AG Jeff Landry helps launch 'End the Epidemic' campaign against opioid abuse
The Advocate - Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry has teamed up with the Louisiana Ambulance Alliance and a pharmaceutical company to raise awareness about the growing opioid epidemic.
Landry on Wednesday announced the launch of the "End the Epidemic LA" campaign, which will include a website (EndTheEpidemicLA.org), advertisements and community outreach efforts.
The website includes information for users, parents, educators, employers and others in an effort to offer a "resource for anyone wishing to learn more about how to avoid opioid addiction, spot opioid addiction in others and treat opioid addiction."
AG Jeff Landry announces initiative to help fight the opioid epidemic in Louisiana
WGMB - Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry calls opioid abuse an epidemic facing our state and those right here in the capital area. Today, the attorney general announced a new initiative to fight this dangerous addiction and save lives.
More than a hundred people die every day from this deadly drug, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
"When you look at statistics, in the fact that more people across the country are dying of opioid overdoses than are people dying in automobile accidents, I think it's an epidemic," said Landry.
Attorney General Jeff Landry announces plan to combat opioid abuse
WBRZ - Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry today announced a new initiative to help educate the public on dangers and responsibilities associated with opioids.
Partnering with the Louisiana Ambulance Alliance, Attorney General Landry created the Opioid Abuse Prevention Fund. The fund will pay for the “End the Epidemic LA” informational campaign.
“Opioid abuse has taken the lives of too many of our children, parents, neighbors, and co-workers. We hope that End the Epidemic LA will assist in the reduction of opioid misuse, abuse, and overdose,” Landry said.
Louisiana health leaders call on doctors to end overprescribing of opioids
WDSU - As the White House forms a commission to tackle a nationwide epidemic on opioid addiction, health leaders in Louisiana have been working for the better part of a year to come up with methods to stop the crisis.
Health leaders said 95 percent of long-term opioid users began the road to misuse by taking pain medications prescribed by a doctor. Those experts are now looking at ways to get doctors to change their prescribing methods and look at alternative forms of treatment other than opioids.
Local agency gets $3 million grant to reduce opioid deaths
WVUE - As deaths from opioid drugs outpace homicides in New Orleans, a local agency is in a position to assist more people struggling with addiction.
"This is not something that is just going to go away on a wish or a whim, it requires aggressive interventions by people who understand the disease of addiction and who are capable of working with that very difficult population,” said Dr. Rochelle Head-Dunham, executive director and medical director of the Metropolitan Human Services District.
City officials urge treatment as drug overdose deaths surpass murders
Gambit - Drug-related overdose deaths surpassed the number of murders in New Orleans in 2016. New Orleans health department medical director Joseph Kanter is urging people struggling with substance abuse to seek addiction treatment.
According to New Orleans Coroner Jeffrey Rouse, of last year's record 211 drug-related deaths, 166 involved opiates — compared to 81 in 2015. Compared to 2015 deaths, the number of people who died with the synthetic opioid fentanyl in their system more than tripled. There were 13 fentanyl-related deaths in 2015, when there were 93 drug-related deaths overall. Forty-eight people died with fentanyl in their system last year.
After more than 200 drug-related deaths in 2016, New Orleans Coroner says city "in the midst of an accelerating public health crisis"
Gambit - More than 200 people died from drug-related causes in 2016, more than double the number of similar deaths from 2015. Compared to 2015 deaths, the number of people who died with the synthetic opioid fentanyl in their system more than tripled.
According to a report recently released by New Orleans Coroner Dr. Jeffrey Rouse, of last year's record 211 drug-related deaths, 166 involved opiates — compared to 81 in 2015. Forty-eight people died with fentanyl in their system. There were 13 fentanyl-related deaths in 2015, when there were 93 drug-related deaths overall.
“New Orleans is in the midst of an accelerating public health crisis of drug-related deaths, driven chiefly but not exclusively by the ongoing national opiate epidemic," Rouse said in a statement.
Coroner: Drug-related deaths surpass homicides for first time in N.O. history
WVUE - Orleans Parish coroner Dr. Jeffrey Rouse released a grim report Monday highlighting accidental drug-related deaths in 2016.
Rouse said in 2016, there were more than double the number of deaths than in 2015, and it is likely the first time that drug-related deaths have surpassed homicides in the history of New Orleans.
Rouse released numbers showing there were 211 drug-related deaths in 2016 as compared to 92 drug-related deaths in 2015.
Opioid dependence can start in just a few days
WVUE - Doctors who limit the supply of opioids they prescribe to three days or less may help patients avoid the dangers of dependence and addiction, a new study suggests.
Among patients without cancer, a single day's supply of a narcotic painkiller can result in 6 percent of patients being on an opioid a year later, the researchers said.
State of Addiction: How to recognize the signs of opioid addiction
WDSU - John Wilcox is a recovering drug addict. He isn't what you would think addiction would look like.
Wilcox was a loving husband and father and worked at a Fortune 500 company. But he lost it all because of his dependency on opiates.
"There's a lot of us out there. More than you think," said Wilcox.
State of Addiction: New Orleans man shares his story of opioid addiction
WDSU - For John Wilcox, he was at the end of his rope when he entered the Odyssey House in New Orleans to treat his opioid addiction.
"I went from working in this huge company, having a great job, a great life and everything that came with it, to basically living on the streets here in New Orleans," said Wilcox.
Jefferson Parish family shares story of overcoming addiction to help others
WDSU - One Jefferson Parish family says through their bond and with the help of friends and a treatment program, they were able to help their son get clean and sober.
Opioid misuse spikes in Louisiana, prompting lawmakers to take action
WDSU - It's being described as a crisis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 33,000 people have died across the U.S. in 2015 from opioid overdoses.
And Louisiana has one of the highest rates in the country with 861 deaths, officials said.
"We definitely have a problem," said Dr. SreyRam Kuy with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. "This isn't just something that's happening on the East Coast or in the big cities. This is happening across the whole country."