JOURNAL OF THE LOUISIANA STATE MEDICAL SOCIETY
REFERENCES
The proliferation and prevalence of drug overdoses, especially those related to heroin and prescription opiates in EBR, necessitates immediate attention by both local and state offices to stem its growth. The rise of synthetic opioids, especially fentanyl, has already been seen in other regions of the U.S., with deadly results. States such as Florida have shown that the implementation of new rules and regulations can abate and decrease opioid and heroin abuse effectively.⁸ The distribution of ZIP codes to favor the middle and upper- middle class provides for an exact area and demographic to approach for treatment. By focusing on these ZIP codes specifically, the drug abuse epidemic may hopefully be easier contained if not quelled by targeted intervention. While much of the focus has been on opioids, especially heroin and fentanyl, the role of benzodiazepines cannot be ignored any longer. Benzodiazepines have proven to be just as, if not possibly more common than heroin, and are more easily addressed through improved healthcare practices and guidelines than an illicitly manufactured drug. The new guidelines put forth by the CDC on concurrent benzodiazepine and opioid prescriptions are promising and should be monitored for any impact they have on curtailing prescription abuse.
1. Rudd RA, Seth P, David F, Scholl L. Increases in Drug and Opioid-Involved Overdose Deaths — United States, 2010–2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65:1445–1452. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr. mm655051e1. 2. Roberts III & Mustian, DEA: Scourge of fentanyl gripping New Orleans region, fueling fatal overdoses The New Orleans Advocate Aug. 31, 2016 3. National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Benzodiazepines and Opioids.” Drugabuse.gov , National Institute of Health, 15 Mar. 2018, www.drugabuse. gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/benzodiazepines-opioids. 4. Paulozzi, Leonard J. “Vital Signs: Variation Among States in Prescribing of Opioid Pain Relievers and Benzodiazepines - United States, 2012.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 July 2014, www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6326a2.htm 5. Albert, P. R. (2015). Why is depression more prevalent in women? Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience : JPN, 40(4), 219–221. http://doi.org/10.1503/ jpn.150205 6. Hazel B. Nichols, Amy Trentham-Dietz, John M. Hampton, Linda Titus- Ernstoff, Kathleen M. Egan, Walter C. Willett, Polly A. Newcomb; From Menarche to Menopause: Trends among US Women Born from 1912 to 1969, American Journal of Epidemiology , Volume 164, Issue 10, 15 November 2006, Pages 1003–1011, https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwj282 7. Ellie E. Schoenbaum, Diana Hartel, Yungtai Lo, Andrea A. Howard, Michelle Floris-Moore, Julia H. Arnsten, Nanette Santoro; HIV Infection, DrugUse, and Onset of Natural Menopause, Clinical Infectious Diseases , Volume 41, Issue 10, 15 November 2005, Pages 1517–1524, https://doi.org/10.1086/497270 8. Rutkow L, Chang H, Daubresse M, Webster DW, Stuart EA, Alexander GC. Effect of Florida’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program and Pill Mill Laws on Opioid Prescribing and Use. JAMA Intern Med . 2015;175(10):1642–1649. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.3931
Jacob Stover is a Forensic Pathology Technician at East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner's Office. Joseph Grace is a medical student at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana.
106 La State Med Soc VOL 170 JULY/AUG 2018
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