Mixing Alcohol and Marijuana Increases THC Levels

The legalization of recreational marijuana use in a number of states, including Colorado, has created a need for more research on the drug. Up until recently, there had been little research conducted on the effects of marijuana use, let alone on the effects of mixing alcohol and marijuana together - the two mind altering substances that are used together the most frequently.

New research suggests that when a person mixes alcohol and pot they show an increased amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in their blood, TIME reports. THC is the active ingredient in marijuana that is responsible for the euphoria that users experience.

The new study involved 19 people who drank alcohol or a placebo in low doses 10 minutes before they used marijuana in either a low or high dose. The researchers found that when a person drank alcohol, their blood concentration of THC was much higher, compared to when marijuana was smoked on its own, according to the article.

Previous research has shown that when alcohol and marijuana are mixed together, users are far more likely to get into a car accident. Teenagers who mixed the two substances were about 50 to 90 percent more likely to admit to unsafe driving, and they had higher rates of traffic tickets/warnings and car accidents. The new research may explain why that tends to be the case.

Mixing alcohol and marijuana is quite common among teenagers and young adults. In most cases, people are unaware that combining any two mind altering substances increases both intoxication and the risk of injury. While alcohol, and now marijuana in some states, are legal - it does not mean that they are always safe; both can lead to addiction.

The new research was published in Clinical Chemistry.
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If you are a young adult struggling with alcohol and marijuana use, we encourage you to take a look at our Young Adult Recovery Track. Our program focuses on the specific needs of young people looking to find a new way of life through recovery.

Addiction and recovery news provided by Harmony Foundation.

Bipartisan Focus on Opioid Overdose Deaths

The rise in drug overdose deaths in America has legislators from both sides turning their attention to the insidious problem. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky (R), and Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts (D) have called upon the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to urge the Surgeon General to issue a report on the problem opioid overdose deaths plaguing the country, The Hill reports.

Since 1999, deaths caused by prescription opioids quadrupled, the article reports. In 2013 alone, 44,000 people lost their lives to opioid overdoses - more than firearms or car crash related deaths.

Addiction to opioids and the overdoses related to abuse does not discriminate, people from all walks of life, both red and blue, have lost their lives to prescription drugs and heroin. Senator Markey says the issue “has to be bipartisan,” according to the article.

“Whether it’s Lexington, Massachusetts or Lexington, Kentucky, this epidemic knows no boundaries,” said Markey. “Senator McConnell and I believed that our response should know no political boundaries.”

Recently, McConnell and Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania (D), introduced legislation to the HHS for the development of a plan focusing on neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Pregnant women who use opioids put the baby at risk of developing NAS, which requires weeks of intensive medical attention for several weeks after birth.

“This is a bipartisan issue that members of both parties have come together to fight head on,” McConnell said in a statement to The Hill.

Even democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has set her sights on addressing the problem. In Iowa, Clinton spoke about the issue:

“When I started running, when I started thinking about this campaign, I did not believe I would be standing in your living room talking about the drug abuse problem, the mental health problem, and the suicide problem,” said Clinton. “But I’m now convinced I have to talk about it. I have to do everything I can in this campaign to raise it, to end the stigma against talking about it.”
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Addiction and recovery news provided by Harmony Foundation

Sharp Rise in Tramadol-Related ER Visits

Two new government reports found that there was a sharp increase in emergency room (ER) visits associated with the use of the drug tramadol, HealthDay reports. Tramadol is an opioid narcotic painkiller used for moderate, severe or chronic pain, and is the active ingredient brand-name pain medications, such as Ultram, Ultracet, Conzip and Ryzolt. Between 2005 and 2011, tramadol-related ER visits increased 145 percent.

The drug's adverse reactions can include seizures and a reaction known as serotonin syndrome, which is potentially fatal, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Mixing tramadol with other drugs can be dangerous as well, especially when used with anti-anxiety medications, alcohol or other narcotic painkillers.

In 2005, there were almost 11,000 ER visits tied to tramadol. In 2009, almost 26,000 people were seen in the ER for tramadol and by 2011 there more than 27,000, according to SAMHSA. The highest increase in ER visits due to tramadol was among adults 55 and older, the article reports. The reports showed that the increase of tramadol-related ER visits was higher among women than among men.

"Tramadol and other pain relievers can help to alleviate pain, but they must be used carefully and in close consultation with a physician," said SAMHSA Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, in an agency news release.

"Like all medications, tramadol can cause adverse reactions, which can be even more severe if the drug is misused. We must all work to lower the risks of taking prescription drugs," McCance-Katz said.

“Simple steps such as following directions for use, letting your doctor know if you are experiencing a problem, locking up medications for safe storage, and proper disposal of unused medications are easy steps people can take to help reduce potential harm to themselves and others,” she said.

Generic Vicodin Prescibed More Than Any Other Drug

In the United States, pain management is an important need, as well as a major problem. Patients complaining of pain are entitled to appropriate medications for treatment. Unfortunately, far too often medications, such as OxyContin ® (oxycodone) and Vicodin ® (hydrocodone), are misused and abused which ultimately can lead to addiction. Chronic over prescribing of opioid medications and gaps in screening, has led to a prescription drug epidemic in America.

In 2013, more Medicare beneficiaries received a prescription for generic Vicodin ®, known as hydrocodone acetaminophen, than any other prescription drug, The Wall Street Journal reports. In the same year, nearly two million Americans either abused or were dependent on opioids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“It’s striking that the drug prescribed to the most beneficiaries is a narcotic painkiller that can be addictive,” said Walid Gellad, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

The findings come from an analysis of Medicare’s prescription drug program, according to the article. The data indicated that some doctors prescribe the drug much more often than others, and a group of about 200 doctors gave the drug to more than half of the beneficiaries to whom they prescribed. Despite hydrocodone's high potential for dependence, about 691,000 providers prescribed the drug in 2013.

The data showed that approximately 8.09 million Medicare beneficiaries were prescribed hydrocodone acetaminophen. Interestingly, the drug prescribed the most after generic Vicodin ® was the cholesterol drug simvastatin, with 7.03 million prescriptions.

Pain management is not an easy task, partly due to the fact that pain is subjective. However, it is clear that doctors should turn to prescription opioids as a last resort. Simply handing out Vicodin ® for minor pain complaints only fuels the prescription drug epidemic plaguing America.



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