Addiction

NHS England issues naloxone warning

Inappropriate use of naloxone can cause patients severe distress and can be fatal, says NHS England in a Patient Safety Alert.…

Role for memantine in treating binge-eating disorder

Research findings support a role for memantine as a potential pharmacological treatment for binge-eating disorder.…

Increased access to naloxone could cut global deaths from opioid overdose, says WHO

The World Health Organization has issued new guidelines to expand access to naloxone in an effort to reduce the number of deaths caused by overdoses of opioids.…

UK drug advisory council warns against limiting duration of methadone therapy

Government drug advisers have rejected a proposal by government ministers to impose a time limit on prescribing methadone to heroin addicts.…

Q&A: Pharmacy over-the-counter products help consumers take responsibility for their own health

Gopa Mitra, outgoing director of health policy and public affairs at the Proprietary Association of Great Britain, which represents manufacturers of non-prescription medicines and food supplements, explains that self-selection of pharmacy medicines will not affect patient safety, and consi…

Parents warned to keep e-cigarettes out of reach as poisoning incidents increase

There has been a significant rise in the number of cases of children ingesting the liquid in e-cigarettes, prompting poison experts at Public Health England to warn parents to keep them out of reach.…

Psychedelics: entering a new age of addiction therapy

Psilocybin, the compound that makes mushrooms magic, is showing promise as a treatment for several psychiatric illnesses.…

Mind-expanding exploration at London’s Kew Gardens

The Intoxication Season, Mind Altering Plants and Fungi at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, ran from 20 September to 12 October 2014.…

Oxycodone may be riskier than other addictive opioids, research suggests

Investigating the differences between opioids could aid researchers’ understanding of drug abuse.…

Expensive night out

Charging a fee for being drunk in A&E would do little to improve people’s attitudes to alcohol.…