Teens & Opioids

Helping hand for teen struggling with opioid addiction.

Conversation starters and strategies to guide young people toward treatment  If opioids hijack your teenager, keeping them safe while they use can be the buoy that saves them. Telling a teen in the throes of an opioid addiction to just stop or say no won’t work once cravings, withdrawal, and other elements of addiction have […]

4 Things You Need to Know About Opioids for Pain Management

Opiods in a pill bottle on a table

In the wake of the opioid addiction crisis, physicians have been cutting back on prescribing opioids for pain relief.  But still, sometimes patients are prescribed these powerful painkillers, especially after a major surgery. Even when prescribed by a physician and taken as directed, using a prescription opioid painkiller can cause side effects including tolerance, physical […]

Monitoring Prescriptions to Catch Opioid Abuse

Monitoring Prescriptions to Catch Opioid Abuse

Illinois’ efforts to track drug prescriptions have come a long way from the paper and pencil reports of the early 2000s. The Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) is an online tool that lets prescribers view patient history to identify people who are at risk for opioid dependence. It’s designed to flag people who go medication shopping […]