Dilaudid, Hydromorphone News

Hey, read the rules! A former nurse at Onslow Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville is behind bars, accused of embezzling a slew of pain medications while on the job.

Thoughts on Independence Day: I have very little at the moment. Independence, I mean.

A former Arkansas City veterinarian has agreed to pay $10,000 in a civil agreement over violations of the federal Controlled Substances Act.

A Clay City woman was arrested Thursday on an allegation of dealing a controlled substance.

Officers with the Clay County Sheriff's Department arrested a Clay City woman Thursday for dealing drugs.

Here's wishing you the best, hope the trail brightens very soon, thinking of you.

A Metairie mother joined her son in the clink after courtroom bailiffs said she tried to pass him cigarettes with drugs taped to the package.

Photo: Bixby Police Officers taking the Polar Plunge.

Bixby Police cited Ryan David Slagle, born Aug. 12, 1982, for the following offenses:

Failure to keep right when making right hand turn'

Driving under suspension

No proof of insurance

Possession of controlled substance Schedule II (liquid hydromorphon)

Possession of controlled drug substance, Schedule II, (tablets Dilaudid, 2 mg)

Possession of controlled substance, Schedule II (tablets, Dilaudid)

Possession of controlled drug substances without a prescription

Possession of controlled substance, Schedule IV (tablets Xanax);

Possession of marijuana; unlawful possession of paraphernalia.

What are fake online pharmacies? Fake online pharmacies are scams that use the internet and spam emails to offer drugs and medicine at very cheap prices or without the need for a prescription from a doctor. These scams can cause both financial and health problems.

Most spam email offers selling medicines or drugs are designed to steal your credit card details or to download damaging files (like spyware and key-loggers) onto your computer.

Even if you actually do receive the products that you order, there is no guarantee that they are the real thing. In some cases, the medicines or other products may even damage your health.

Remember that there are legitimate online pharmacies. These businesses will have their full contact details listed and will also require a valid prescription before they send out any medicine that requires one.

On a cold morning last April, in the shadow of Montana's Beartooth Mountain range, five agents from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) walked into the office of Dr. Richard Nelson, a Billings neurologist. For six hours, they combed through his records, seizing 72 patient charts and confiscating his drug-dispensing permit. The charge? None so far, but the assumption is that he is suspected of improperly prescribing narcotic drugs. Despite a distinguished professional record spanning more than four decades, Nelson has had to spend $20,000 on lawyers, fearing that the government will indict him if it turns out that one of his patients has misused his medicine. "My practice is sunk," says the 73-year-old physician, who specializes in chronic-pain treatment. "I can't even write a prescription for Tylenol 3 if someone has a migraine."

(Trade name: Dilaudid®; Street Names: Dust, Juice, Smack, D, Footballs)

Introduction:

Hydromorphone is a potent schedule II opioid analgesic drug available on the market. It is marketed as injectable ampoules, multiple dose vials, tablets and suppositories. The diversion and abuse of hydromorphone is increasing.

Licit Uses:

Hydromorphone is used for relief of moderate to severe pain in patients where an opioid analgesic is appropriate. Prescriptions for hydromorphone products have increased by 228 percent, from about 0.47 million in 1998 to 1.83 million in 2006. Aggregate production quota for hydromorphone as established by DEA for legitimate national needs increased from 766 kilograms in 1998 to 3,300 kilograms in 2006.

On September 24, 2004, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for marketing an extended release capsule formulation (Palladone™) containing 12, 16, 24 and 32 mg hydromorphone. Palladone™, was indicated for the management of persistent, moderate to severe pain. Its use was restricted to opioid-tolerant patients requiring continuous, around-the-clock analgesia with a high potency opioid for an extended period of time (weeks to months) or longer.

Within 6 months following the launch of Palladone™, new data was provided by the sponsor of Palladone™, to the FDA showing that drinking alcohol while taking Palladone™ may cause rapid release (dose dumping) of hydromorphone, leading to high drug levels in the body, with potentially fatal effects. In view of these new data and at the FDA’s request, the sponsor suspended the sales and marketing of Palladone™ in July 2005.

Illicit Uses:

Hydromorphone abuse has been a continuing problem in the United States. Hydromorphone, similar to other schedule II opioids, has a high abuse and dependence potential and produces tolerance. Prior to the current popularity of hydrocodone and oxycodone among drug abusers, low dose (2 and 4 mg) immediate release hydromorphone formulations (i.e., Dilaudid) were the leading opioid products for abuse and diversion. Street names for Dilaudid are Dust, Juice, Dillies, Smack, D and Footballs. Abuse of hydromorphone is mainly among rural and suburban populations.

The results of a new study suggest that the combination of alcohol and an extended-release formulation of morphine does not increase the rate of absorption of the potent narcotic painkiller. via Reuters UK

Talk Back: Post a comment on this article By Grayson Kamm First Coast News JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Police say the director of Shands Jacksonville's pharmacy turned in two hospital employees after uncovering ... via FirstCoastNews

A 42-year-old Dickinson woman has pleaded not guilty to a felony prescription drug charge. via KXMA-TV Dickinson

Within an hour of robbing a CVS pharmacist at knifepoint early Saturday, a 26-year-old Seminole man told his mother, who promptly turned him in, police said. via Tampa Bay Online

Burglary: About 60 Oxycodone pills, two pints of Dilaudid pain reliever and a $20 bill were stolen Friday from the 1800 block of Eldorado Drive. via WisInfo

Dilaudid is a very potent derivative of morphine. It is an analgesic drug that fits into the class of the opioid family and is widely used for treating moderate to severe pain. via Associated Content

“We strongly advise parents to take the necessary steps to keep narcotics away from their children”

Three eighth-graders from a Lakewood middle school have been charged with possession of a controlled substance after one of them allegedly brought a powerful prescription painkiller to school earlier this ... via Denver Post

Ravi Devgan, an Indian-origin doctor has been sentenced to a five-year jail term by a Canadian court for trafficking in prescription pills. via Deccan Herald

Ontario's first big look at farm work has dug up more potential problems in Southwestern Ontario than any other region London police seized marijuana plants, oxycodone and hydromorphone valued at $118,000 in a ... via London Free Press