FDA to add new warning labels to prescription opioid pain medications
The label will also highlight the importance of overdose reversal drugs such as Narcan, which bind to the opioid receptors in the brain and block their effects.
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The Food and Drug Administration has announced that every prescription for opioid pain medication will now have a warning label outlining the risk of long-term use.
Data has shown that a high percentage of unintentional overdoses happen after a person has been prescribed an opioid for an aliment and then became addicted.
Doctors say people become addicted to these drugs because they activate an area of nerve cells in the brain called opioid receptors and block pain signals between the brain and body. They say although the goal of these drugs is to relieve pain, opioids also provide people with euphoria and that feeling can lead to addiction.
The label will also highlight the importance of overdose reversal drugs such as Narcan, which bind to the opioid receptors in the brain and block their effects.
"It's like two little nasal sprays, it's very easy to use, even if you've never used it before. Within a matter of minutes, that person will come back to breathing. It will give you enough time for emergency personnel to make it to that person," says Gigi Chauz, program manager at Stamford Cares.
