by Karen Horney Clinic | Apr 5, 2017 | blog
Tanning, because of its association with skin cancer, is a dangerous behavior. A new Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) study out in March is adding a new concern related to tanning. The YSPH study is saying that tanning may also lead to “other addictive behaviors.”
Published in the Journal of European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, the study surveyed 499 white, non-Hispanic males, and females who had previously tanned indoors or outdoors. The study revealed, “participants who were tanning dependent were six times as likely to be dependent on alcohol, five times more likely to exhibit ‘exercise addiction,’ and three times as likely to suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).”
Photo courtesy of RF123
Addiction involves an intense craving for something, and the need to use it supersedes the negative effects or adverse consequences. Addiction is believed to be rooted in a change in the brain structure and function caused over time as the brain goes through a series of changes in response to recognition of pleasure. The brain then seeks this pleasure and creates a drive toward the compulsive behavior that becomes the addiction.
Tanning is dangerous and currently many states are enacting legislation to protect young people. The associated risk between tanning beds and skin cancer is strong. The Melanoma Foundation says tanning “increases the risk of melanoma associated with tanning bed use 59% for people whose first exposure to artificial UV rays in a tanning bed occurred before age 35 years. That risk increases with the number of tanning bed sessions per year. Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, kills one person every 50 minutes.”
Even though tanning beds are known to be dangerous many continue to use them still, and according to the study, the users are exhibiting a dependency to tanning. Researchers say that the connections between tanning dependence and other disorders revealed by the study represent an opportunity for clinicians to address those related conditions.
Yale Study
The Dangers of Tanning
DISCLAIMER
Information contained in this blog is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical or psychiatric advice for individual conditions or treatment and does not substitute for a medical or psychiatric examination. A psychiatrist must make a determination about any treatment or prescription.
by Karen Horney Clinic | Mar 29, 2017 | blog
HealthDay (3/15, Reinberg) reports that mixing opioid pain analgesics with benzodiazepine medications may be “a prescription for a deadly overdose,” researchers concluded after examining data on some “300,000 privately insured patients.”
The study published on March 14, 2017, in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), sought to identify trends in the concurrent use of benzodiazepine and an opioid. Data collected from 2001 to 2013 looked at the impact of mixing these drugs on admissions to hospitals and emergency rooms for opioid overdose. The study concluded that “concurrent benzodiazepine/opioid use sharply increased in a large sample of privately insured patients in the US and significantly contributed to the overall population risk of opioid overdose.”
Benzodiazepines (benzos) are a class of psychoactive drugs that work on the central nervous system and are used to treat a range of conditions including anxiety and insomnia. These drugs work by enhancing the effect of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). They are responsible for reducing the activity of neurons that cause stress and anxiety. These drugs are generally safe and efficient for short-term use. However, benzos can be habit-forming, and the risks of long-term use are still being debated.
The more commonly prescribed benzos include Alprazolam (e.g., Xanax), lorazepam (e.g., Ativan), clonazepam (e.g., Klonopin), diazepam (e.g., Valium), and temazepam (e.g., Restoril) are the five most prescribed
Opioid addiction is at an epidemic level in the United States and in a December 2014 Express Script report it is estimated that 80 percent of the drugs are consumed by Americans. Opioids work by blocking pain signals to the brain. The more commonly known and prescribed painkillers include codeine, morphine, OxyContin® (oxycodone HCI), and Vicodin® (hydrocodone bitartate and acetaminophen).
“Nearly 60% of patients using opioids were taking a combination of drugs that are dangerous and potentially fatal; among these mixtures, almost one in three patients were prescribed anti-anxiety drugs known as benzodiazepines along with an opioid – the most common cause of overdose deaths involving multiple drugs,” the report (pdf), published by pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts, said. [1]
The immediate risk of excessive use of benzos is the chance that they will be used in combination with alcohol or other drugs like opioids and cause an accidental overdose. Per the report, benzodiazepines have received less public safety attention than opioids, the combination of the two drugs is dangerous because benzodiazepines potentiate the respiratory depressant effects of opioids.[2]
Medical professionals need to make sure that patients fully understand the side effects of the drugs they are taking and the potential dangers of mixing these drugs with other drugs and alcohol.
DISCLAIMER
Information contained in this blog is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical or psychiatric advice for individual conditions or treatment and does not substitute for a medical or psychiatric examination. A psychiatrist must make a determination about any treatment or prescription.
[1] “U.S.: 5% of World Population; 80% of Opioid Consumption.” Express Script Report December 2014. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2017 %3chttp:/www.allgov.com/news/controversies/us-5-percent-of-world-population-80-per%3e
[2] “Association between concurrent use of prescription opioids …” BMJ.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2017 %3chttp:/www.bmj.com/content/356/bmj.j760%3e
