Patients & Caregivers

Practice Safety at Home with Opioid Painkillers

Source: National Safety Council

This one page document provides advice for patients and caregivers about safe storage and safe disposal of opioid medications and provides cautions on the risk of taking opioids with other medications and of sharing prescription medicines with friends and families.

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Patients & Caregivers

Opioid Painkillers: What you Need to Know Before You Start Taking Them

Source: National Safety Council

This one page informational document provides information about the side effects and potential serious reactions of taking prescription opioids for patients and caregivers who may not be aware of the risks of these medications.

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Patients & Caregivers

Opioid Painkillers: How They Work and Why They Can Be Risky

Source: National Safety Council

This 2 page information guide for patients and caregivers explains what opioids are, how they work, how they can lead to death or the development of tolerance, and the relative effectiveness of opioids and non-opioid pain killers. Prepared by the National Safety Council, this publication recommends patients

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Policymakers & Community Leaders
Patients & Caregivers

Addiction: The Risk Factors

Source: Recovery Research Institute

This one page infographic describes risk factors that are associated with a higher likelihood of developing a substance use disorder (SUD).

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Policymakers & Community Leaders
Patients & Caregivers

Fentanyl: What is it?

Source: Recovery Research Institute

This one page infographic provides facts about fentanyl for policymakers and patients and caregivers. Prepared by the Recovery Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders
Patients & Caregivers

Prescription Opioids & Heroin

Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse

This 2018 report prepared by the National Institute on Drug Abuse discusses the relationship between prescription opioids and heroin. The report covers such topics as the risks of progression to heroin use after a prescription opioid, facts about heroin use including that use is driven by low cost and high availability,

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Patients & Caregivers

Opioid Facts for Teens

Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse

This 24 page report from 2018 provides information for teens about opioids covering such topics as the risks of addiction and overdose, facts about prescription and illegal opioids, information about safe use of prescription drugs, the effects of opioids on the body, opioid withdrawal, and how to treat addiction and overdose.

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Patients & Caregivers

Mind Matters: The Body’s Response to Opioids

Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse

An education publication directed at children and youth, this 5 page guide explains what opioids are, including nick names for common drugs, and explains how using opioids can affect your body and eventually reduce your ability to enjoy the things that make you happy. The publication was prepared by theNational Institute on Drug Abuse’s Mind Matters program.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders
Patients & Caregivers

Medications to Treat Opioid Use Disorder

Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse

This 47 page report on medications to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) includes information on how the medications work, what the diversion risk is for these medications, how medications affect HIV or hepatitis C outcomes, whether medications are offered in the criminal justice system or military, medications and

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