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OPIOID NATION

San Antonio pharmacy ordered to pay $275,000 civil penalty following allegations it unlawfully distributed opioids

Local team’s virtual Narcan training reaches almost half of all Texas counties

Nasal spray that combats fentanyl, opioid overdose coming to NEISD campuses, district says

New local study on jaw pain may help replace opioids with safer pain medication

Many pain conditions and traumas force the need for opioid painkillers, so the government is funding five studies across the nation to create non-opioid medicines for specific types of joint and muscle pain.

Alamo Center staying busy with opioid epidemic

The Alamo Center focuses on education and treatment for substance abuse disorder but with the lingering opioid epidemic, they've been busier than ever.

Pharmacists want you to have Narcan on hand for accidental opioid overdoses

With the current opioid and fentanyl crisis, many people have heard of Narcan, which can reverse overdoses. Law enforcement and schools have it, and pharmacists believe anyone on opioids should have it too.

Family’s fear of deadly fentanyl overdose confirmed by Medical Examiner’s Office

Danica Kaprosy was found lying face down, unresponsive, on her bed last July. Her family blames her death on a fentanyl-laced pill.

Millions of dollars headed to Bexar County to help opioid addicts get more resources

Bexar County residents who have an opioid addiction will soon have more resources available to help them after the county approved a roughly $12 million portion of a settlement between the State of Texas and Johnson & Johnson worth more than $290 million.

Methodist Healthcare hosting opioid take back day this weekend

Methodist Healthcare is hosting its third annual “Crush The Crisis” opioid take-back day on Saturday so people can safely discard unused medications.

Doctor raises awareness about seriousness of opioid epidemic after medical office break-in

After having his office ransacked, a San Antonio podiatrist is raising awareness about the severity of the opioid epidemic.

UTSA-led study illustrates trend in synthetic opioid-related overdose in Hispanics

A national study by a UTSA professor zeroed in on the overdose rate among Hispanics from synthetic opioids like fetanyl and other drugs.

San Antonio mother who beat opioid addiction gives back

A woman who battled opioid addiction and is now clean is trying to help those who are going through the same fight.

Study: Opioid-addicted mothers share many risk factors

Preliminary findings by the UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing show many opioid-addicted women have many of the same risk factors for drug overdoses and deaths.

Wolff not confident Bexar County will get fair share of funds from possible opioid lawsuit settlement

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said Monday he doesn’t think state officials will be fair when it comes to distributing money to counties under a possible opioid lawsuit settlement.

Texas announces plan to distribute funds from imminent opioid lawsuit settlement

On Thursday, the Texas Attorney General and attorneys representing various Texas counties in a nationwide lawsuit against opioid distributors and manufacturers hashed out how the imminent settlement funds would be split up in the state.

Despite COVID-19 pandemic, long lines continue outside downtown opioid treatment clinic

A long line of people gathered Monday morning outside a methadone treatment clinic on East Quincy Street, and separated themselves to a proper distance away from one another only after a KSAT 12 photographer began gathering footage.

New funding could provide free medicine and doctor’s visits for opioid-addicted patients

It's a chance for experts in San Antonio to change the entire way opioid disorder is treated in the state of Texas. $7.2 million was just awarded to the team at UT Health San Antonio that could soon make medicine and doctor's visits free for patients.

New Medication Assisted Treatment Pilot Program will help people struggling with opioid addiction behind bars, upon release

The Bexar County Opioid Task Force announced on Tuesday that it will be using money from a grant to will help those who are released from jail and reentering the community.

Bexar County, Opioid Task Force announce expansion to medication treatment program

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, along with Pct 2. Commissioner Justin Rodriguez and TJ Mayes, Chairman of the Bexar County Opioid Task Force, will announce an expansion of the county’s mental health program.

Pharmacist raises awareness for underestimated opioid drug

One local pharmacist is raising awareness about a C4 controlled substance that many people tend to underestimate. The drug is called Tramadol.

$80K secured from Bexar County budget to fund needle exchange program

The money from the county budget will fund needed supplies and pay trained addiction experts to hit the streets and interact with those affected by the opioid epidemic.

How will opioid ruling in Oklahoma affect similar lawsuit in Bexar County?

A landmark ruling Monday by an Oklahoma state judge ordering pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million for its role in the opioid crisis is resonating with the leader of the Bexar County Opioid Task Force.

UT Health San Antonio, BCSO to begin distributing Narcan to released inmates

The UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing and the Bexar County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday that they will begin distributing a medication used to reverse opioid overdose to released inmates.

Bexar County to seek $1 billion in first opioid trial in Texas

Bexar County plans to seek more than $1 billion in damages in the first opioid trial in Texas, County Judge Nelson Wolff said Tuesday.

New drug trend has gruesome consequences for users

Krokodil is a cheap heroin-type drug that offers a quick high, but it could also cost you your flesh.

Bexar Co. leads in state with most babies born with opioid withdrawal, triggering consistent funding

One-third of all Texas babies born with opioid withdrawal are in Bexar County. The astounding statistic has triggered consistent grant money for research to help families in recovery.

Why do we become addicted to things? Group breaks down top 10 most common addictions

As many people probably know, most of us aren’t born with an addiction, so how do people become addicted to something, anyway?

Zip code in NE San Antonio focus of $50,000 grant for drug abuse prevention

A local effort to battle the opioid epidemic is getting recognition in the form of $50,000. The federal grant is focused on a single area code on the north east side of San Antonio.

Dental work typically teens' first exposure to opioids: study

A new Stanford study shows dentists write 45 percent of opioid prescriptions for adolescents.

Too much? One state's anti-opioid videos have a 'horrific' feel

Is this too over the top, or would you consider it appropriately scary, given the seriousness of the subject matter?

What is Narcan? Is it the answer to country's opioid epidemic?

Narcan is a term that seems to be making repeated headlines. But what exactly is it? And what does it do?

Operation Without Opioids: No Pain No Pills

The U.S. is in the middle of an opioid epidemic, but it might surprise you to learn that older Americans are most at-risk of dependence. Now, a new approach to managing pain after surgery is hoping to change that.

Opioid Risk Predictor

A team of researchers is studying opioid addiction to create an “addiction risk score” to help doctors better assess patients.

Family's emotional obituary for woman who died of opioid addiction going viral

The obituary which has been widely shared on social media, is part cautionary tale and part call-to-action. It's a motivational message for addicts and a plea for less judgment and more empathy for those who are not.

More people dying from opioid overdoses than at peak of HIV epidemic, medical expert says

"We have a huge opioid crisis down here in the state of Texas. More people are dying from opioid overdose than at the peak of the HIV epidemic," said Esteban Lopez, chief medical officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas.

Doctor's former secretary forged 150 prescriptions for relatives, boyfriend, police say

Belen Magdaleno admitted to stealing a prescription pad from the doctor's office where she worked, an arrest affidavit says.

Mother wages personal battle against opioid epidemic

A mother who lost two sons to a drug overdose was in San Antonio to share her story about the tragedy.

Bexar County sues several opioid manufacturers for allegedly contributing to opioid epidemic

Judge Nelson Wolff announced Wednesday that Bexar County is suing numerous opioid manufacturers, promoters and distributors in connection with the opioid epidemic.

Physical therapy professor uses virtual reality to provide pain management

For 15 years, a physical therapy professor at UT Health San Antonio has been using virtual reality to help reduce her patients' pain and change their attitudes toward it.