I want to feel numb


SAMHSA’s National Helpline | SAMHSA

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  • SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.

    Also visit the online treatment locator.

SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service), or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations.

Also visit the online treatment locator, or send your zip code via text message: 435748 (HELP4U) to find help near you. Read more about the HELP4U text messaging service.

The service is open 24/7, 365 days a year.

English and Spanish are available if you select the option to speak with a national representative. Currently, the 435748 (HELP4U) text messaging service is only available in English.

In 2020, the Helpline received 833,598 calls. This is a 27 percent increase from 2019, when the Helpline received a total of 656,953 calls for the year.

The referral service is free of charge. If you have no insurance or are underinsured, we will refer you to your state office, which is responsible for state-funded treatment programs. In addition, we can often refer you to facilities that charge on a sliding fee scale or accept Medicare or Medicaid. If you have health insurance, you are encouraged to contact your insurer for a list of participating health care providers and facilities.

The service is confidential. We will not ask you for any personal information. We may ask for your zip code or other pertinent geographic information in order to track calls being routed to other offices or to accurately identify the local resources appropriate to your needs.

No, we do not provide counseling. Trained information specialists answer calls, transfer callers to state services or other appropriate intake centers in their states, and connect them with local assistance and support.

  • Suggested Resources

    What Is Substance Abuse Treatment? A Booklet for Families
    Created for family members of people with alcohol abuse or drug abuse problems. Answers questions about substance abuse, its symptoms, different types of treatment, and recovery. Addresses concerns of children of parents with substance use/abuse problems.

    It's Not Your Fault (NACoA) (PDF | 12 KB)
    Assures teens with parents who abuse alcohol or drugs that, "It's not your fault!" and that they are not alone. Encourages teens to seek emotional support from other adults, school counselors, and youth support groups such as Alateen, and provides a resource list.

    After an Attempt: A Guide for Taking Care of Your Family Member After Treatment in the Emergency Department
    Aids family members in coping with the aftermath of a relative's suicide attempt. Describes the emergency department treatment process, lists questions to ask about follow-up treatment, and describes how to reduce risk and ensure safety at home.

    Family Therapy Can Help: For People in Recovery From Mental Illness or Addiction
    Explores the role of family therapy in recovery from mental illness or substance abuse. Explains how family therapy sessions are run and who conducts them, describes a typical session, and provides information on its effectiveness in recovery.

    For additional resources, please visit the SAMHSA Store.

Last Updated: 08/30/2022

Evidence-Based Resources About Opioid Overdose

SAMHSA’s Evidence-Based Practice Resource Center (EBPRC) contains a wide variety of downloadable resources available from SAMHSA and other federal partners about opioid overdose and other substance use and mental health topics to help communities, clinicians, policy-makers and others with the information and tools to incorporate evidence-based practices into their communities or clinical settings.

Fact Sheet:

Using Naloxone to Reverse Opioid Overdose in the Workplace: Information for Employers and Workers | CDC (PDF | 785 KB) - This fact sheet helps employers understand the risk of opioid overdose and provides guidance about establishing a workplace naloxone program.

Tips for Teens: The Truth About Opioids | SAMHSA - This fact sheet for teens provides facts about opioids. It describes short- and long-term effects and lists signs of opioid use. The fact sheet helps to dispel common myths about opioids. Access sources cited in this fact sheet.

Toolkits:

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for Opioid Use Disorder in Jails and Prisons: A Planning and Implementation Toolkit | National Council of Behavioral Health - Developed by the National Council of Behavioral Health, this guide provides correctional administrators and healthcare providers tools for implementing MAT in correctional settings.

Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit | SAMHSA -This toolkit offers strategies to health care providers, communities, and local governments for developing practices and policies to help prevent opioid-related overdoses and deaths. Access reports for community members, prescribers, patients and families, and those recovering from opioid overdose.

Evidence Reviews/Guidebooks:

Evidence-Based Strategies for Preventing Opioid Overdose: What’s Working in the United States | CDC (PDF |  11. 5 MB) - This CDC document reviews evidence-based strategies to reduce overdose. It explains why these strategies work, the research behind them, and examples of organizations that have put these strategies into practice.

Use of Medication-Assisted Treatment in Emergency Departments | SAMHSA - This guide examines emerging and best practices for initiating medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in emergency departments.

Use of Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Criminal Justice Settings | SAMHSA -This guide focuses on using medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder in jails and prisons and during the reentry process when justice-involved persons return to the community.

Telehealth for the Treatment of Serious Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders | SAMHSA - This guide reviews ways that telehealth modalities can be used to provide treatment for serious mental illness and substance use disorders including opioid overdose among adults.

Treatment Improvement Protocols/Manuals:

TIP 63: Medications for Opioid Use Disorder | SAMHSA - This Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) reviews the use of the three Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications used to treat OUD—methadone, naltrexone, and buprenorphine.

Advisory: Opioid Therapy in Patients With Chronic Noncancer Pain Who Are in Recovery From Substance Use Disorders | SAMHSA - This advisory addresses screening and assessment tools, nonpharmacologic and nonopioid treatment for chronic pain, and the role of opioid therapy in people with chronic noncancer pain and SUDs.

Overdose Prevention & Naloxone Manual | HRC - This Harm Reduction Coalition (HRC) manual outlines the process of developing an Overdose Prevention and Education Program that may involve a take-home naloxone component.

Websites:

SAMHSA

  • Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)
  • MAT Medications, Counseling, and Related Conditions
  • Opioid Overdose
  • Know the Risks of Using Drugs

Other federal websites

  • HHS.gov/opioids
  • Opioids | NIDA
  • Drug Overdose | CDC
  • Rx Awareness | CDC

Visit the EBPRC for additional information, including Treatment Improvement Protocols, toolkits, resource guides, clinical practice guidelines, and other science-based resources.

Numbness in the hands causes, symptoms, risk factors

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20 January 2021

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Numbness in hands causes, symptoms, risk factors

The emerging numbness in the hands is the first signal for an appointment with a neurologist. Often, numbness signals the presence of inflammation, damage or squeezing of sensitive nerves. With numbness of the limbs, pain and tingling may occur, muscle tone may decrease and movement of the limbs may be impaired - this is the result of damage to mixed nerves, including both motor and sensory fibers.

More attention to the emerging numbness should be given to people of certain professions. There is a group of professions that are more prone to carpal tunnel syndrome, which causes frequent pain, numbness and tingling, covering the entire hand. If you are: a driver, cashier, jewelry, programming or music, then you are more at risk of getting an occupational disease, you should carefully monitor your health.

If you have direct or indirect symptoms, you should be examined by a neurologist, such symptoms can be:

  • Sudden numbness, point or spreading throughout the body.
  • Prolonged feeling of weakness.
  • Difficulty breathing.
  • Numbness of hands or feet.
  • Loss of sensation in the face, trunk.

Causes of numbness of the extremities

Numbness of the extremities can occur due to pathological processes in the peripheral nerves, in the presence of disorders in the spinal cord and brain. Numbness can be at:

  • Vasculitis or stroke, they impair, block the blood supply to the nerves.
  • Injury or neuropathy of the pathway of sensitivity.
  • Compressions on any section of the track.
  • Nerve infections (leprosy, HIV, Lyme disease).
  • Inflammation or destruction of the outer layer of nerves.
  • Metabolic disorders (diabetes, poisoning with heavy metals or toxins).

It is also worth paying attention to excessive pressure on the nerves, repeated for a long time, for example, crossed legs while sitting. Narrowing of the lumen in the spinal canal, osteoarthritis, damage to the intervertebral discs. Pressure near the spinal cord due to a tumor, hematoma, or injury to the spinal cord. Only a neurologist can more accurately determine the cause of numbness. The following are common causes of numbness in body parts:

  • Head area and areas of the face may become numb due to: fungal infection, glossopharyngeal neuralgia, herpes zoster, trigeminal neuralgia, stroke, migraine and osteochondrosis.
  • Trunk area becomes numb in the presence of: suspicion of sciatica, intercostal neuralgia, coronary heart disease, pathologies of the genitourinary system, kyphosis.
  • hands may become numb due to: spinal disorders, diabetes and intoxication, heart disorders.
  • Fingers may become numb due to: herniated spine, hand injury, heart disease, carpal tunnel syndrome.
  • Feet and toes become numb due to: hernias, cauda equina syndrome, osteochondrosis and pinched sciatic nerve. Perhaps the presence of various kinds of varicose veins, atherosclerosis and arthritis.

Treatment of numbness

After the diagnosis, the neurologist will select the appropriate treatment method. Our specialists use the most proven and effective methods to prevent inflammation, restore blood flow and improve tissue nutrition:

  • Reflexology.
  • Medical massage.
  • Therapeutic physical culture, kinesiotherapy.
  • Manual therapy and osteopathy.
  • Ozone therapy, shock wave therapy.

According to the alleged cause of numbness of the extremities, the appropriate types of diagnostics are prescribed:

  • Angiography - used in the diagnosis of blood vessels, it is also possible to prescribe ultrasound, CT, MRI.
  • If spontaneous tingling, numbness occurs in any part of the body, you should immediately contact a specialist. Ignoring such problems can lead to serious complications, cause surgery or disability. Specialists of the Medical Center "SANAS" have more than thirty years of experience in neurology, which allows you to accurately, quickly and accurately determine the cause of the emerging disease. Take care of your health and do not ignore the signals of your body!

    Make an appointment with a Neurologist

    Numbness, loss of sensation - causes, examination and treatment in Astrakhan| Symptoms

    Diseases that affect the largest part of the brain (stroke, tumors, multiple sclerosis, degenerative diseases of the brain)
    Signs: Loss of sensation on one side of the face and body affected by the disease, and loss of the ability to recognize objects when touched. Usually weakness, loss of coordination, and other symptoms that indicate dysfunction of the nervous system.

    Disorders affecting the upper part of the brain stem (stroke, tumors, abscesses)
    Signs: Loss of sensation on one side of the face and body affected by the disease. Often double vision.

    Disorders affecting the lower part of the brain stem (stroke, tumors, degenerative diseases of the brain)
    Signs: Loss of sensation on one side of the face and on the opposite side of the body affected by the disease. Often visual disturbances and difficulty chewing, swallowing and speaking.

    Disorders affecting the width of the spinal cord (compression of the spinal cord due to trauma, tumors, ruptured or herniated disc, hematomas or abscesses, acute transverse myelitis)
    Signs: Loss of sensation and usually weakness below a certain level of the body. Sensitivity on the face is not lost. Usually urinary retention, loss of bladder and bowel control, and/or decreased sexual response, including erectile dysfunction in men.

    Cauda equina syndrome due to pressure (rupture or herniation of the disc, spread of a malignant tumor to the spinal cord)
    Signs: Numbness, mainly in the thighs, buttocks, bladder, genitals and in the area between them. Usually back pain. Often urinary retention, loss of bladder and bowel control, and/or decreased sexual response, including erectile dysfunction in men.

    Polyneuropathies (use of certain drugs, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, metabolic disorders such as uremia, vitamin B12 deficiency, HIV infection, Lyme disease)
    Signs: Numbness and unusual sensations in approximately the same areas on both sides of the body, mainly in the feet and hands. Sometimes weakness and loss of reflexes.

    Demyelinating diseases (multiple sclerosis)
    Signs: Often weakness or clumsiness and sensory disturbances (tingling or numbness), sometimes changes in vision and speech.

    Disorders affecting the spinal nerve root (torn or herniated disc, crushing of the bones of the spine due to arthritis or osteoporosis)
    Signs: Pain that sometimes shoots down the arm or leg.


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