Opioids News and Research

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An opioid is a chemical that works by binding to opioid receptors, which are found principally in the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. The receptors in these two organ systems mediate both the beneficial effects and the side effects of opioids.

Physicians who come to know about overdose deaths reduce opioid prescription

Will clinicians become more careful in prescribing opioids if they are made of aware of the risks of these drugs first-hand?

10 Aug 2018

Painkiller prescriptions after wisdom tooth removal could set teens on path to long-term opioid use

Getting wisdom teeth removed may be a rite of passage for many teens and young adults, but the opioid painkiller prescriptions that many of them receive could set them on a path to long-term opioid use, a new study finds.

9 Aug 2018

As opioid crisis rages, some trade ‘tough love’ for empathy

It was Bea Duncan who answered the phone at 2 a.m. on a January morning. Her son Jeff had been caught using drugs in a New Hampshire sober home and was being kicked out.

8 Aug 2018

WVU researchers examine safety of Suboxone use in opioid-dependent pregnant women

Medications that physicians have traditionally prescribed to treat opioid use disorders-such as methadone and Subutex-can be misused by taking them in larger amounts than prescribed or by injecting them.

7 Aug 2018

FDA issues scientific recommendations to encourage development of novel drugs for treatment of OUD

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued new scientific recommendations aimed at encouraging more widespread innovation and development of novel medication-assisted treatment drugs for the treatment of opioid use disorder.

7 Aug 2018

Animations show promise to effectively assess and monitor pain

To improve communication about pain between patients and physicians, a team led by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC has developed a mobile application called "Painimation" that has the potential to assess and monitor pain better than any previously used measurement tools.

6 Aug 2018

Probiotic use could result in disorienting brain fogginess and rapid belly bloating

Probiotic use can result in a significant accumulation of bacteria in the small intestine that can result in disorienting brain fogginess as well as rapid, significant belly bloating, investigators report.

6 Aug 2018

How rival opioid makers sought to cash in on alarm over oxycontin’s dangers

As Purdue Pharma faced mounting criticism over deaths linked to OxyContin, rival drugmakers saw a chance to boost sales by stepping up marketing of similarly dangerous painkillers, such as fentanyl, morphine and methadone, Purdue internal documents reveal.

2 Aug 2018

Peer comparison letters lead to persistent decrease in antipsychotic prescribing

A study led by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health has found that letters targeting high prescribers of Seroquel, an antipsychotic with potentially harmful side effects in the elderly, significantly reduced the number of prescriptions for patients in Medicare.

2 Aug 2018

BIDMC researchers identify risk factors that increase risk of prolonged opioid use

Current research demonstrates that patients' exposure to opioids following medical care has contributed to the nationwide addiction epidemic.

1 Aug 2018

Patients with chronic pain feel caught in an opioid-prescribing debate

It started with a rolled ankle during a routine Army training exercise. Shannon Hubbard never imagined it was the prologue to one of the most debilitating pain conditions known to exist, called complex regional pain syndrome.

1 Aug 2018

FSMB partners with NAM to form Action Collaborative on countering opioid epidemic

In recognition of the need for a national coordinated and collective response to the epidemic of opioid addiction in the U.S., the Federation of State Medical Boards is partnering with the National Academy of Medicine and 35 organizations to form the Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic.

1 Aug 2018

New findings suggest opportunity to focus on safe opioid use and disposal among older adults

Nearly a third of older adults have received a prescription for an opioid pain medicine in the past two years, but many of them didn't get enough counseling about the risks that come with the potent painkillers, how to reduce their use, when to switch to a non-opioid option, or what to do with leftover pills, a new poll finds.

30 Jul 2018

Alcala Labs to use Neoteryx’s VAMS technology for monitoring patients in recovery centers

Today, Neoteryx LLC, announced that it will supply its Volumetric Absorptive Microsampling technology, in the form of the Mitra microsampling device, to Alcala Labs of San Diego for a more efficacious, streamlined approach to monitor patients in recovery centers throughout the United States.

28 Jul 2018

Study shows spillover effect of evidence-based opioid prescribing for major procedures

To curb the use of opioids after major elective operations and prevent these pain relievers from falling into the wrong hands, surgeons at the University of Michigan developed prescribing recommendations based on published medical evidence for one operation, gall bladder removal, and then discovered a spillover effect that led them to prescribe roughly 10,000 fewer pills for other major operations, according to study results appearing as an "article in press" on the website of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons ahead of print.

27 Jul 2018

Preoperative opioid consumption is strongest risk factor for prolonged opioid use, shows study

Patients taking opioids for at least three months before spinal fusion surgery in the lower spine are much more likely to continue taking opioids one year after surgery, reports a study in Spine .

27 Jul 2018

New opioid prescription control framework is a 'funhouse mirror image' of prior monopoly

A rise in addiction and overdose deaths involving opioids in the United States has spurred a series of initiatives focused on reducing opioid risks, including several related to prescription of opioids in care of pain.

25 Jul 2018

Common opioid-based painkillers increase harmful side effects in people with dementia

Commonly-prescribed opioid-based painkillers led to harmful side effects tripling in people with dementia.

24 Jul 2018

Researchers study efficacy and safety of new treatment for OUD

Better delivery of medications to treat opioid use disorder is key to addressing the opioid crisis and helping the 2.6 million Americans affected by the disease.

20 Jul 2018

UK health communication researcher seeks solutions for disposing leftover medicine

University of Kentucky health communication researcher Don Helme is partnering with the Kentucky Attorney General's office to gauge public opinion on a new drug deactivation pouch, part of a larger effort to develop solutions to the state's opioid epidemic.

20 Jul 2018

Opioids News and Research

Further Reading

Physicians who come to know about overdose deaths reduce opioid prescription

Painkiller prescriptions after wisdom tooth removal could set teens on path to long-term opioid use

As opioid crisis rages, some trade ‘tough love’ for empathy

WVU researchers examine safety of Suboxone use in opioid-dependent pregnant women

FDA issues scientific recommendations to encourage development of novel drugs for treatment of OUD

Animations show promise to effectively assess and monitor pain

Probiotic use could result in disorienting brain fogginess and rapid belly bloating

How rival opioid makers sought to cash in on alarm over oxycontin’s dangers

Peer comparison letters lead to persistent decrease in antipsychotic prescribing

BIDMC researchers identify risk factors that increase risk of prolonged opioid use

Patients with chronic pain feel caught in an opioid-prescribing debate

FSMB partners with NAM to form Action Collaborative on countering opioid epidemic

New findings suggest opportunity to focus on safe opioid use and disposal among older adults

Alcala Labs to use Neoteryx’s VAMS technology for monitoring patients in recovery centers

Study shows spillover effect of evidence-based opioid prescribing for major procedures

Preoperative opioid consumption is strongest risk factor for prolonged opioid use, shows study

New opioid prescription control framework is a 'funhouse mirror image' of prior monopoly

Common opioid-based painkillers increase harmful side effects in people with dementia

Researchers study efficacy and safety of new treatment for OUD

UK health communication researcher seeks solutions for disposing leftover medicine

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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