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.

New research reveals how substance abuse problems take hold in returning veterans

Of nearly 1 million veterans who receive opioids to treat painful conditions, more than half continue to consume opioids chronically or beyond 90 days, new research says. Results presented at the 30th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine reported on a number of factors associated with opioid discontinuation with the goal of understanding how abuse problems take hold in returning veterans.

10 Mar 2014

Prescriptions for benzodiazepines with opioid analgesics may lead to medication-related deaths

Prescriptions for benzodiazepines are rising in primary care, and their frequent combined use with opioid analgesics may be contributing to medication-related deaths, a finding that goes largely unreported, according to Stanford researchers.

7 Mar 2014

New approach to breast reconstruction surgery decreases use of postoperative opioid painkiller

A new approach to breast reconstruction surgery aimed at helping patients' bodies get back to normal more quickly cut their postoperative opioid painkiller use in half and meant a day less in the hospital on average, a Mayo Clinic study found.

4 Mar 2014

Photoreactive compounds open new routes to treatment of neurological diseases

Photoreactive compounds developed by scientists of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich directly modulate nerve-cell function, and open new routes to the treatment of neurological diseases, including chronic pain and certain types of visual impairment.

3 Mar 2014

Storytelling can help doctors recall opioid guidelines

In the fight against a nationwide prescription opioid abuse epidemic, Penn Medicine researchers are using storytelling to help doctors recall important, potentially lifesaving national guidelines on how to prescribe these medications.

3 Mar 2014

Viewpoints: Questioning the tales of Obamacare woes; Republic replacement MIA; 'mixed messages' on mammograms

Conservatives appear to be really upset that liberals are actually taking on the facts in the anti-Obamacare ads they've been running. How dare you question whether the people in these ads are giving an accurate picture - they're suffering! (Paul Krugman, 2/26).

28 Feb 2014

New report reveals prevalence of heroin-related overdose deaths in Kentucky

A new report from the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC) reveals the prevalence and charges associated with drug overdose in the Bluegrass state.

25 Feb 2014

Opiate use alters activity of specific protein needed for normal functioning of brain's reward center

Identifying the specific pathways that promote opioid addiction, pain relief, and tolerance are crucial for developing more effective and less dangerous analgesics, as well as developing new treatments for addiction.

25 Feb 2014

Research roundup: Palliative care and ACOs; employers and Supreme Court case on contraception

In preparation for the new ACO environment, leaders recognized the contribution palliative care can make to health care "value," especially in the care of our sickest (and most expensive) patients ...

24 Feb 2014

Pairing school and home programs most effective in curbing teen prescription drug abuse

Programs that aim to curb teen prescription drug abuse have vastly differing effectiveness, ranging from big drops in drug abuse to no measurable effect, according to a new study of 11,000 teenagers by researchers at Duke and Pennsylvania State universities.

19 Feb 2014

Study reveals that more than 14% of pregnant women are prescribed opioids for pain

More than 14 percent of pregnant women were prescribed opioids (narcotics) for pain at some time during their pregnancy, according to a study posted to the online version of Anesthesiology.

13 Feb 2014

MORE intervention reduces pain and opioid misuse

With nearly one-third of Americans suffering from chronic pain, prescription opioid painkillers have become the leading form of treatment for this debilitating condition. Unfortunately, misuse of prescription opioids can lead to serious side effects-including death by overdose.

5 Feb 2014

Viewpoints: Target has the right idea for part-timers; health law 'beyond rescue;' fighting back to secure the right to abortion

The big noise on the health insurance front today was sounded by Target, which announced via a corporate blog that it's ending health insurance for its part-time workers. Instead of signing up for a company plan, they're encouraged to use the health care exchanges set up through the Affordable Care Act. ...

24 Jan 2014

FSMB joins with partners to educate health care professionals on safe prescribing of opioid analgesics

The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and FSMB Foundation are collaborating with several partners to provide state medical boards with resources to educate health care professionals on the safe and responsible prescribing of extended-release (ER) and long-acting (LA) opioid analgesics for patients with chronic pain.

22 Jan 2014

ASA's recommendations to help patients avoid unnecessary tests for chronic pain

Not prescribing opioids first or as a long-term therapy for chronic, non-cancer pain and avoiding MRIs, CTs and X-rays for low-back pain are among the tests and treatments identified by ASA that are commonly ordered but not always necessary.

22 Jan 2014

Aetna is helping to reverse abuse of prescription painkillers

Abuse of prescription painkillers, known as opioids, is a widespread and growing problem in the United States. The epidemic adds billions of dollars to health care, work place and criminal justice costs each year.

10 Jan 2014

Nociceptin in brain naturally moderates effects of stress

Collaborating scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the University of Camerino in Italy have published new findings on a system in the brain that naturally moderates the effects of stress.

8 Jan 2014

Perioperative analgesia may improve prostate cancer outcomes

Neuraxial analgesia added to general anesthesia for radical retropubic prostatectomy may lead to improved oncologic outcomes in prostate cancer, US researchers have found.

6 Jan 2014

Opioid receptor-triggered spinal mTORC1 activation contributes to morphine tolerance, hyperalgesia

Currently, opioids are the standard treatment for chronic pain. Patients on opioids for long periods of time become desensitized to these drugs or become paradoxically hypersensitive to pain (hyperalgesia); however, the adaptive mechanisms are not well understood.

3 Jan 2014

Research examines link between opioid suppression of immune system and cancer recurrence

The methods used to anesthetize prostate cancer patients and control pain when their prostate glands are surgically removed for adenocarcinoma may affect their long-term cancer outcomes, a study led by Mayo Clinic has found.

18 Dec 2013