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.

Discontinuation of opioid therapy for pain may increase overdose risk

Opioid-related overdose is now a leading cause of accidental death in the United States and Canada. A study published December 1st in the open access journal PLOS Medicine by Mary Clare Kennedy at University of British Columbia, Kelowna, Canada, and colleagues suggests discontinuing prescribed opioids was associated with increased overdose risk.

1 Dec 2022

Addiction treatment proponents urge rural clinicians to pitch in by prescribing medication

Andrea Storjohann is glad to see that she's becoming less of a rarity in rural America.

1 Dec 2022

COVID-19 lockdown did not cause a mass surge in dispensing of opioids, study finds

While some feared that New Yorkers would re-fill prescriptions to stockpile opioid medications in the early weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown much in the way people hoarded toilet paper, in fact, New York State opioid prescriptions declined in the period around the March 20, 2020 "PAUSE" order, according to new research.

28 Nov 2022

Morphine does not reduce worst breathlessness, study finds

Sometimes healthcare professionals treat patients with opioids such as morphine to relieve symptoms, but there has been a lack of evidence as to whether this helps with severe chronic breathlessness.

23 Nov 2022

Schools, sheriffs, and syringes: State plans vary for spending $26B in opioid settlement funds

With more than 200 Americans still dying of drug overdoses each day, states are beginning the high-stakes task of deciding how to spend billions of dollars in settlement funds from opioid manufacturers and distributors.

22 Nov 2022

The player-coaches of addiction recovery work without boundaries

Sarah Wright stops by her peer support specialist's hotel room-turned-office in this Denver suburb several times a day.

16 Nov 2022

New fentanyl vaccine could prevent deadly opioid from entering the brain

A research team led by the University of Houston has developed a vaccine targeting the dangerous synthetic opioid fentanyl that could block its ability to enter the brain, thus eliminating the drug's "high."

14 Nov 2022

Restorative neurostimulation continues to be effective in treating low-back pain for three years

A study has found that restorative neurostimulation continues to be effective in treating low-back pain caused by multifidus dysfunction after three years.

14 Nov 2022

Fentanyl in high school: A Texas community grapples with the reach of the deadly opioid

The hallways of Lehman High School looked like any other on a recent fall day. Its 2,100 students talked and laughed as they hurried to their next classes, moving past walls covered with flyers that advertised homecoming events, clubs, and football games.

10 Nov 2022

Updated CDC guidelines for prescribing opioids

The United States Centers CDC updated their clinical practice guidelines for opioid prescription in pain management.

8 Nov 2022

Rheumatoid arthritis patients taking opioids have twice the risk of venous thromboembolism

New research presented this week at ACR Convergence 2022, the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting, found that adult RA patients starting opioids had twice the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) compared to patients starting nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

8 Nov 2022

Dangers of recreational/medical cannabis use

Researchers describe the wide range of neurological effects associated with cannabis use.

26 Oct 2022

Green eyeglasses may help reduce the need for opioids to manage severe pain in fibromyalgia patients

Wearing special green eyeglasses for several hours a day reduces pain-related anxiety and may help decrease the need for opioids to manage severe pain in fibromyalgia patients and possibly others who experience chronic pain, according to a study being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2022 annual meeting.

24 Oct 2022

Study reports disparities in the use of regional anesthesia techniques

Women, minorities and patients enrolled in Medicaid are less likely to receive regional anesthesia techniques that consistently improve outcomes after surgery, suggests research being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2022 annual meeting.

24 Oct 2022

New study highlights how pain management practices are changing after surgery

Although there has been no decrease in the number of opioid prescriptions seniors receive after surgery, the doses of those prescriptions are lower, according to a study of more than a quarter million Canadian patients being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2022 annual meeting.

24 Oct 2022

Opioids News and Research

Further Reading

Discontinuation of opioid therapy for pain may increase overdose risk

Addiction treatment proponents urge rural clinicians to pitch in by prescribing medication

COVID-19 lockdown did not cause a mass surge in dispensing of opioids, study finds

Morphine does not reduce worst breathlessness, study finds

Schools, sheriffs, and syringes: State plans vary for spending $26B in opioid settlement funds

The player-coaches of addiction recovery work without boundaries

New fentanyl vaccine could prevent deadly opioid from entering the brain

Restorative neurostimulation continues to be effective in treating low-back pain for three years

Fentanyl in high school: A Texas community grapples with the reach of the deadly opioid

Updated CDC guidelines for prescribing opioids

Rheumatoid arthritis patients taking opioids have twice the risk of venous thromboembolism

Dangers of recreational/medical cannabis use

Green eyeglasses may help reduce the need for opioids to manage severe pain in fibromyalgia patients

Study reports disparities in the use of regional anesthesia techniques

New study highlights how pain management practices are changing after surgery

Analysis finds higher level of opioid abuse among sexual minorities compared to heterosexuals

Researchers assess wastewater sampling for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance

Survey: Majority of physicians favor using telehealth for delivering opioid use disorder treatment

Hospitals have been slow to bring on addiction specialists

Researchers receive $1.1 million NIH grant to implement a telehealth platform for opioid use disorder

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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