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.

$1.5 million grant supports alternatives to opioids initiative at University Hospitals

A grant of nearly $1.5 million from the Department of Health and Human Services through its Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will enable University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center to develop and implement an Alternatives to Opioids (ALTO) program within its Emergency Department (ED).

6 Dec 2024

Boosting endocannabinoids could reduce opioid addiction risk

Increasing the levels of chemicals naturally produced in the body called endocannabinoids may thwart the highly addictive nature of opioids such as morphine and oxycodone while maintaining the drugs' ability to relieve pain, according to Weill Cornell Medicine investigators working with researchers from The Center for Youth Mental Health at NewYork-Presbyterian.

2 Dec 2024

New oral peptide therapy offers hope for chronic abdominal pain

A research team at the University of Vienna, led by medicinal chemist Markus Muttenthaler, has developed a new class of oral peptide therapeutic leads for treating chronic abdominal pain.

22 Nov 2024

Millions of Americans affected by secondhand harm from substance use

The risks of alcohol and other drug consumption to the user are well known, but many Americans--nearly 160 million--say they've been harmed by someone else's substance use, according to a new study in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

21 Nov 2024

Low-dose ketamine may be an effective adjunct analgesic to morphine for managing acute pain

A new study that investigates low-dose ketamine (LDK) as an adjunct to morphine for treating acute pain has been published in the October issue of Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM), the peer-reviewed journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM).

19 Nov 2024

Small Solutions for Big Problems in Drug Discovery and Delivery

Ijeoma Uchegbu discusses nanomedicine's role in improving medication adherence and developing non-addictive pain relief solutions at ELRIG Drug Discovery 2024.

19 Nov 2024

New insights into pain signaling could lead to better chronic pain treatment

When pain signals are passed along the nervous system, proteins called calcium channels play a key role. Researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, have now pinpointed the exact location of a specific calcium channel fine-tuning the strength of pain signals.

18 Nov 2024

New oral painkiller developed for chronic abdominal pain

University of Queensland researchers have developed a new class of oral painkillers to suppress chronic abdominal pain that is based on the peptide hormone oxytocin that drives childbirth contractions.

18 Nov 2024

Prenatal cannabis exposure linked to increased risk of opioid addiction later in life

With the increased legalization of recreational cannabis, as many as 1 in 5 pregnant women in the U.S. are now using the drug to help with morning sickness, lower back pain or anxiety.

14 Nov 2024

$Gabapentinoids may increase hip fracture risk in older adults$

Gabapentinoids may increase hip fracture risk in older adults

The study, published today in JAMA Network Open, tracked patients hospitalized for hip fractures in Victoria, Australia from March 2013 through June 2018, who had used gabapentinoids before the injury.

13 Nov 2024

MUSC team develops digital toolkit to screen for intimate partner violence and PTSD in opioid use disorder

The opioid crisis has left an estimated 2.5 million people 18 and older in the U.S. with opioid use disorder, or OUD. Despite increased attention to the heavy toll taken by OUD, key risk factors such as intimate partner violence (IPV) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are often overlooked. Both increase the risk of OUD and complicate recovery efforts.

12 Nov 2024

CDC updates pain care guidelines for clinicians

Pain affects the lives of millions of Americans every day and improving pain care and the lives of patients with pain is a public health imperative.

11 Nov 2024

Study finds high hepatitis C rates among opioid overdose patients

New research from the University of Missouri School of Medicine indicates that accidental opioid overdose patients in central Missouri have high rates of hepatitis C infections, despite only 40% of patients having a history of testing.

7 Nov 2024

12 states promised to open the books on their opioid settlement funds. We checked up on them.

To discover how millions in opioid settlement funds are being spent in Idaho, you can visit the state attorney general's website, which hosts 91 documents from state and local entities getting the money.

7 Nov 2024

Weill Cornell Medicine professor receives major grant for pediatric pain management study

Dr. Chani Traube, the Gerald M. Loughlin, MD Professor of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine, has been awarded a $3.4 million grant, with the possibility of extending to a total of $17 million over five years, from the National Institutes of Health, for a large-scale clinical trial called Optimizing Pain Treatment in Children on Mechanical ventilation (OPTICOM).

1 Nov 2024

AAP issues first guideline on opioid prescribing for pediatric pain

With its emphasis on opioid overdose prevention, the first guideline for primary care providers from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on prescribing opioids for acute pain in children and adolescents extends beyond responsible pain management.

31 Oct 2024

For people with opioid addiction, Medicaid ‘unwinding’ raises the stakes

It was hard enough for Stephanie to get methadone treatment when she moved to Florida from Indiana last year. The nearest clinic was almost an hour's drive away and she couldn't drive herself. But at least she didn't have to worry about the cost of care.

30 Oct 2024

Enhancing social support through non-traditional sources may help mothers with opioid use disorder

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a growing public health problem among pregnant and parenting people in the U.S. Between 1999 and 2014, the number of pregnant women with OUD increased by more than four times.

28 Oct 2024

Study reveals misuse of scientific evidence by opioid makers

A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that makers and marketers of prescription opioid painkillers misused scientific evidence to advance five common and inaccurate claims about the safety and effectiveness of prescription opioids - including that they were not addictive.

25 Oct 2024

The hidden effects of opioid use on the endocrine system

A new Scientific Statement released today by the Endocrine Society highlights research gaps associated with the negative effects of opioid use on the endocrine system.

25 Oct 2024