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Researchers explore why physicians underprescribe drug approved to treat opioid addiction

A drug approved for private physicians to treat opioid addiction is being underprescribed, and a survey of addiction specialists suggests that many of them are not willing to increase their use of it, despite an expanding opioid addiction epidemic in the United States, according to research presented at the 125th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.

4 Aug 2017

Study finds sevenfold rise in prescription opioid use among fatally injured drivers

The percentage of fatally injured drivers who tested positive for prescription opioids rose sevenfold from 1 percent in 1995 to over 7 percent in 2015, according to a new study at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. The findings appear online in the American Journal of Public Health.

26 Jul 2017

Opioid use disorder rises with little being done to curb the menace says new study

A new study has found that more and more Americans are being diagnosed with opioid addiction and the numbers that receive treatment are still very few. This finding is consistent with earlier findings from Blue Cross Blue Shield when analyzing member data.

29 Jun 2017

Study highlights critical gap in addiction treatment for young people with OUD

Only one in four young adults and teens with opioid use disorder are receiving potentially life-saving medications for addiction treatment, according to a new Boston Medical Center study published online in JAMA Pediatrics.

19 Jun 2017

Medical responses to opioid addiction vary by state, analysis finds

Location, location, location. That mantra may apply even when it comes to how opioid addiction is treated.

12 Jun 2017

Intraoperative methadone offers promise to reduce need for pain medications during recovery

Patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery who are treated with methadone during the procedure require significantly less intravenous and oral opioids to manage postoperative pain, reports a new study published in the May issue of Anesthesiology, the peer-reviewed medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

24 Apr 2017

Medication-assisted treatment reduces negative health outcomes for pregnant women with OUD

Medication for addiction treatment (MAT) with buprenorphine or methadone is an appropriate and accepted treatment for pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD), according to a research review and update in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

17 Apr 2017

Study finds depression and SUD to be strongest risk factors for prescription opioid overdose

Individuals suffering from a substance use disorder (SUD) or depression are among those at highest risk for a serious prescription opioid overdose, according to a study published in Pain Medicine.

13 Apr 2017

Study reveals that 25% of women with prenatal opioid addiction are not being treated

A new study by Queen's University researcher Susan Brogly (Surgery) has revealed that 25 per cent of women suffering from a prenatal opioid dependence were not being treated for their addiction.

5 Apr 2017

Cannabis use may impact treatment in women undergoing addiction therapy, study suggests

A new study suggests that the use of cannabis may impact treatment in women undergoing methadone treatment therapy.

30 Mar 2017

Opioid users treated in compulsory drug detention centre more likely to relapse, study shows

People with chronic opioid use disorders are more likely to relapse and do so sooner if they are treated in a compulsory drug detention centre rather than a voluntary drug treatment centre using methadone maintenance therapy, according to the first study comparing the outcome of both approaches published in The Lancet Global Health.

9 Dec 2016

New study to explore link between sleep and chronic pain

Washington State University will lead a study to understand the relationship between sleep and chronic pain, part of a nationwide effort to address the rising abuse of opioid pain relievers and expand the arsenal of non-drug treatment options.

5 Dec 2016

Study finds increasing incidence of hospitalizations for prescription opioid poisonings in children and teens

The overall incidence of hospitalizations for prescription opioid poisonings in children and adolescents has more than doubled from 1997 to 2012, with increasing incidence of poisonings attributed to suicide or self-inflicted injury and accidental intent, according to a new study published online by JAMA Pediatrics.

1 Nov 2016

Mass incarceration of drug users leads to high levels of HIV, tuberculosis and hepatitis among prisoners

The War on Drugs, mass incarceration of drug users, and the failure to provide proven harm reduction and treatment strategies has led to high levels of HIV, tuberculosis, and hepatitis B and C infection among prisoners—far higher than in the general population.

19 Jul 2016

Researchers use wristband sensors to detect how opioid users in emergency room reacted to dosages

There is merit in looking at the use of wearable biosensors to detect whether opioid users stay focused on their rehabilitation programs.

23 Jun 2016

Short-term use of opioids implicated in protracted pain, new study finds

Painkillers such as morphine, oxycodone and methadone could actually prolong and increase pain even after only a few days’ use, according to research conducted on rats by scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder in the US.

31 May 2016

Brief opioid exposure can cause increase in chronic pain

The dark side of painkillers - their dramatic increase in use and ability to trigger abuse, addiction and thousands of fatal overdoses annually in the United States is in the news virtually every day.

31 May 2016

First buprenorphine implant for opioid dependence treatment gets FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Probuphine, the first buprenorphine implant for the maintenance treatment of opioid dependence. Probuphine is designed to provide a constant, low-level dose of buprenorphine for six months in patients who are already stable on low-to-moderate doses of other forms of buprenorphine, as part of a complete treatment program.

27 May 2016

Naltrexone injections could reduce risk of relapse among opioid dependent individuals

In a multicenter, randomized clinical trial, ex-prisoners who received six monthly injections of naltrexone--a long-acting medication that blocks opioid receptors in the brain--were significantly less likely to resume opioid use than those who received counseling and referrals to community treatment centers without naltrexone.

31 Mar 2016

Opioids could be dangerous, deadly at high doses

Most people know that heroin is a dangerous drug, but its cousins, the legal, pharmaceutical opioids, such as codeine or hydrocodone, must be safe, right?Not so fast.Opioids—which include the illegal drug heroin as well as prescription medications, including hydrocodone (such as Vicodin), oxycodone (such as OxyContin and Percocet), morphine and codeine—can be dangerous, even deadly, at high doses.