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Heroin is a very addictive chemical called diacetylmorphine. Heroin is a modified form of morphine, a highly abundant opium derived from the seedpods of the poppy plant.

Effective management of neonatal abstinence syndrome requires coordinated ‘cascade of care’

Effective management of neonatal abstinence syndrome- withdrawal symptoms occurring in infants exposed to opioids in utero - requires a coordinated "cascade of care" from prevention through long-term follow-up, reports a study in Advances in Neonatal Care, official journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

20 Sep 2018

People battling substance use disorders may benefit from meth-relapse prevention compound

New research raises the possibility that a wider group of people battling substance use disorders may benefit from a Scripps Research-developed relapse-prevention compound than previously thought.

17 Sep 2018

Half as many people are trying heroin, but marijuana use grows

Some good news from the front lines of the heroin crisis: Half as many people tried heroin for the first time in 2017 as in 2016. That's according to data released Friday from the government's annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

14 Sep 2018

RAND establishes research center for combating opioid epidemic

A research center dedicated to identifying effective policies for combating the nation's opioid epidemic has been established at the RAND Corporation, supported by a $7.2 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a component of the National Institutes of Health.

11 Sep 2018

Cannabis users experience increased cortical activation during the brain's resting state

Recent research from the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas shows that cannabis users experience increased cortical activation during the brain's resting state when compared with nonusers.

6 Sep 2018

Researchers take major step forward in finding safe and non-addictive pain killer

With the support of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, scientists at Wake Forest School of Medicine have been working to find a safe, non-addictive pain killer to help fight the current opioid crisis in this country.

30 Aug 2018

Study explores effects of combined, isolated use of cannabis and nicotine on the brain

Researchers at the Center for BrainHealth® at the University of Texas at Dallas investigated the effects on the brain of concurrent cannabis and nicotine use, versus the use of solely cannabis and solely nicotine.

29 Aug 2018

Drug overdose continues to be a significant cause of death in Australia

A new report has come up with alarming numbers of deaths due to drug overdose among Australians. The report states that common sedatives and sleeping pills may be responsible for over 142 deaths each month due to their overdose.

27 Aug 2018

Study may fuel need for effective drug testing in hospital emergency departments

At a time when drug overdoses are becoming more prevalent and lethal, a new report provides a snapshot of regional illicit drug use and, for the first time, highlights the complexity of detecting and treating patients at hospital emergency departments for a severe drug-related event.

21 Aug 2018

Babies dependent on opioids need touch, not tech

Dr. Jodi Jackson has worked for years to address infant mortality in Kansas. Often, that means she treats newborns in a high-tech neonatal intensive care unit with sophisticated equipment whirring and beeping. And that is exactly the wrong place for an infant like Lili.

20 Aug 2018

College students may experience pressures from secondary exposure to opioid abuse

About one in five college students reported in a survey that they knew someone who was addicted to pain medications, and nearly a third said they knew somebody who overdosed on painkillers or heroin, according to a team of undergraduate Penn State Lehigh Valley researchers.

13 Aug 2018

Clinicians who learn of a patient’s opioid death modestly cut back on prescriptions

Physicians and other medical providers modestly reduced the volume of opioids they prescribed after being told one of their patients had died of an overdose, according to research published Thursday.

10 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

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

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

Former inmates more likely to die of opioid overdose after prison release

A recent study in North Carolina found that in the first two weeks after being released from prison, former inmates were 40 times more likely to die of an opioid overdose than someone in the general population.

23 Jul 2018

Studies highlight issues regarding black lung, opioid overdose, police violence and more

This study found the national prevalence of coal worker's pneumoconiosis (black lung) is increasing among working coal miners. In central Appalachia, 20.6 percent of miners working more than 25 years have black lung disease.

20 Jul 2018

A simple pill for meth addicts on the cards

Researchers from Australia's Curtin University have developed a simple pill that could be used to treat methamphetamine addicts. It would soon be tried in a clinical trial to prove its efficacy and utility said the researchers.

18 Jul 2018

LGBQ teens at higher risk of substance use than heterosexual peers, study shows

Lesbian, gay, bisexual or questioning teens are at substantially higher risk of substance use than their heterosexual peers, according to a new study led by San Diego State University researchers and published in the American Journal of Public Health.

13 Jul 2018