Heroin News and Research

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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.

Drug or alcohol problems among veterans may increase risk of suicide, study finds

Veterans who have drug or alcohol problems are more than twice as likely to die by suicide as their comrades, a new study finds. And women veterans with substance use disorders have an even higher rate of suicide -- more than five times that of their peers, the research shows.

16 Mar 2017

Heroin use linked to epigenetic alterations in the brain

The past few years have seen an explosion of heroin abuse and deaths from opiate overdose. But little is known about the molecular underpinnings of heroin addiction.

14 Mar 2017

Improving women's health can lead to sharp reduction in domestic violence, study shows

Chronically ill low-income women who thought they were dying experienced a sharp reduction in domestic violence after getting access to a life-saving treatment, a Johns Hopkins University-led study found.

8 Mar 2017

CRNAs urge patients to learn about risks, benefits of pain relief treatments

The opioid crisis is one of the largest challenges facing today's healthcare professionals and the patients for whom they care.

8 Mar 2017

Brain scans could improve prediction of problem drug use among teenagers

There's an idea out there of what a drug-addled teen is supposed to look like: impulsive, unconscientious, smart, perhaps - but not the most engaged. While personality traits like that could signal danger, not every adolescent who fits that description becomes a problem drug user. So how do you tell who's who?

22 Feb 2017

Many adolescents think it is 'probably impossible' to get heroin

Despite reports about the increase in heroin use, more teens believed it was "probably impossible" to get heroin in 2014 than in 2002, according to a Saint Louis University study.

21 Feb 2017

High-pressure culture of sports could increase risk of substance addiction among athletes, study finds

As she was planning her study to look into the role physical activity and sport play in the development of substance addiction, Laurie de Grace was forewarned that she may have trouble finding any recovering addicts with a sporting background to speak with.

13 Feb 2017

Deep brain stimulation can reduce heroin relapse in rat models of addiction, TSRI study shows

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found that deep brain stimulation (DBS) can greatly reduce the compulsion to use heroin in standard rat models of addiction.

2 Feb 2017

New $2 million NIH grant aims to improve health of ‘grandparent caregivers’

As the number of grandparents caring for grandchildren full-time continues to swell, so do the stress-induced health risks associated with such a demanding responsibility.

2 Feb 2017

New research finds increase in mortality rates caused by drugs, alcohol and suicide

Nationwide, the mortality rate from deaths caused by drugs, alcohol and suicide rose 52 percent from 2000 to 2014, according to new research from the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire.

1 Feb 2017

Combined use of alcohol and cocaine linked to suicide deaths

Alcohol use can be found in suicide deaths and unintentional deaths due to injuries such as those from motor vehicle collisions (MVCs).

27 Jan 2017

Study identifies factors linked to disengagement from treatment for opioid use disorder

Individuals with opioid use disorder who are treated with buprenorphine, a commonly prescribed drug to treat addiction, are more likely to disengage from treatment programs if they are black or Hispanic, unemployed, or have hepatitis C according to a study published online in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.

5 Jan 2017

Gulf Breeze Recovery underscores importance of high-quality programs for treating opioid addiction

As opioid addiction hits record highs, Gulf Breeze Recovery, a Florida-based addiction recovery center, stresses the importance of high-quality, successful programs for treating addiction.

26 Dec 2016

MedUni Vienna scientists show that addictive cravings can be detected after death

A protein known as FosB in the reward centre of the brain alters in chronically ill people suffering from an addictive disorder (e.g. heroin addiction): it is genetically modified, split off and shortened.

21 Dec 2016

Study reveals self-harm is leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in Colorado

Self-harm was the leading cause of pregnancy-associated deaths in Colorado from 2004 to 2014, ahead of car crashes, medical conditions and homicide, according to researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

9 Dec 2016

Resilience lowers risk for developing alcohol use disorders, study shows

Resilience considerably reduces risk for developing alcohol use disorders, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University and Lund University in Sweden.

8 Dec 2016

PinnacleHealth’s initiative helps reduce opioid prescriptions in primary care setting

PinnacleHealth Medical Group, a network of more than 200 primary care providers and specialists, singled out opioid abuse epidemic and initiated a formal opioid reduction program in 2014.

8 Dec 2016

Kratom may be safer and less addictive than current treatments for pain, research suggests

A delayed U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration ban on kratom would stifle scientific understanding of the herb's active chemical components and documented pharmacologic properties if implemented, according to a special report published today in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

29 Nov 2016

UAB physician calls for better education, legislation to help patients with opioid abuse

The U.S. opioid epidemic has evolved so much in the last four years that current federal policy responses risk diminishing returns in saving human lives, according to a new peer-reviewed perspective by University of Alabama at Birmingham Associate Professor of Preventive medicine Stefan Kertesz, M.D. His perspective was published online in the addiction journal Substance Abuse.

24 Nov 2016

AMCC to raise awareness about dangers of prescription drug abuse across the U.S.

On November 12, 2016 the 7th Annual American Medicine Chest Challenge --- a national public health initiative to raise awareness about the dangers of prescription drug abuse and encourage safe disposal of prescription drugs will be held in communities throughout the nation.

11 Nov 2016