Overdose News and Research

RSS

In-jail buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder may reduce rearrest and reconviction

A study conducted in two rural Massachusetts jails found that people with opioid use disorder who were incarcerated and received a medication approved to treat opioid use disorder, known as buprenorphine, were less likely to face rearrest and reconviction after release than those who did not receive the medication.

18 Jan 2022

Study finds an exponential increase in older adult opioid overdose death rates

A common stereotype for an "older adult" might include early-bird specials, dentures and tickets to the matinee show.

11 Jan 2022

Some heart surgery patients may be able to control postoperative pain without opioids

Many patients who undergo heart surgery may be able to safely and effectively control postoperative pain without opioids after hospital discharge, according to research published online today in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

6 Jan 2022

Study highlights opioid use disorder treatment access disparities based on Medicaid prevalence

Researchers report that in communities where Medicaid is a more common source of insurance, providers of buprenorphine, an effective treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), are much less likely to discriminate between Medicaid and privately insured prospective patients, but patients with either type of coverage still face many barriers to obtaining an initial appointment for treatment.

5 Jan 2022

New program boosts buprenorphine treatment rates for opioid use disorder

A program designed to increase initiation of buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder in the emergency department led to a sixfold increase in its use at three Penn Medicine hospitals, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

23 Dec 2021

Incarcerated Black individuals experience higher mortality rates, study shows

A new study led by researchers at Boston Medical Center shows that Black individuals who were incarcerated experience higher mortality rates post-incarceration compared to non-Hispanic non-Black individuals who were incarcerated.

23 Dec 2021

With overdose deaths surging, advocates on the ground push for over-the-counter naloxone

Louise Vincent figures her group, the North Carolina Survivors Union, saves at least 1,690 lives a year.

14 Dec 2021

Using cannabis alongside other drugs may lead to harmful drug-drug interactions

Using cannabis alongside other drugs may come with a significant risk of harmful drug-drug interactions, new research by scientists at Washington State University suggests.

13 Dec 2021

New approaches needed to address the U.S. opioid epidemic

To address the U.S. opioid epidemic, policies and guidelines have focused primarily on reducing opioid prescribing and restricting supply. Accordingly, opioid prescribing decreased 38% in the past decade.

7 Dec 2021

Hospitals refused to give patients ivermectin. Lockdowns and political pressure followed.

One Montana hospital went into lockdown and called police after a woman threatened violence because her relative was denied her request to be treated with ivermectin.

2 Dec 2021

Northwestern researchers continue to tackle every facet of COVID-19 pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic nears the two-year mark, Northwestern Medicine scientists continue to tackle every facet of the disease, from investigating coronavirus vaccines' potential for providing immunity against similar coronaviruses to developing novel rapid antigen-based tests and examining disparities in COVID-19 case and mortality rates in Chicago.

30 Nov 2021

UW researchers develop a wearable device to detect and reverse opioid overdose

A research team at the University of Washington has developed a wearable device to detect and reverse an opioid overdose.

22 Nov 2021

Clinic-based review board helps reduce opioid prescribing

An internal medicine clinic at Oregon Health & Science University has sharply reduced the amount of opioids prescribed though innovative use of a review board comprising a team of health care professionals from various disciplines to ensure patients' needs are being met.

9 Nov 2021

As overdose deaths soar, DEA-wary pharmacies shy from dispensing addiction medication

When Martin Njoku saw opioid addiction devastate his West Virginia community, he felt compelled to help. This was the place he'd called home for three decades, where he'd raised his two girls and turned his dream of owning a pharmacy into reality.

9 Nov 2021

Relaxing limits on take-home methadone did not lead to worse outcomes

Relaxing limits on take-home doses of methadone - a medication used to treat opioid addiction - does not appear to lead to worse treatment outcomes, according to a new study led by Washington State University researchers.

1 Nov 2021

CDC launches complementary education campaigns to save more lives from drug overdose

To save more lives from drug overdose, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently launched four complementary education campaigns intended to reach young adults ages 18 - 34 years.

30 Oct 2021

Research indicates increasing rates of crash deaths involving both alcohol and cannabis

New research indicates that between 2000 and 2018, the percentage of car crash deaths in the United States involving cannabis have doubled, and the percentage of deaths involving both cannabis and alcohol, have more than doubled.

29 Oct 2021

Study focuses on the high hepatitis C rates in pregnant people

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can lead to long-term health problems including liver damage, liver failure, cirrhosis, liver cancer and even death. These outcomes are especially dangerous for pregnant people and their babies.

29 Oct 2021

Study highlights major role of polysubstance use in drug overdose risk

Even as the opioid epidemic dominated national attention over the past decade, the rate of overdose deaths involving cocaine, methamphetamine and other stimulants tripled, a new study in veterans suggests.

21 Oct 2021

Women may be more vulnerable to drug addiction and addiction-like behaviors than men

The results of several new studies focusing on sex differences in pain and addiction indicate females could be more susceptible to drug addiction and addiction-like behaviors than males. Researchers also explored the role of lack of sleep on the likeliness to relapse. This is due in part to hormone differences in females and males. Data from the studies will be presented virtually October 19–22 at the American Physiological Society's seventh conference on New Trends in Sex and Gender Medicine.

20 Oct 2021