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More surgical patients on opioid use disorder treatment demand updated pain care

As more Americans receive treatment for opioid use disorder, that progress is increasingly showing up in the operating room, creating an urgent need to modernize how pain is managed during and after major surgery, according to a study in the February 2026 issue of Anesthesiology, the peer-reviewed medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).

13 Jan 2026

What the Health? from KFF Health News: New Year, same health fight

Congress returned from its holiday break to the same question it faced in December: whether to extend covid-era premium subsidies for health plans sold under the Affordable Care Act.

8 Jan 2026

In Lodge Grass, Montana, a Crow community works to rebuild from meth’s destruction

Brothers Lonny and Teyon Fritzler walked amid the tall grass and cottonwood trees surrounding their boarded-up childhood home near the Little Bighorn River and daydreamed about ways to rebuild.

8 Jan 2026

Study: Extended MOUD treatment significantly increases survival probability

A new study of over 32,000 US Veterans has found that the longer people stay on medications for opioid use disorder (buprenorphine, methadone, or extended-release naltrexone), the greater the probability of short- and medium-term survival. This benefit continues to increase at least for four years of ongoing treatment, considerably longer than most patients currently stay in treatment.

8 Jan 2026

Gene therapy breakthrough could provide hope for millions living with chronic pain

A preclinical study uncovered a new gene therapy that targets pain centers in the brain while eliminating the risk of addiction from narcotics treatments, a breakthrough which could provide hope for the more than 50 million Americans living with chronic pain.

7 Jan 2026

After outpatient cosmetic surgery, they wound up in the hospital or alone at a recovery house

Lisa Farris worried that a nasty infection from recent liposuction and a tummy tuck was rapidly getting worse. So she phoned the cosmetic surgery center to ask if she should head to the emergency room, she alleges in a lawsuit.

23 Dec 2025

Washington’s homeless hide in plain sight, growing sicker and costing taxpayers more

Every night, Abdullah Ibrahim retreats from the streets into a wooded stretch along the Potomac River.

18 Dec 2025

WSU researchers discover how a neural circuit drives relapse after opioid use

Washington State University researchers have discovered how a neural circuit – or a connection between two brain regions – drives relapse after opioid use, a finding that could lead to more effective treatments for opioid use disorders.

9 Dec 2025

Parental leniency toward binge drinking is tied to heavier alcohol use in Greek students

Parental permissiveness toward heavy episodic drinking is higher among Greek-affiliated students and their parents during the transition from high school to college. Students who perceive greater parental approval of heavy drinking report more frequent alcohol use, with this relationship differing by Greek affiliation.

7 Dec 2025

Most Medicaid patients do not receive life-saving drugs for opioid use disorder

A US study of more than a million Medicaid enrollees, newly diagnosed with opioid use disorder (OUD), finds most – nearly seven in 10 – are not receiving access to potentially life-saving drugs within six months.

24 Nov 2025

Take-home methadone provides a lifesaving bridge to recovery after hospitalization

For patients recovering from opioid use disorder, particularly from drugs like fentanyl or heroin, the days immediately following a hospital stay are among the most dangerous.

22 Nov 2025

Year-long adherence to buprenorphine sharply reduces overdose risk in young people

New research from Mass General Brigham finds that adolescents and young adults who stayed on the medication buprenorphine for at least a year had markedly lower risks of opioid overdose and hospitalization compared with peers who discontinued medication early or took it inconsistently.

18 Nov 2025

Risk assessment models could improve support for patients leaving hospital against medical advice

Risk prediction tools might help identify patients at the highest risk of overdose and death after a "before medically advised" (BMA) hospital discharge according to new research in CMAJ.

11 Nov 2025

Over-the-counter pain relievers outperform opioids after wisdom tooth extraction

Over-the-counter pain medications work as well or better than opioids after wisdom tooth extraction for both men and women, according to a Rutgers Health-led follow-up to a landmark paper on comparative pain relief.

6 Nov 2025

Opioid receptors caught in motion offering clues for safer painkillers

Scientists have known for decades that opioids relieve pain by binding to molecular switches in the brain called mu-opioid (pronounced "mew-opioid") receptors. What they didn't know - until now - was exactly what happens next.

5 Nov 2025

Inconsistent labels and risky doses found in turmeric supplements worldwide

A global analysis of 125 turmeric supplements across five major markets revealed widespread inconsistencies in labeling, dosage, and regulatory compliance. Over a third lacked curcuminoid content disclosure, and nearly one-third exceeded safe intake levels, exposing consumers to unverified and potentially risky formulations.

3 Nov 2025

Sock hops and concerts: How some places spent opioid settlement cash

Officials in Irvington, New Jersey, had an idea. To raise awareness about the dangers of opioid use and addiction, the township could host concerts with popular R&B artists like Q Parker and Musiq Soulchild.

3 Nov 2025

Researchers to study the economics of substance use disorder treatments with $4 million NIDA grant

A team led by Weill Cornell Medicine and University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine investigators has been awarded a five-year, $4 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) for health economics research.

30 Oct 2025

UMass Amherst researcher receives $17.9 million to advance jail-based addiction and HIV care

A University of Massachusetts Amherst public health researcher has received four grants totaling $17.9 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue groundbreaking research that implemented and assessed medical treatment programs for incarcerated people with opioid use disorder, as well as develop a new program for HIV prevention and treatment.

27 Oct 2025

Study highlights need to establish clinical practice guidelines for surgical patients receiving MOUDs

In an effort to stem the death toll from opioid overdose, United States public health officials have promoted the prescription and use of medications like buprenorphine that blunt the effects of illicit opioids such as fentanyl.

27 Oct 2025

Overdose News and Research

More surgical patients on opioid use disorder treatment demand updated pain care

What the Health? from KFF Health News: New Year, same health fight

In Lodge Grass, Montana, a Crow community works to rebuild from meth’s destruction

Study: Extended MOUD treatment significantly increases survival probability

Gene therapy breakthrough could provide hope for millions living with chronic pain

After outpatient cosmetic surgery, they wound up in the hospital or alone at a recovery house

Washington’s homeless hide in plain sight, growing sicker and costing taxpayers more

WSU researchers discover how a neural circuit drives relapse after opioid use

Parental leniency toward binge drinking is tied to heavier alcohol use in Greek students

Most Medicaid patients do not receive life-saving drugs for opioid use disorder

Take-home methadone provides a lifesaving bridge to recovery after hospitalization

Year-long adherence to buprenorphine sharply reduces overdose risk in young people

Risk assessment models could improve support for patients leaving hospital against medical advice

Over-the-counter pain relievers outperform opioids after wisdom tooth extraction

Opioid receptors caught in motion offering clues for safer painkillers

Inconsistent labels and risky doses found in turmeric supplements worldwide

Sock hops and concerts: How some places spent opioid settlement cash

Researchers to study the economics of substance use disorder treatments with $4 million NIDA grant

UMass Amherst researcher receives $17.9 million to advance jail-based addiction and HIV care

Study highlights need to establish clinical practice guidelines for surgical patients receiving MOUDs

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