Overdose News and Research

RSS

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

Evaluating bed-based care for substance use disorder in Canada

Is expanding hospital inpatient, or bed-based, care a way to help address the overdose crisis? An analysis article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.240955 describes the RE-AIM framework (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance), which can help provinces determine whether bed-cased care is effective.

27 Oct 2025

Updated CPR guidelines provide expanded recommendations for managing choking and opioid overdose

The "2025 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC)," published today in the Association's flagship journal, Circulation, marks the first full revision of lifesaving resuscitation guidance since 2020.

22 Oct 2025

Global health study warns of rising youth deaths amid declining overall mortality

Global mortality rates are falling but not among youths and young adults, according to the latest Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study published in The Lancet today and presented at the World Health Summit in Berlin.

13 Oct 2025

Fentanyl-stimulant overdose deaths surge among older adults

Overdose deaths in adults age 65 and older from fentanyl mixed with stimulants, such as cocaine and methamphetamines, have surged 9,000% in the past eight years, matching rates found among younger adults, according to research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2025 annual meeting.

12 Oct 2025

Portable sensor can accurately detect synthetic cannabinoids in e-cigarette and biological samples

Even though electronic cigarettes do not contain any illicit substances, the liquid can cause serious health problems.

9 Oct 2025

Tramadol found to offer limited relief for chronic pain while raising risk of serious side effects

The strong opioid painkiller, tramadol, is not that effective at easing chronic pain for which it's widely prescribed, finds a pooled data analysis of the available research, published online in BMJ Evidence Based Medicine.

7 Oct 2025

UIC studies reveal rise in lidocaine poisonings despite overall drop in anesthetic deaths

Over the last decade, poisonings and deaths linked to the use of local anesthetics have decreased. Even so, poisonings from one commonly used anesthetic, lidocaine, have increased in the United States, according to two new studies from the University of Illinois Chicago.

6 Oct 2025

Overdose News and Research

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

Evaluating bed-based care for substance use disorder in Canada

Updated CPR guidelines provide expanded recommendations for managing choking and opioid overdose

Global health study warns of rising youth deaths amid declining overall mortality

Fentanyl-stimulant overdose deaths surge among older adults

Portable sensor can accurately detect synthetic cannabinoids in e-cigarette and biological samples

Tramadol found to offer limited relief for chronic pain while raising risk of serious side effects

UIC studies reveal rise in lidocaine poisonings despite overall drop in anesthetic deaths

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

Applications Engineer

Latest News