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Built for counterterrorism, this high-tech machine is now used to detect fentanyl

Sarah Mackin runs a cotton swab around the inside of a tiny plastic baggie that appears empty. She spreads whatever residue the swab picked up onto a test strip that resembles a Band-Aid, then slides the strip into a buzzing machine about the size of a boxed, take-home pie.

4 Dec 2019

New PA program in Massachusetts to provide knowledge, skills to prescribe opiates safely

Morbidity and mortality from prescription and synthetic opioid use and abuse continues to be a U.S. public health issue. In an effort to help curtail this crisis, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine describe an approach to ensure Physician Assistant (PA) students graduating from any PA program in Massachusetts will have the knowledge and skills to prescribe opiates safely.

3 Dec 2019

Risk of opioid overdose rises after de-addiction treatment completion

A study from Columbia University reveals that patients, who have been successfully treated with buprenorphine for opioid addiction, are at a greater risk of overdose after completion of the treatment. The study was titled, “Acute care, prescription opioid use, and overdose following discontinuation of long-term buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder”, and was published in the latest issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry. This study was funded and supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

2 Dec 2019

Consortium launches ambitious project to transform the treatment of pain

In an effort to address the critical public health need for new, safer and more effective medicines to treat pain, a consortium based at the Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School has launched an ambitious project titled STOP PAIN (Safe Therapeutic Options for Pain and Inflammation).

2 Dec 2019

Patients qualifying for Medicare due to disability have higher rates of opioid overdose deaths

New findings from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston show that patients qualifying for Medicare because of a disability have the highest rates of opioid overdose deaths compared with older Medicare beneficiaries and commercial insurance beneficiaries.

26 Nov 2019

Not yesterday’s cocaine: Death toll rising from tainted drug

A pain pill prescription for nerve damage revived Gwendolyn Barton's long-dormant addiction last year, awakening fears she would slip back into smoking crack cocaine.

25 Nov 2019

Fentanyl-involved overdoses are concentrated in resource-deprived neighborhoods

Fentanyl overdoses cluster geographically more than non-fentanyl overdoses, according to a study just released by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

22 Nov 2019

New curated library unveiled to help address the opioid epidemic

A new curated library, activated today, provides a centralized toolkit for policymakers, patients and health care professionals working to address the nation's opioid epidemic.

20 Nov 2019

Experts outline new framework to improve care for opioid use disorder

Every day, more than 100 Americans lose their lives to the opioid crisis, and researchers from across the nation are racing to find solutions.

20 Nov 2019

Yoga and physical therapy effective in treating co-occurring sleep disturbance, back pain

Yoga and physical therapy (PT) are effective approaches to treating co-occurring sleep disturbance and back pain while reducing the need for medication, according to a new study from Boston Medical Center.

19 Nov 2019

Research looks at the influence of online platforms on rising illegal drug epidemic

New research in the INFORMS journal Management Science looks at the influence online platforms have on the rising illegal drug epidemic. This study shows drug abuse treatment admissions and overdose deaths have increased since the founding of Craigslist.

18 Nov 2019

MSU professor explores if opioid treatment is available to those who need it most

The U.S. opioid epidemic is still raging – it's particularly pronounced in low-income areas and in those where people lack access to health care services, which includes cities in Michigan and across the Rust Belt.

15 Nov 2019

Adoption of state Prescription Drug Monitoring programs linked with death rates from heroin poisoning

A new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health found a consistent association between the adoption of state Prescription Drug Monitoring programs (PDMP) and death rates from heroin poisoning.

14 Nov 2019

TACC announces role as key collaborator in NIH grant to study chronic pain and opioid dependence

Pain impacts nearly every individual at some point in their lives. With more than 25 million adults in the U.S. experiencing daily pain, the U.S. is facing a crisis due to the high prevalence of chronic pain and associated opioid use disorder and overdose deaths.

14 Nov 2019

Urban hotspots of opioid abuse among high-schoolers revealed

A new study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that in several cities and counties the proportion of high-schoolers who have ever used heroin or misused prescription opioids is much higher than the national average.

14 Nov 2019

Opioid overdose treatment: intranasal vs intramuscular naloxone

Opioid addiction and dependency have become a common plague in many countries of the world. Accompanying these conditions, opioid overdose is being increasingly encountered in many emergency settings. The standard and highly effective antidote for this is naloxone hydrochloride, an opioid antagonist which has been in use for over 4 decades.

13 Nov 2019

Study uncovers risk factors associated with postpartum opioid overdose

Massachusetts researchers have published a new study in the journal Addiction that uncovers several risk factors associated with postpartum opioid overdose.

13 Nov 2019

Australian women with endometriosis turning to cannabis to alleviate symptoms

A new study published today in Journal of Obstetrics Gynaecology Canada has found one in eight Australian women with endometriosis use cannabis to alleviate pain and other symptoms, rating the plant based medicine as the most effective way to self-manage the disorder.

11 Nov 2019

How Germany averted an opioid crisis

In 2016, 10 times as many Americans as Germans died as a result of drug overdoses, mostly opiates. Three times as many Americans as Germans experienced opioid addiction.

11 Nov 2019

Understanding substantial challenges caused by substance use, misuse and dependence

This week sees publication of the first research papers that will form part of PLOS Medicine’s latest Special Issue, which is devoted to understanding the substantial challenges caused by substance use and misuse and seeking to inform responses in the health sector and beyond.

8 Nov 2019

Overdose News and Research

Built for counterterrorism, this high-tech machine is now used to detect fentanyl

New PA program in Massachusetts to provide knowledge, skills to prescribe opiates safely

Risk of opioid overdose rises after de-addiction treatment completion

Consortium launches ambitious project to transform the treatment of pain

Patients qualifying for Medicare due to disability have higher rates of opioid overdose deaths

Not yesterday’s cocaine: Death toll rising from tainted drug

Fentanyl-involved overdoses are concentrated in resource-deprived neighborhoods

New curated library unveiled to help address the opioid epidemic

Experts outline new framework to improve care for opioid use disorder

Yoga and physical therapy effective in treating co-occurring sleep disturbance, back pain

Research looks at the influence of online platforms on rising illegal drug epidemic

MSU professor explores if opioid treatment is available to those who need it most

Adoption of state Prescription Drug Monitoring programs linked with death rates from heroin poisoning

TACC announces role as key collaborator in NIH grant to study chronic pain and opioid dependence

Urban hotspots of opioid abuse among high-schoolers revealed

Opioid overdose treatment: intranasal vs intramuscular naloxone

Study uncovers risk factors associated with postpartum opioid overdose

Australian women with endometriosis turning to cannabis to alleviate symptoms

How Germany averted an opioid crisis

Understanding substantial challenges caused by substance use, misuse and dependence

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