Opioids News and Research

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An opioid is a chemical that works by binding to opioid receptors, which are found principally in the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. The receptors in these two organ systems mediate both the beneficial effects and the side effects of opioids.

Managing pain after sports medicine procedures without opioids

A Henry Ford Hospital study published in the Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery, has found that patients who underwent knee surgery and other types of sports medicine procedures could manage their pain without opioids or a minimal dosage.

18 Jun 2020

Study: Nearly 10% of patients continue to use opioids more than 90 days after heart surgery

Nearly 10 percent of patients who are prescribed opioid medications following heart surgery will continue to use opioids more than 90 days after the procedure, according to a new study led by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

17 Jun 2020

Depression and anxiety symptoms linked to changes in the brain's opioid system

A new study conducted in Turku, Finland, reveals how symptoms indicating depression and anxiety are linked to brain function changes already in healthy individuals.

16 Jun 2020

Drug shortages can be exacerbated by COVID-19 pandemic

A new paper published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society examines the nation's current shortage of vitally needed medications, and how this dangerous situation is being made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.

11 Jun 2020

Weighing the risks and benefits of drug screening

Little evidence supports the new recommendations for clinical screening for drug use. Do the potential benefits outweigh the potential harms?

10 Jun 2020

Opioid, sedative and antidepressant use prior to surgery leads to more complications

A study led by University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researchers showed that patients who already used opioids, sedatives or antidepressants prior to colorectal surgery experience significantly more complications post-surgery.

8 Jun 2020

UTHSC researchers receive NIH award for opioid addiction studies

A team of University of Tennessee Health Science Center researchers in the College of Medicine recently received a National Institutes of Health award to study how genetic differences may explain why some people are more susceptible to opioid addiction than others.

5 Jun 2020

Study highlights increased consumption of opioids in patients with osteoarthritis

Fentanyl, tramadol or tilidine: New European figures show that even in Europe increasingly more people are taking opioids for pain connected with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.

5 Jun 2020

Pandemic presents new hurdles, and hope, for people struggling with addiction

Before Philadelphia shut down to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Ed had a routine: most mornings he would head to a nearby McDonald’s to brush his teeth, wash his face and — when he had the money — buy a cup of coffee.

2 Jun 2020

Researchers assess harm reduction awareness among frequent cannabis users

Harm reduction strategies have proven effective for use of opioids, alcohol, and tobacco products.

30 May 2020

Study finds nitrous oxide use during labor to be safe with rare side effects

Researchers at the University of Colorado College of Nursing and the School of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology at the Anschutz Medical Campus found that the use of nitrous oxide as a pain relief option for individuals in labor is safe for newborn children and laboring individual, and converting to a different form of pain relief such as an epidural or opioid is influenced by a woman's prior birth history and other factors.

29 May 2020

Study finds large racial/ethnic differences in use of medication for OUD during pregnancy

Black non-Hispanic and Hispanic women with opioid use disorder are significantly less likely to receive or to consistently use any medication to treat their opioid use disorder during pregnancy than their white non-Hispanic counterparts, according to a new study from Massachusetts General Hospital.

27 May 2020

Majority of people in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside use cannabis for therapeutic reasons

Most people at high risk of overdose in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside who use cannabis do so for pain relief and other therapeutic reasons--and they may be at lower risk of overdosing on opioids as a result, suggests new research published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE.

26 May 2020

Legal Cannabis hemp oil helps reduce chronic neuropathic pain in mice

Researchers examine the effectiveness of consuming hemp oil extracted from the whole Cannabis plant using a chronic neuropathic pain animal model.

20 May 2020

New study may eliminate dangerous side effects of drugs used for treating various conditions

Psychedelics such as LSD and magic mushrooms have proven highly effective in treating depression and post-traumatic stress disorders, but medical use of these drugs is limited by the hallucinations they cause.

20 May 2020

A minimally invasive approach to managing pain without opioids

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin (UW) are adopting a minimally invasive, safer approach to electrically treating pain directly at the source as part of the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative.

19 May 2020

Biomechanical footwear reduces pain associated with knee osteoarthritis

Wearing shoes specifically designed with a novel sole (biomechanical footwear) significantly reduces the pain associated with knee osteoarthritis.

12 May 2020

Brief intervention effective in preventing increased and riskier drug use

Individuals who used drugs occasionally reported less use six months after a motivational interview with a health professional, while individuals who did not receive the intervention reported more use.

11 May 2020

Study: Scant proportion of hospitalized patients with opioid use disorder receive treatment

Despite a national opioid-related overdose epidemic that continues to claim tens of thousands of lives annually, a new nationwide study shows that a scant proportion of hospitalized patients with opioid use disorder receive proven life-saving medications both during and after they're discharged.

8 May 2020

Study: Financial incentive can dramatically increase physicians’ training in opioid treatment medication

A new study shows that a financial incentive can dramatically increase the number of emergency department physicians trained to prescribe a potentially life-saving medication that prevents patients from fatal opioid overdose.

6 May 2020