Fentanyl News and Research

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Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opiate analgesic similar to but more potent than morphine. It is typically used to treat patients with severe pain, or to manage pain after surgery. It is also sometimes used to treat people with chronic pain who are physically tolerant to opiates. It is a schedule II prescription drug.

New project aims to measure nicotine use through sewage

University of California, Merced's Nicotine and Cannabis Policy Center has embarked on an innovative partnership with researchers at the university who track an entire community's health and habits with samples of human sewage.

11 Feb 2025

Low-dose initiation of buprenorphine for people using fentanyl fails to deliver expected results

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when fentanyl overdoses surged, doctors were desperate to find ways of helping their patients.

24 Jan 2025

Majority of naloxone recipients in NYC at high risk of overdose

The overwhelming majority of those in New York City who obtained a naloxone kit to counteract opioid overdose had a high need for the drug, according to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

16 Jan 2025

Study highlights the growing crisis of methamphetamine-related deaths in the U.S.

Methamphetamine deaths in the U.S. rose 61-fold from 1999 to 2021, according to a new study, highlighting a growing crisis in addiction and public health.

13 Jan 2025

Stimulant users are caught in fatal ‘fourth wave’ of opioid epidemic

In Pawtucket, Rhode Island, near a storefront advertising "free" cellphones, J.R. sat in an empty back stairwell and showed a reporter how he tries to avoid overdosing when he smokes crack cocaine.

3 Jan 2025

Caseworkers coax homeless people out of Las Vegas’ tunnels for treatment

Case manager Bryon Johnson flashed a light into a dark tunnel beneath the glitz of the Las Vegas Strip on a recent fall afternoon. He stepped into an opening in a concrete ditch littered with trash and discarded clothing to search an underground world for his homeless clients.

23 Dec 2024

How are states spending opioid settlement cash? We built a database of answers

In the past few years, state and local governments across the U.S. have begun spending billions in opioid settlements paid by companies accused of fueling the overdose crisis. But where is that money going, who is getting it, and is it doing any good?

16 Dec 2024

Structural and functional brain changes found in individuals with opioid use disorder

Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine found structural and functional alterations in specific brain regions of individuals with opioid use disorder.

10 Dec 2024

EASI algorithm set to transform forensic drug identification processes

Relief is coming for crime scene investigators and toxicologists who have struggled to accurately and swiftly identify drugs that have been seized by law enforcement and may be relied on as evidence at trial, thanks to a research partnership between West Virginia University and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

15 Nov 2024

COVID-19 pandemic led to significant decline in cardiac arrest survival rates

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates dropped significantly at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and have continued to remain lower than in the pre-pandemic years of 2015-2019, according to a preliminary study to be presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2024.

11 Nov 2024

Novel device may rescue people from overdose without bystander help

The opioid epidemic claims more 70,000 lives each year in the U.S., and lifesaving interventions are urgently needed.

23 Oct 2024

Methadone more effective than buprenorphine in reducing treatment discontinuation

People with opioid use disorder in British Columbia who received methadone had a 37–40 per cent lower rate of treatment discontinuation compared with those who received buprenorphine/naloxone.

21 Oct 2024

Expanded treatment options linked to 37% reduction in drug overdose deaths

Expanded treatment options, increased naloxone distribution and targeted education campaigns likely led to a 37% reduction in overdose deaths from opioids combined with stimulant drugs other than cocaine, according to the results of a large federally funded study.

21 Oct 2024

Understanding how men and women process pain differently

In a new study evaluating meditation for chronic lower back pain, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that men and women utilize different biological systems to relieve pain.

16 Oct 2024

Tiny molecule offers hope in reducing opioid side effects

Opioid drugs are highly effective at relieving pain but come with severe drawbacks. Their side effects range from dizziness to potentially fatal respiratory depression.

9 Oct 2024

Vance-Walz debate highlighted clear health policy differences

Ohio Republican Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz met in an Oct. 1 vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News that was cordial and heavy on policy discussion — a striking change from the Sept. 10 debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

2 Oct 2024

California voters consider tough love for repeat drug offenders

California voters are considering whether to roll back some of the criminal justice reforms enacted a decade ago as concerns about mass incarceration give way to public anger over property crime and a fentanyl crisis that has plagued the state since the covid-19 pandemic hit.

30 Sep 2024

Higher doses of buprenorphine linked to lower emergency visits in opioid use disorder

Adults with opioid use disorder who receive a higher daily dose of the opioid addiction treatment medication buprenorphine may have a lower risk of subsequent emergency department visits or use of inpatient services related to behavioral health (such as for mental health and substance use disorders) than adults receiving the recommended dose, according to an analysis funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

25 Sep 2024

New curriculum aims to address substance use disorders in medical education

Nearly 6,000 opioid-related overdose deaths occurred in California in 2021, many due to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid.

19 Sep 2024

Data analysis sheds light on youth opioid overdose crisis

Drug overdose mortality has risen faster among adolescents than the general population in recent years, largely due to fentanyl, a potent opioid pain medication. A new study published in JAMA sheds light on trends in nonfatal opioid overdoses in youth – an area that was not as well characterized, but key to formulating prevention strategies to save lives.

19 Sep 2024