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.

Medicaid expansion linked to reduction in opioid overdose mortality across the U.S.

The expansion of Medicaid coverage for low-income adults permitted by the Affordable Care Act was associated with a six percent reduction in total opioid overdose deaths nationally, according to new research from NYU Grossman School of Medicine and University of California, Davis.

11 Jan 2020

Family doctors in rural America tackle crisis of addiction and pain

Dr. Angela Gatzke-Plamann didn’t fully grasp her community’s opioid crisis until one desperate patient called on a Friday afternoon in 2016.

10 Jan 2020

Study: Opioid addiction care is scarce in Medicaid work requirement states

Low-income people with addiction, especially those with addiction to opioids, may find it hard to access the kind of care they need to recover no matter where they live, a new study suggests.

10 Jan 2020

Opioid addiction care is harder to access in states considering Medicaid work requirements

Low-income people with addiction, especially those with addiction to opioids, may find it hard to access the kind of care they need to recover no matter where they live, a new study suggests.

9 Jan 2020

Study: Less than 2% of people at risk for opioid overdose are prescribed life-saving drug

Only a tiny minority of people at risk for an opioid overdose actually are prescribed a drug that could save their lives, a new study suggests. And the odds of having a dose of the rescue drug were very low among some of the most at-risk groups, including those who had already survived a previous opioid overdose.

8 Jan 2020

Changing the underlying structure and culture of a clinic to address opioid epidemic

For the 20 percent of Americans who suffer from chronic pain, prescription opioids may bring relief, but also risks. An estimated 21 to 29 percent of patients who receive chronic opioid treatment will misuse their medications, and 8 to 12 percent will develop an opioid use disorder.

8 Jan 2020

Study examines trends in drug overdose rates with and without opioids

Fatal overdoses involving stimulants (cocaine and other psychostimulants, primarily methamphetamine) have been increasing over the past few years.

8 Jan 2020

FDA’s risk-management program to curb improper opioid prescribing may not have been effective

A risk-management program set up in 2012 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to curb improper prescribing of extended-release and long-acting opioids may not have been effective because of shortcomings in the program's design and execution, according to a paper from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

7 Jan 2020

Using CRISPR to switch off pain gene becomes a possibility with new study

A pathbreaking study reports success in disabling an important gene that is responsible for inducing the sensation of pain.

7 Jan 2020

MCOD data undercounts fatal overdose deaths induced by certain drugs

Fatal misuse of specific drugs is a bigger problem than federal statistics make them appear, especially in Florida.

7 Jan 2020

Physicians and the public should be aware of several risks related to cannabis edibles

With the recent legalization of cannabis edibles in Canada, physicians and the public must be aware of the novel risks of cannabis edibles, argue authors in a commentary in CMAJ.

6 Jan 2020

Effort to control opioids in an ER leaves some sickle cell patients in pain

India Hardy has lived with pain since she was a toddler — ranging from dull persistent aches to acute flare-ups that interrupt the flow of her normal life.

6 Jan 2020

Proper disposal of leftover medication can help reduce antibiotic resistance

Proper disposal of leftover medication, particularly antibiotics and opioids, can help reduce antibiotic resistance, prevent children from being poisoned and stop the misuse of addiction-forming drugs.

31 Dec 2019

Closing of local automotive assembly plants may lead to rise in opioid overdose deaths

Closing of local automotive assembly plants may lead to increases in deaths from opioid overdose, according to a study led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts General Hospital.

30 Dec 2019

New spatiomolecular map may advance understanding of the brain's decision-making area

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have come one step closer toward understanding how the part of our brain that is central for decision-making and the development of addiction is organized on a molecular level.

26 Dec 2019

Behavioral intervention and risk education can improve parents' prompt disposal of leftover opioids

Leftover prescription opioids pose big risks to kids, yet most parents keep their own and their child's unused painkillers even after they're no longer medically necessary for pain.

23 Dec 2019

SLU researcher honored for finding better pain treatments

Researcher Daniela Salvemini, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology and physiology at Saint Louis University, has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors for her contributions toward understanding and finding better treatments for pain.

23 Dec 2019

Gender-tailored treatment methods may help alleviate opioid crisis

Gender-tailored methods to address the harmful mental health effects of childhood adversity may help alleviate the current opioid crisis and make treatment more effective, concludes University of Massachusetts Amherst epidemiology researcher Elizabeth Evans in her latest research about opioid use disorder.

22 Dec 2019

Study finds increase in high-strength painkiller poisonings among children

The proportion of high-strength painkiller poisonings among children which result in emergency hospital admissions has increased, according to research published in the peer-reviewed journal Clinical Toxicology.

22 Dec 2019

A veteran started vaping THC to cope with chronic pain. Then he got very sick.

As vaping has grown more popular in recent years, the trend has been fueled by the habit’s pleasurable allure: Compared with smoking cigarettes or pot, vaping is discreet and less smelly. Vaping fluids come in hundreds of flavors. There’s no tar or other byproducts of burning. And vape pens are high-tech, customizable and sleek.

20 Dec 2019

Opioids News and Research

Further Reading

Medicaid expansion linked to reduction in opioid overdose mortality across the U.S.

Family doctors in rural America tackle crisis of addiction and pain

Study: Opioid addiction care is scarce in Medicaid work requirement states

Opioid addiction care is harder to access in states considering Medicaid work requirements

Study: Less than 2% of people at risk for opioid overdose are prescribed life-saving drug

Changing the underlying structure and culture of a clinic to address opioid epidemic

Study examines trends in drug overdose rates with and without opioids

FDA’s risk-management program to curb improper opioid prescribing may not have been effective

Using CRISPR to switch off pain gene becomes a possibility with new study

MCOD data undercounts fatal overdose deaths induced by certain drugs

Physicians and the public should be aware of several risks related to cannabis edibles

Effort to control opioids in an ER leaves some sickle cell patients in pain

Proper disposal of leftover medication can help reduce antibiotic resistance

Closing of local automotive assembly plants may lead to rise in opioid overdose deaths

New spatiomolecular map may advance understanding of the brain's decision-making area

Behavioral intervention and risk education can improve parents' prompt disposal of leftover opioids

SLU researcher honored for finding better pain treatments

Gender-tailored treatment methods may help alleviate opioid crisis

Study finds increase in high-strength painkiller poisonings among children

A veteran started vaping THC to cope with chronic pain. Then he got very sick.

Event guide: The Non-Opioid Pain Therapeutics Summit eBook

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