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.

UIC receives $2.8 million NIH funding to tackle opioid use among people with kidney disease

The University of Illinois at Chicago has received $2.8 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health to investigate non-opioid pain management strategies for people with kidney disease, which affects about 15% of adults in the U.S.

3 Oct 2019

Prescription-only changes reduce codeine misuse in Australia

The move to prescription-only codeine in Australia has seen a 50 percent reduction in the monthly rate of codeine-related poisoning calls and halved codeine sales, finds new research led by the University of Sydney.

3 Oct 2019

UC Davis research team receives NIH grant to develop novel drugs for treating pain

A UC Davis research team, led by Vladimir Yarov-Yarovoy and Heike Wulff, will receive a $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a novel class of peptides that are better at treating pain and don't have the side effects of opioids.

1 Oct 2019

Access to physical therapy for low back pain may reduce opioid prescriptions

Patients who first saw a physical therapist or chiropractor for low back pain, rather than a primary care physician, were much less likely to be prescribed opioids.

30 Sep 2019

US Government supports Kinoxis Therapeutics to end opioid addiction

Kinoxis Therapeutics has been awarded a grant for a potential of up to $US4.6 million ($6.8 million) under the USA National Institutes of Health Helping to End Addiction Long-Term, or the NIH HEAL Initiative.

30 Sep 2019

Study finds nearly one in three patients with lupus uses prescription opioids for pain

Although there is little evidence that opioids effectively reduce pain from rheumatic diseases, a new study finds nearly one in three patients with lupus uses prescription opioids, often lasting longer than a year.

26 Sep 2019

NIH awards $945 million through NIH HEAL Initiative to reverse opioid crisis

To reverse the opioid crisis that continues to grip the nation, the National Institutes of Health has awarded $945 million in total fiscal year 2019 funding for grants, contracts and cooperative agreements across 41 states through the Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative or NIH HEAL Initiative.

26 Sep 2019

In tiny doses, an addiction medication moonlights as treatment for chronic pain

Lori Pinkley, a 50-year-old from Kansas City, Mo., has struggled with puzzling chronic pain since she was 15.

26 Sep 2019

Large-scale enhanced recovery program after bariatric surgery improves patient outcomes

A large-scale implementation of a protocol to improve recovery of patients after weight-loss operations was found to reduce rates of extended hospitalization by almost half at 36 participating accredited bariatric surgery centers nationwide, according to a study published online ahead of print in the current issue of the journal Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases.

24 Sep 2019

Synthetic oral cannabinoid use found to be more common among older adults with COPD

A study published today in Drugs & Aging found that older adults in Ontario with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were twice as likely to use prescription synthetic oral cannabinoids compared to older adults without COPD.

23 Sep 2019

Advancements in pain management are giving new options to patients

Hardly a day goes by without the public being warned about the dangers of opioids. But still, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 130 people die every day of opioid overdose and the problem is getting worse.

21 Sep 2019

Knowing when and how to taper off opioid dosage crucial to safe pain management

Many healthcare providers today try to avoid administering or prescribing opioid pain medications when possible because of the narcotics' addictive properties. But for some patients, opioid medications remain the most effective, most appropriate treatment for their subjective pain complaints.

20 Sep 2019

Review highlights medication underuse in the treatment of opioid use disorder

Though research shows that medication-assisted treatment can help people who are addicted to opioids, the three drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are underused, according to a review of current medical data on opioid addiction in the U.S.

19 Sep 2019

Doctors and nurses with addictions often denied a crucial recovery option

Dr. Wesley Boyd, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard, has spent years working with state programs that help doctors, nurses and other health care workers who have become addicted to opioids get back on their feet professionally.

19 Sep 2019

Study may provide best intervention measures to prevent opioid overdose

A minority of people who use illicit opioids indicated a preference for fentanyl, the super-potent synthetic opioid that accounts for much of the recent rise in U.S. overdose deaths, according to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

19 Sep 2019