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.

Study finds alarming risk for people coming off chronic opioid therapy

With a huge push to reduce opioid prescribing, little is known about the real-world benefits or risks to patients.

6 Sep 2019

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Waiting for the Trump health plan

President Donald Trump has been promising to reveal a new health plan since early this year. That hasn't happened yet. Now, there is a debate about whether having a plan for Democrats to criticize would help or hurt the president's campaign.

5 Sep 2019

School districts double down on drug testing, targeting even middle schoolers

Thirteen-year-old Aura Brillhart and her 11-year-old sister, Morgan, will face a new sort of test in school this year: a drug test.

5 Sep 2019

Opioids after surgery overly prescribed in USA and Canada

A new study covering several institutions shows that patients recovering from surgery in the US or Canada have a 50% chance of being treated with opioids. This is seven times as high as the corresponding percentage in Sweden. Within the US, the initial dosages are likely to be over 200 morphine milligram equivalents (MME) – much more than in Canada.

5 Sep 2019

Inflammation in the gut and brain may exacerbate symptoms linked with opioid withdrawal

Opioid dependence has become a national crisis with serious impact on economic and social welfare, and numerous casualties.

29 Aug 2019

We still don't understand the full impact of prenatal opioid exposure on childhood development

While the opioid epidemic has been reported on extensively, data on the effects of prenatal opioid exposure on childhood development is still lacking.

29 Aug 2019

In India’s burgeoning pain market, U.S. drugmakers stand to gain

Pain, like death, is a universal phenomenon. The sour grimace on the woman's face, registering her bodily complaints to Dr. G.P. Dureja in his East Delhi office, would be recognized anywhere. Slouched shoulders, pinched forehead. She wore a willowy black kurta and cast a disapproving glance at the five pain physicians-in-training huddled behind Dureja, founder of Delhi Pain Management Centre and one of India's pioneering pain physicians.

28 Aug 2019

Study reveals link between popular pain medication and greater risk of hypoglycemia

Since its approval in 1995, the opioid tramadol (marketed as ConZip and Ultram) has become a widely prescribed remedy for osteoarthritis and other painful indications, in part because it presents a lesser risk for some side effects and has a lower abuse potential when compared to other opioids.

28 Aug 2019

Australian overdose deaths - sinister new trend

The incidence of unintentional overdose leading to death is still going up in Australia, says Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2019. Most of the drugs involved are very powerful. They include prescription opioids and benzodiazepines as well as illegal substances like heroin and crystal methamphetamine or “ice”.

27 Aug 2019

Front-line primary care providers given tools to play larger role in tackling opioid abuse

Buprenorphine and naltrexone can help break a person's addiction to life-threatening opioid use disorder, but they can be hard for front-line, primary care providers to prescribe, according to researchers at McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center.

27 Aug 2019

Survey reveals escalating interest to use marijuana or cannabinoids for managing pain

Millennials lead the escalating interest in marijuana and cannabinoid compounds for managing pain – with older generations not far behind – and yet most are unaware of potential risks.

26 Aug 2019

Breast cancer patients with mental health conditions have higher opioid use, reduced survival

Elderly women battling breast cancer who have anxiety, depression or other mental health conditions are more likely to use opioids and more likely to die, a new study led by the University of Virginia School of Medicine has found.

26 Aug 2019

Addiction clinics market pricey, unproven treatments to desperate patients

Jason was hallucinating. He was withdrawing from drugs at an addiction treatment center near Indianapolis, and he had hardly slept for several days.

23 Aug 2019

Anxiety, depression associated with increased opioid use following surgery

Surgeons wielding their life-saving scalpels, laparoscopic tools, or other implements to repair or remove what ails their patients understand all too well that pain is an unavoidable part of the healing process. Yet the current opioid crisis has made the standard prescribing practices for these highly effective analgesics fraught with risk.

22 Aug 2019

Study explores obstacles to treating opioid use disorder with an effective medication

In an effort to find ways to improve long-term outcomes for people with opioid use disorder, University of Massachusetts Amherst epidemiology researcher Elizabeth Evans set out to study the obstacles to treating this chronic condition with an effective medication, buprenorphine-naloxone.

22 Aug 2019

UNM researchers find strong evidence that cannabis can significantly alleviate pain

Using the largest database of real-time recordings of the effects of common and commercially available cannabis products in the United States, researchers at The University of New Mexico found strong evidence that cannabis can significantly alleviate pain, with the average user experiencing a three-point drop in pain suffering on a 0-10 point scale immediately following cannabis consumption.

21 Aug 2019

Patients who start long-term buprenorphine treatment are less likely to use opioids

In a first-ever randomized trial, patients at a short-term inpatient program began long-term outpatient treatment with buprenorphine before discharge, with better outcomes than detox patients.

21 Aug 2019

Drug-related emergencies prevalent among people who attend electronic dance music parties

People who frequent electronic dance music parties often use multiple drugs simultaneously and experience adverse effects with some ending up in the emergency department, say researchers at New York University School of Medicine and Rutgers University.

21 Aug 2019

Study reaffirms importance of empathy and understanding in treating patients with chronic pain

Osteopathic medicine's emphasis on physician empathy and understanding leads to higher patient satisfaction, a study by researchers at UNTHSC's Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine indicates.

20 Aug 2019

Researchers find biological system that manages cells' response to opioid drug exposure

A team at Scripps Research in Florida has discovered a biological system that manages cells' response to opioid drug exposure. The unexpected discovery offers new ideas for improving the safety of the one of the most effective, and most abused, group of pain medications.

19 Aug 2019

Opioids News and Research

Further Reading

Study finds alarming risk for people coming off chronic opioid therapy

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Waiting for the Trump health plan

School districts double down on drug testing, targeting even middle schoolers

Opioids after surgery overly prescribed in USA and Canada

Inflammation in the gut and brain may exacerbate symptoms linked with opioid withdrawal

We still don't understand the full impact of prenatal opioid exposure on childhood development

In India’s burgeoning pain market, U.S. drugmakers stand to gain

Study reveals link between popular pain medication and greater risk of hypoglycemia

Australian overdose deaths - sinister new trend

Front-line primary care providers given tools to play larger role in tackling opioid abuse

Survey reveals escalating interest to use marijuana or cannabinoids for managing pain

Breast cancer patients with mental health conditions have higher opioid use, reduced survival

Addiction clinics market pricey, unproven treatments to desperate patients

Anxiety, depression associated with increased opioid use following surgery

Study explores obstacles to treating opioid use disorder with an effective medication

UNM researchers find strong evidence that cannabis can significantly alleviate pain

Patients who start long-term buprenorphine treatment are less likely to use opioids

Drug-related emergencies prevalent among people who attend electronic dance music parties

Study reaffirms importance of empathy and understanding in treating patients with chronic pain

Researchers find biological system that manages cells' response to opioid drug exposure

Event guide: The Non-Opioid Pain Therapeutics Summit eBook

The Critical Role of Sample Storage in Drug Discovery and Development

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

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