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.

Illicit drug supply at record heights

According to a 2018 World Drug report released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) this week (26th June 2018) the supply of illicit drugs such as cocaine, opium and heroin have reached record heights.

28 Jun 2018

Pain rehabilitation programs are effective alternative to opioids for managing chronic pain

New research, published this month by the American Pain Society (APS), adds to burgeoning scientific evidence showing that interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation programs are an effective alternative to opioids for chronic pain management.

27 Jun 2018

Drug used to treat opioid dependence poses serious health risks in exposed children

A new study published online today by Pediatrics and conducted by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy and the Central Ohio Poison Center at Nationwide Children's Hospital found that from January 2007 through December 2016 there were more than 11,000 calls to US Poison Centers for pediatric exposures to buprenorphine – a prescription opioid medication used to treat opioid use disorder.

25 Jun 2018

Overdose risk increases five-fold with concurrent opioid and benzodiazepine use

In the first 90 days of concurrent opioid and benzodiazepine use, the risk of opioid-related overdose increases five-fold compared to opioid-only use among Medicare recipients, according to a new study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, published today in JAMA Network Open

22 Jun 2018

Study highlights inadequate effort of health care insurers to combat opioid epidemic

Health care insurers including Medicare, Medicaid and major private insurers have not done enough to combat the opioid epidemic, suggests a study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

22 Jun 2018

Doling out pain pills post-surgery: An ingrown toenail not the same as a bypass

What's the right painkiller prescription to send home with a patient after gallbladder surgery or a cesarean section?

22 Jun 2018

Religious involvement has no significant effect on misuse of prescription opioids, study finds

Does going to church help people avoid struggles with opioid abuse? New research from Florida State University says no.

20 Jun 2018

Study finds IV acetaminophen to be no more effective than oral counterpart for colectomy patients

Intravenous acetaminophen is no more effective than oral acetaminophen for patients undergoing colorectal procedures, Mount Sinai researchers report in a first-of-its-kind study.

19 Jun 2018

After opioid overdose, only 30 percent get medicine to treat addiction

More than 115 Americans die every day of opioid overdose. Many more survive thanks to the antidote medication, naloxone. But a study out Monday finds that just 3 in 10 patients revived by an EMT or in an emergency room received the follow-up medication known to avoid another life-threatening event.

19 Jun 2018

Researchers examine risk factors for opioid dependence in patients undergoing surgery for DS

Researchers investigated risk factors for the development of opioid dependence in patients undergoing surgery for degenerative spondylolisthesis

19 Jun 2018

Study shows link between risky opioid prescriptions and increased odds of death

When patients are prescribed opioids in risky ways, their chance of dying increases and their odds of death go higher as the number of risky opioid prescriptions increase, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

18 Jun 2018

$Chronic use of opioids related to increased risk of fracture nonunion$

Chronic use of opioids related to increased risk of fracture nonunion

Dr. Robert Zura, Professor and Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, was part of a research team reporting that not only may opioid use increase the risk of bone fractures, but opioids may also impair healing.

18 Jun 2018

How America got hooked on a deadly drug

Purdue Pharma left almost nothing to chance in its whirlwind marketing of its new painkiller OxyContin.

13 Jun 2018

Researchers explore how postoperative patients can be protected from opioid addiction

Greater coordination is needed between surgeons and physicians about the prescription of pain-relieving opioid drugs following surgery to help identify patients who are at risk of becoming opioid addicts.

13 Jun 2018

Research reveals potential new treatment for drug addiction relapse

Research published in Addiction Biology by scientists at the University of Bath reveals a new potential mechanism for combatting drug addiction relapse.

12 Jun 2018

Sustained preoperative opioid use predicts continued use following surgical procedure

Patients who take prescription opioids for a longer period before spinal surgery are more likely to continue using opioids several months after surgery, reports a study in the June 6, 2018, issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio in partnership with Wolters Kluwer.

8 Jun 2018

Kate Spade’s death ignites concern about rising suicide rate

Fashion designer Kate Spade's death Tuesday has reminded Americans of the enormous toll of suicide, a growing problem that claims nearly 45,000 lives a year.

7 Jun 2018

Research project aims to study opioid prescriptions after cesarean delivery and hysterectomy

Each year, approximately 1.8 million women will have a cesarean delivery or hysterectomy. While opioids are the mainstay treatment for acute pain after these surgeries, most women use only a fraction of the opioids prescribed and do not properly dispose of unused drugs

7 Jun 2018

FDA warns nine online networks to stop illegal marketing of unapproved opioids

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that it has warned nine online networks, operating a total of 53 websites, that they must stop illegally marketing potentially dangerous, unapproved and misbranded versions of opioid medications, including tramadol and oxycodone.

6 Jun 2018

Opioid misuse may compromise effectiveness of treatments for alcohol use disorder

New research indicates that opioid misuse and the use of cannabis and other drugs may compromise the effectiveness of treatments for alcohol use disorder.

6 Jun 2018

Opioids News and Research

Further Reading

Illicit drug supply at record heights

Pain rehabilitation programs are effective alternative to opioids for managing chronic pain

Drug used to treat opioid dependence poses serious health risks in exposed children

Overdose risk increases five-fold with concurrent opioid and benzodiazepine use

Study highlights inadequate effort of health care insurers to combat opioid epidemic

Doling out pain pills post-surgery: An ingrown toenail not the same as a bypass

Religious involvement has no significant effect on misuse of prescription opioids, study finds

Study finds IV acetaminophen to be no more effective than oral counterpart for colectomy patients

After opioid overdose, only 30 percent get medicine to treat addiction

Researchers examine risk factors for opioid dependence in patients undergoing surgery for DS

Study shows link between risky opioid prescriptions and increased odds of death

Chronic use of opioids related to increased risk of fracture nonunion

How America got hooked on a deadly drug

Researchers explore how postoperative patients can be protected from opioid addiction

Research reveals potential new treatment for drug addiction relapse

Sustained preoperative opioid use predicts continued use following surgical procedure

Kate Spade’s death ignites concern about rising suicide rate

Research project aims to study opioid prescriptions after cesarean delivery and hysterectomy

FDA warns nine online networks to stop illegal marketing of unapproved opioids

Opioid misuse may compromise effectiveness of treatments for alcohol use disorder

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