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.

Botulinum toxin may offer relief from chronic pelvic pain in women with endometriosis

Pelvic pain associated with endometriosis often becomes chronic and can persist (or recur) following surgical and hormonal interventions.

11 Jul 2019

Medicare going in ‘right direction’ on opioid epidemic

Prescriptions for two drugs used to treat opioid addiction increased significantly from 2016 to 2018 for people on Medicare, according to a federal report out Wednesday.

10 Jul 2019

UM scientists receive $3.3 million NIH contract to develop opioid addiction vaccine

The University of Montana has received a $3.3 million contract from the National Institutes of Health to develop an innovative vaccine targeting opioid addiction.

10 Jul 2019

Herbal supplement used to treat addiction and pain is not safe, research says

The herb kratom is increasingly being used to manage pain and treat opioid addiction, but it's not safe to use as an herbal supplement, according to new research led by faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York.

9 Jul 2019

Sobering up: In an alcohol-soaked nation, more seek booze-free social spaces

Not far from the Anheuser-Busch brewery, Joshua Grigaitis fills a cooler with bottles and cans in one of the city's oldest bars.

8 Jul 2019

Study finds alarmingly high rate of opioid prescriptions for osteoarthritis patients

Opioids work against severe pain but the risks of side effects and addiction are high. In the USA alone, 26 people die every day from overdoses.

8 Jul 2019

PDFNJ campaign emphasizes the hazards of prescription opioids

A powerful new message in Times Square from the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey emphasizes the dangers of prescription opioids.

8 Jul 2019

Role of hospital and health-system pharmacists in drug therapy monitoring

As hospitals look for ways to stem the opioid crisis, a survey of health-system pharmacy directors released today found that most large health systems have active stewardship programs to prevent the misuse of opioids -- with pharmacists playing a key role in detecting drug diversion and identifying strategies to encourage appropriate opioid prescribing.

4 Jul 2019

UAMS receives $24.2 million federal funding to accelerate research

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Translational Research Institute announced today it will receive five years of federal funding totaling $24.2 million to accelerate research that addresses Arkansas' biggest health challenges.

3 Jul 2019

IU-connected startup working to enable precision medicine for mental health issues, chronic pain

A new startup company founded on science developed at Indiana University is working to enable precision medicine by commercializing the first objective tests for mental health issues, including suicide risk, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, and for pain, all of which historically have been difficult to measure for patients and health care providers alike.

2 Jul 2019

Florida is the latest Republican-led state to adopt clean needle exchanges

A green van was parked on the edge of downtown Miami, on a corner shadowed by overpasses. The vehicle serves as a mobile health clinic and syringe exchange, where people who inject drugs like heroin and fentanyl could swap dirty needles for fresh ones.

2 Jul 2019

Study shows how cannabis could be effective for both pain relief and insomnia

A new study has shown how cannabis could be an effective treatment option for both pain relief and insomnia, for those looking to avoid prescription and over the counter pain and sleep medications -including opioids.

2 Jul 2019

Concurrent use of benzodiazepine and opioids complicates neonatal abstinence syndrome

Babies born after being exposed to both opioids and benzodiazepines before birth are more likely to have severe drug withdrawal, requiring medications like morphine for treatment, compared to infants exposed to opioids alone, according to a Vanderbilt University Medical Center study published in Hospital Pediatrics.

1 Jul 2019