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.

UTA researchers analyze challenges in pain management for the elderly

Researchers at The University of Texas at Arlington are focusing their attention on pain management in older adults, a segment of the population which presents a specific series of challenges to health providers.

20 Dec 2017

Research finds rise in number of New Hampshire infants diagnosed with NAS

From 2005 to 2015 the number of infants diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) in the Granite State increased fivefold, from 52 to 269, according to new research by the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire.

19 Dec 2017

Researchers explore patient-doctor conversations, best practices linked to opioid tapering

Increased scrutiny of opioid prescribing for patients with chronic pain has led providers and healthcare organizations to consider opioid-dose reductions, known as tapering.

15 Dec 2017

Telemedicine for addiction treatment? Picture remains fuzzy

When President Donald Trump declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency, it came with a regulatory change intended to make it easier for people to get care. The declaration allows for doctors to prescribe addiction medicine virtually, without ever seeing the patient in person.

14 Dec 2017

Opioids after surgery left her addicted. Is that a medical error?

In April this year, Katie Herzog checked into a Boston teaching hospital for what turned out to be a nine-hour-long back surgery.

11 Dec 2017

Treating the new hep C generation on their turf

Once a week, Dr. Diana Sylvestre puts her medical expertise to use in a rickety old house frequented by drug users in this small Northern California city.

7 Dec 2017

Study characterizes effects of opioids on brain proteins other than opioid receptors

In a new study, researchers have characterized the effects of a series of opioids on proteins in the brain other than opioid receptors.

6 Dec 2017

Stopping opioid addiction at one key source: The hospital

It may not be rocket science, but a group of surgeons at the University of Michigan's Michigan Medicine have devised a strategy to curb the nation's opioid epidemic — starting at their own hospital.

6 Dec 2017

Study: Doctors may prescribe double the number of opioids than what patient needs after hysterectomy

Doctors may be prescribing nearly twice the number of opioids than what the average patient needs after a hysterectomy, a new study suggests.

4 Dec 2017

Guidelines to control opioid prescribing for post-surgery pain

A recent study, conducted at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH, suggests that more vigilant prescribing guidelines could reduce the number of opioid pills a patient receives after surgery, whilst still meeting pain management needs.

1 Dec 2017

Guideline for surgeons could reduce opioids prescribed after operations by 40%

Rising rates of opioid prescriptions have been linked to the opioid epidemic, and a significant number of opioid deaths have been linked to prescriptions written by surgeons.

1 Dec 2017

Review: Program produces positive results for offenders with mental health or addiction issues

A review of a state program launched two years ago to improve recovery and reduce recidivism among felony offenders who have mental health or addiction issues shows the program is producing positive results.

30 Nov 2017

Researchers receive DoD grant to identify alternatives to opioids for pain management

What does a marine snail's ability to kill prey with two shots of venom have to do with the opioid epidemic ravaging the United States?

29 Nov 2017

Study highlights need to focus on all opioid prescribers to curb epidemic

A cross-section of opioid prescribers that typically do not prescribe large volumes of opioids, including primary care physicians, surgeons and non-physician health care providers, frequently prescribe opioids to high-risk patients, according to a new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

29 Nov 2017

Doctors make big money testing urine for drugs, then ignore abnormal results

In April 2014, state and federal drug agents raided Jeffrey Campbell's medical clinic in Jeffersonville, Ind. Police cars blocked the parking lot as bewildered patients scattered and the agents carted off boxes of records from the doctor's office.

29 Nov 2017

Study reveals patients at high risk for opioid overdose deaths

Just over 60 percent of individuals who died from an opioid overdose had been diagnosed with a chronic pain condition, and many had been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, a study of more than 13,000 overdose deaths has found.

28 Nov 2017

84 year old doctor refused license renewal due to inability to use a computer

An 84 year old doctor - Dr. Anna Konopka was denied a license renewal by a New Hampshire Judge because she is unable to use a computer.

27 Nov 2017

Researchers find link between negative emotions and higher opioid use in people with sickle cell disease

In a small study using data from daily electronic patient diaries, Johns Hopkins researchers say they have found a link between negative emotions, such as sadness and anxiety, and higher opioid use in people with sickle cell disease whose pain levels were self-reported as relatively low.

27 Nov 2017

Scientists identify new method of treating neuropathic pain in mice

New research from King's College London has revealed a previously undiscovered mechanism of cellular communication, between neurons and immune cells, in neuropathic pain.

27 Nov 2017

Digital pills can help track opioid use patterns

Digital pills - gelatin capsules that contain an ingestible sensor along with medication - can help track patterns of drug use, and Brigham and Women's Hospital clinicians are among the first to explore the application of this new technology among patients being prescribed opioids.

20 Nov 2017