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.

Opioid drugs often overprescribed to children for pain relief, say CHOP surgeons

Opioid drugs prescribed to children for pain relief after a typical pediatric orthopaedic procedure may be significantly overprescribed, according to a new study by researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

17 Jan 2019

Most substance use disorder treatment facilities do not offer medication treatment

Despite the mounting death toll of America's opioid crisis, only a minority of facilities that treat substance use disorders offer patients buprenorphine, naltrexone or methadone--the three FDA-approved medications for the long-term management of opioid use disorder, according to a new study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

16 Jan 2019

Keele University researchers receive £2.4 million grant to help reduce overprescribing of opioids

A research team from Keele University's Institute for Primary Care and Health Sciences has been awarded a major grant of £2.4 million from the National Institute for Health Research to investigate the overprescribing of opioid painkillers, and to improve care for patients with persistent pain - without the use of long-term opioids.

14 Jan 2019

Meth’s resurgence spotlights lack of meds to combat the addiction

In 2016, news reports warned the public of an opioid epidemic gripping the nation. But Madeline Vaughn, then a lead clinical intake coordinator at the Houston-based addiction treatment organization Council on Recovery, sensed something different was going on with the patients she checked in from the street.

14 Jan 2019

Opiod prescriptions for pet dogs misused by their masters

A new study has shown that Americans are probably increasingly consuming the opioid analgesics that are prescribed for their pet dogs. The research shows that one of the reasons behind rise in the opioid epidemic could be the rise in prescription opioids for dogs.

14 Jan 2019

Misused veterinary prescriptions could contribute to the ongoing opioid epidemic

The increase in opioid prescriptions for people over the past decade may have been paralleled by an increase in opioid prescriptions for pets, according to a study from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Veterinary Medicine.

11 Jan 2019

Emergency medical responders confront racial bias

A recent study out of Oregon suggests emergency medical responders — EMTs and paramedics — may be treating minority patients differently from the way they treat white patients.

11 Jan 2019

UTSA researchers reveal important insight into cocaine addiction

Researchers at The University of Texas at San Antonio have revealed significant insight into cocaine addiction, a phenomenon which has grown significantly in the United States since 2015.

10 Jan 2019

Research examines patterns in back pain over time

Back pain is among the most frequently reported health problems in the world. New research published in Arthritis Care & Research, an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals, examines patterns in back pain over time and identifies the patient characteristics and the extent of healthcare and medication use (including opioids) associated with different patterns.

10 Jan 2019

Research shows connection between social media use and impaired risky decision-making

Bad decision-making is a trait oftentimes associated with drug addicts and pathological gamblers, but what about people who excessively use social media? New research from Michigan State University shows a connection between social media use and impaired risky decision-making, which is commonly deficient in substance addiction.

10 Jan 2019

Mapping a person's genetic makeup can help save billions each year in health costs

A UniSA scientist has called for Australia to embrace pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing to deliver medication more effectively and slash around $2.4 billion wasted each year through unsafe and ineffective drug prescriptions.

9 Jan 2019

Caution must be taken while prescribing opioid to tobacco users to prevent addiction

Tobacco is a known risk factor for the misuse of prescription opioids. In addition, concurrent use of opioids and sedative-hypnotics is a risk factor for opioid overdose or addiction.

9 Jan 2019

Opioids contribute to rise in suicides and overdoses in the U.S.

Suicides and drug overdoses kill American adults at twice the rate today as they did just 17 years ago, and opioids are a key contributor to that rise, according to a new review and analysis by a University of Michigan team.

7 Jan 2019

Study confirms increased pneumonia risk with prescription opioids

A study led by researchers at Yale University has shown that taking prescribed opioids increases the risk of pneumonia, irrespective of HIV status.

7 Jan 2019

Women's Health Research at Yale calls on government committee to revise its report on opioid epidemic

Women's Health Research at Yale (WHRY) is calling on a government committee to revise its report on a coordinated response to the opioid epidemic so that it reflects the unique needs of women.

6 Jan 2019

Lessons from successes and failures of AIDS epidemic could inform our response to opioid crisis

There are important lessons to be learned from the successes and failures of the AIDS response that could inform our response to the opioid epidemic, according to a new paper by researchers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

4 Jan 2019

New wireless and battery-free implant to control targeted neuron groups

University of Arizona biomedical engineering professor Philipp Gutruf is first author on the paper Fully implantable, optoelectronic systems for battery-free, multimodal operation in neuroscience research, published in Nature Electronics.

3 Jan 2019

Almost 9000 children and teens died from opioid poisonings in over two decades, finds study

Nearly 9,000 children and adolescents died from opioid poisonings with prescription and illicit drugs between 1999 and 2016 based on an analysis of national data.

31 Dec 2018

Study assesses when opioid overdose patients can be safely discharged after naloxone treatment

Naloxone has saved thousands of lives. But can patients be safely discharged from the Emergency Department (ED) just an hour after they receive the medication that curtails drug overdoses?

28 Dec 2018

Researchers discover extent of opioid use and abuse in head and neck cancer patients

Cancer patients are often prescribed pain medications, for example during recovery from surgical procedures. However, for many cancer patients, the use of opioid pain medications during treatment can be a gateway to misuse or addiction once treatment ends.

27 Dec 2018

Opioids News and Research

Further Reading

Opioid drugs often overprescribed to children for pain relief, say CHOP surgeons

Most substance use disorder treatment facilities do not offer medication treatment

Keele University researchers receive £2.4 million grant to help reduce overprescribing of opioids

Meth’s resurgence spotlights lack of meds to combat the addiction

Opiod prescriptions for pet dogs misused by their masters

Misused veterinary prescriptions could contribute to the ongoing opioid epidemic

Emergency medical responders confront racial bias

UTSA researchers reveal important insight into cocaine addiction

Research examines patterns in back pain over time

Research shows connection between social media use and impaired risky decision-making

Mapping a person's genetic makeup can help save billions each year in health costs

Caution must be taken while prescribing opioid to tobacco users to prevent addiction

Opioids contribute to rise in suicides and overdoses in the U.S.

Study confirms increased pneumonia risk with prescription opioids

Women's Health Research at Yale calls on government committee to revise its report on opioid epidemic

Lessons from successes and failures of AIDS epidemic could inform our response to opioid crisis

New wireless and battery-free implant to control targeted neuron groups

Almost 9000 children and teens died from opioid poisonings in over two decades, finds study

Study assesses when opioid overdose patients can be safely discharged after naloxone treatment

Researchers discover extent of opioid use and abuse in head and neck cancer patients

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