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.

Medical marijuana rarely addressed in medical education

Although 29 states and the District of Columbia allow marijuana use for medical purposes, few medical students are being trained how to prescribe the drug.

15 Sep 2017

New HIVMA guidelines recommend screening everyone with HIV for chronic pain

Because ongoing pain is a significant problem that affects 39 to 85 percent of people living with HIV, everyone with the infection should be assessed for chronic pain, recommend guidelines released by the HIV Medicine Association of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

14 Sep 2017

Study highlights sharply increasing trend in long-term use of prescription opioids

The prevalence of prescription opioid use increased from 4.1% of US adults in 1999-2000 to 6.8% in 2013-2014, according to a recent Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety study.

11 Sep 2017

Physical activity could change diet preferences in males, but not in females

Recent studies have shown that approximately 90 percent of adult Americans fail to reach the U.S. Department of Health guidelines for physical activity, which could be contributing to surging obesity rates.

6 Sep 2017

Collaborative care model can expand access to treatment for opioid or alcohol addiction

Combining substance abuse treatment with regular medical care can successfully treat people with opioid or alcohol addiction, providing an option that might expand treatment and lower the cost of caring for people caught up in the nation's opioid epidemic, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

6 Sep 2017

Review: Palliative care makes progress only in small subset of countries in Africa

Palliative care has increased in Africa over the past 12 years but only in a small subset of countries, according to a review published today in Lancet Oncology.

1 Sep 2017

New study finds lack of adherence to lifesaving treatment among breast cancer patients on opioids

A new study has found a troubling lack of adherence to a potentially lifesaving treatment regimen among breast cancer patients who take opioids to manage their pain.

1 Sep 2017

Millennials regret opioid use, prefer lifestyle changes to manage pain

Often spending their days hunched over phones, tablets or computers and their free time at spin class or playing sports, millennials are the next generation poised to experience chronic pain. Even at their young age, millennials say acute and chronic pain are already interfering with their quality of life.

30 Aug 2017

Research on electrical nerve-block implant aims at treating asthma and heart failure

Biomedical engineering researchers at Case Western Reserve University are refining more than 15 years of work on an electrical nerve-block implant, focusing their next step on new applications related to treating asthma and heart failure.

29 Aug 2017

Finnish researchers reveal how eating stimulates brain's endogenous opioid system

Finnish researchers have revealed how eating stimulates brain's endogenous opioid system to signal pleasure and satiety.

28 Aug 2017

Researchers use zebrafish animal model to explore drug-seeking behavior

As the opioid crisis escalates, the science behind addiction remains poorly understood. To address this need, researchers at University of Utah Health devised a system that allowed zebrafish, a small tropical fish, to self-administer doses of hydrocodone, an opioid commonly prescribed to people for pain.

26 Aug 2017

Vireo Health to join $3.8 million NIH study on medical marijuana treatment for adults with chronic pain

The National Institute of Health has awarded a $3.8 million research grant to Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System for medical marijuana research, and Vireo Health of New York will be partners in the study.

26 Aug 2017

FDA evaluating prescription opioid medications approved to treat cough in children

The United States Food and Drugs Administration (US FDA) says that parents need to be aware of the information regarding treatment of symptoms of cough and cold in their children in order to ensure their health and safety.

22 Aug 2017

Dying at home in an opioid crisis: Hospices grapple with stolen meds

Nothing seemed to help the patient — and hospice staff didn't know why. They sent home more painkillers for weeks. But the elderly woman, who had severe dementia and incurable breast cancer, kept calling out in pain.

22 Aug 2017

New vaccine could offer protection against opioid combinations

Substance abuse is a continuing problem in the U.S., particularly with heroin and other opioids, to the point of being an epidemic.

21 Aug 2017

Medicare unveils ‘skeletal’ site for hospice comparison shopping

Medicare launched a website aimed at helping families choose a hospice — but experts say it doesn’t help very much.

18 Aug 2017

Opioid crisis strains foster care system; programs aim to keep kids with mom

After Raven Mosser gave birth six years ago, she woke up to a social worker in her hospital room. Her newborn son had been born exposed to opioids — drugs she had been abusing for years. If she didn't get clean, she was at risk of losing him.

18 Aug 2017

Researchers discover synthetic compound effective at relieving neuropathic pain

A team of scientists led by chemists Stephen Martin and James Sahn at The University of Texas at Austin have discovered what they say is a powerful pain reliever that acts on a previously unknown pain pathway.

17 Aug 2017

Physicians trained at lowest-ranked medical schools write more opioid prescriptions, study finds

Physicians trained at the United States' lowest-ranked medical schools write more opioid prescriptions than physicians trained at the highest-ranked schools, according to a study by Princeton University.

14 Aug 2017

Researchers reveal stark increase in opioid-related ICU admissions and deaths

Since 2009, hospital intensive care units have witnessed a stark increase in opioid-related admissions and deaths, according to new study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's Center for Healthcare Delivery Science.