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.

A long and winding road: Kicking heroin in an opioid ‘treatment desert’

Heather Menzel squirmed in her seat, unable to sleep on the Greyhound bus as it rolled through the early morning darkness toward Bakersfield, in California's Central Valley.

11 Aug 2017

Opioid crisis results in increased admissions to hospital ICUs and deaths

The opioid crisis in the United States is resulting in increased admissions to hospital intensive care units and in increased numbers of ICU deaths from opioid overdoses, according to new research published online, ahead of print in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

11 Aug 2017

People with opioid use disorder 50% more likely to get treatment after implementation of ACA

Once the Affordable Care Act was fully implemented in 2014, people who struggled with misusing opioids were 50 percent more likely to get treatment and twice as likely to have that treatment paid for by insurance than before, according to a new Drexel University study.

10 Aug 2017

Pharmaceutical companies may have strong hold on how doctors prescribe opioids, study suggests

One in twelve physicians - and nearly one in five family medicine physicians - accepted payments from pharmaceutical companies related to opioids, according to a new study out of Boston Medical Center's Grayken Center for Addiction Medicine.

10 Aug 2017

Postoperative patients use fewer opioid medications than prescribed after hernia surgery

A study by investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital and Newton-Wellesley Hospital found that patients prescribed opioid medications after inguinal (groin) hernia surgery used significantly fewer tablets than prescribed, even though they had received fewer than typically administered for such surgery.

9 Aug 2017

Opioid overdose death toll continues upward trend

According to the National Center for Health Statistics report, the overdose deaths among the persons with drug abusers in 2016 is on an upward rise that has not stopped. These rising numbers are disheartening because the intensified efforts to curb these numbers are thus seemingly not working.

8 Aug 2017

Researchers receive $3.8 million NIH grant to study medical marijuana's impact on opioid use for pain

The National Institutes of Health has awarded researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System a five-year, $3.8 million grant for the first long-term study to test whether medical marijuana reduces opioid use among adults with chronic pain, including those with HIV.

8 Aug 2017

Discovery of new biological pathway involved in pain processing offers hope for new treatments

The discovery of a new biological pathway involved in pain processing offers hope of using existing cancer drugs to replace the use of opioids in chronic pain treatment, according to scientists at McGill University.

8 Aug 2017

Study develops correction methods to provide more accurate estimates of opioid, heroin deaths

Although opioid and heroin deaths have been rising dramatically in the U.S., the magnitude of the epidemic varies from state to state, as does the relative proportion of opioid vs heroin poisonings.

7 Aug 2017

Opioid prescription use found to be more common among cancer survivors

A new study found that opioid prescription use is more common in cancer survivors than in individuals without a history of cancer.

7 Aug 2017

Researchers reveal prevalence of unused prescription opioids following surgery

In a review of half a dozen published studies in which patients self-reported use of opioids prescribed to them after surgery, researchers at Johns Hopkins report that a substantial majority of patients used only some or none of the pills, and more than 90 percent failed to dispose of the leftovers in recommended ways.

2 Aug 2017

Survey explores how Ohio's ED administrators perceive role of state opioid prescribing guidelines

A survey led by a team of researchers at the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center reports that the majority of Ohio's emergency department administrators and physicians are in support of the most recent state guidelines for prescribing opioids, but challenges still exist in implementation.

1 Aug 2017

Drug overdose deaths on the rise in Ohio

In light of the Ohio opioid epidemic, Advanced Recovery Systems, an integrated behavioral healthcare management company, recently opened an addiction and co-occurring mental health treatment facility in Groveport: The Recovery Village Columbus. Located 10 miles away from Columbus, this new facility opened on July 11, 2017 and is now accepting patients.

29 Jul 2017

Back to Basics: Chiropractors provide safe, non-drug approach to pain relief

The American Chiropractic Association and chiropractors nationwide will observe National Chiropractic Health Month this October by sharing information on back pain prevention and the value of a conservative approach to treatment with the theme "Back to Basics."

27 Jul 2017

Study finds sevenfold rise in prescription opioid use among fatally injured drivers

The percentage of fatally injured drivers who tested positive for prescription opioids rose sevenfold from 1 percent in 1995 to over 7 percent in 2015, according to a new study at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. The findings appear online in the American Journal of Public Health.

26 Jul 2017

Yoga benefits veterans with chronic low back pain, study shows

In a study including 150 military veterans with chronic low back pain, researcher Dr. Erik J. Groessl and his team from the VA San Diego Healthcare System found that veterans who completed a 12-week yoga program had better scores on a disability questionnaire, improved pain intensity scores, and a decline in opioid use.

25 Jul 2017

Fear of being arrested prevents people from calling 911 after opioid overdose

Fear of being arrested still undercuts an Indiana law that shields anyone who administers naloxone from criminal charges, according to a survey conducted by two researchers at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

19 Jul 2017

Study: Team-based primary care model effective in lowering opioid use among chronic pain patients

A new, team-based, primary care model is decreasing prescription opioid use among patients with chronic pain by 40 percent, according to a new study out of Boston Medical Center's Grayken Center for Addiction Medicine, which is published online ahead of print in JAMA Internal Medicine.

18 Jul 2017

Research shows that opioid prescription practices at Mayo Clinic exceed upcoming guidelines

More than 4 in 5 opioid prescriptions given after surgery over a recent two-year period at Mayo Clinic exceeded guidelines now in the works, the clinic's researchers have found.

14 Jul 2017

Study analyzes exposures to medication errors resulting in serious medical outcomes

Every 21 seconds someone in the United States calls Poison Control because of a medication error. A new study from the Center for Injury Research and Policy and the Central Ohio Poison Center at Nationwide Children's Hospital analyzed calls to Poison Control Centers across the country over a 13-year period about exposures to medication errors which resulted in serious medical outcomes.

10 Jul 2017

Opioids News and Research

Further Reading

A long and winding road: Kicking heroin in an opioid ‘treatment desert’

Opioid crisis results in increased admissions to hospital ICUs and deaths

People with opioid use disorder 50% more likely to get treatment after implementation of ACA

Pharmaceutical companies may have strong hold on how doctors prescribe opioids, study suggests

Postoperative patients use fewer opioid medications than prescribed after hernia surgery

Opioid overdose death toll continues upward trend

Researchers receive $3.8 million NIH grant to study medical marijuana's impact on opioid use for pain

Discovery of new biological pathway involved in pain processing offers hope for new treatments

Study develops correction methods to provide more accurate estimates of opioid, heroin deaths

Opioid prescription use found to be more common among cancer survivors

Researchers reveal prevalence of unused prescription opioids following surgery

Survey explores how Ohio's ED administrators perceive role of state opioid prescribing guidelines

Drug overdose deaths on the rise in Ohio

Back to Basics: Chiropractors provide safe, non-drug approach to pain relief

Study finds sevenfold rise in prescription opioid use among fatally injured drivers

Yoga benefits veterans with chronic low back pain, study shows

Fear of being arrested prevents people from calling 911 after opioid overdose

Study: Team-based primary care model effective in lowering opioid use among chronic pain patients

Research shows that opioid prescription practices at Mayo Clinic exceed upcoming guidelines

Study analyzes exposures to medication errors resulting in serious medical outcomes

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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