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.

People with Alzheimer’s disease using strong opioids have increased risk of hip fracture

People using strong painkillers, opioids, have twice the risk of hip fracture compared to non-opioid users, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. The risk was highest in the first two months of opioid use.

26 Nov 2018

Survey: Misconceptions about opioid use undermine pain control among Asian cancer patients

Misconceptions about the use of strong opioids showed to undermine optimal pain control among Asian cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy according to a cross-sectional survey conducted at the Sarawak General Hospital in Malaysia.

21 Nov 2018

Concomitant use of sleeping pills and opioids found to prevalent among people with Alzheimer’s disease

One in five people with Alzheimer's disease who use a benzodiazepine are also concomitant users of an opioid, according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland.

19 Nov 2018

Individuals identified as lesbian, gay more likely to misuse opioids than heterosexual

Men and women who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual are more likely to misuse opioids when compared with those who identify as heterosexual, a new study shows.

19 Nov 2018

Brigham investigators examine opioid use among Massachusetts adolescents, prescription trends

Opioid-related overdoses and deaths remain a major public health concern in Massachusetts, yet adolescents who experience opioid-related nonfatal overdose have been rarely studied.

13 Nov 2018

Targeting one brain region with alternating current could decrease symptoms of chronic pain

For the first time, researchers at the UNC School of Medicine showed they could target one brain region with a weak alternating current of electricity, enhance the naturally occurring brain rhythms of that region, and significantly decrease symptoms associated with chronic lower back pain.

9 Nov 2018

Study: Impact of opioid epidemic on children differs by state

A new report released by the Drug Enforcement Administration finds most overdose deaths are caused by prescription drugs, including opioids.

7 Nov 2018

Study finds rapid increase in overdose deaths involving amphetamines and methamphetamines

The number of overdose deaths involving methamphetamines and amphetamines in the state of Ohio increased more than 5,000 percent over the course of eight years, according to data collected by the Ohio Alliance for Innovation in Population Health.

7 Nov 2018

Researchers develop electroencephalography-based test to objectively measure pain

If you've ever visited the emergency department with appendicitis, or you're one of the 100 million U.S. adults who suffer from chronic pain, you're familiar with a row of numbered faces, with expressions from smiling to grimacing, used to indicate pain levels.

6 Nov 2018

Researchers take first step in bioengineering human uterus to treat endometrial diseases

Researchers at Northwestern Medicine have taken the first step in bioengineering the human uterus to treat endometriosis, uterine-factor infertility and endometrial cancer.

1 Nov 2018

UA pharmacology professors aim to avoid opioid analgesic tolerance

For thousands of Americans, opioids no longer relieve pain -- they cause pain. Known as "opioid tolerance," patients eventually become desensitized to opioids and more sensitive to pain after years of using the pain relievers.

31 Oct 2018

Dopamine neurons play role in reinforcing addictive effects of heroin

Scientists have made a major advance in untangling the brain circuits that lead to the powerful addictive effects of heroin, a study in the open-access journal eLife reports.

30 Oct 2018

Active ingredient in magic mushrooms could soon become a depression treatment

The active ingredient in magic mushrooms is psilocybin. Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic prodrug compound produced by more than 200 species of mushroom and is the reason behind the “high” provided by the magic mushrooms. Now, Psilocybin may soon achieve legal status to be used for treatment of difficult to treat depressive illness.

26 Oct 2018

APA calls on federal government to fund physiotherapy as first line treatment for osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a debilitating and painful condition affecting more than 2.2 million Australians at a cost to the health system of $2.1 billion annually. As Australia’s population ages and obesity rates climb, this figure is expected to grow to more than 3 million by 2030.

25 Oct 2018

Effective dose of cannabidiol for safe pain relief without the typical 'high'

In the wake of cannabis legalization, a team of scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center and McGill University have delivered encouraging news for chronic pain sufferers by pinpointing the effective dose of marijuana plant extract cannabidiol for safe pain relief without the typical "high" or euphoria produced by the THC.

25 Oct 2018

Cocaine overdoses on the rise with fentanyl combo flooding the market

According to the figures from Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) there has been a sharp up-rise in the cocaine overdose over the last two years. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has also said there has been an inflow of Columbian cocaine into the United States.

24 Oct 2018

FDA targets 465 websites that sell potentially dangerous, unapproved drugs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in partnership with international regulatory and law enforcement agencies, acted this week to target 465 websites that illegally sell potentially dangerous, unapproved versions of opioid, oncology and antiviral prescription drugs to U.S. consumers.

23 Oct 2018

SLU researcher seeks to find solutions for 'chemo brain' symptoms and side effects of opioids

With a pair of RO1 grants from the National Institutes of Health, pain researcher Daniela Salvemini, Ph.D., will embark on two new research projects, studying chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment, or "chemo brain," symptoms and unwanted side effects of opioids.

23 Oct 2018

Many primary care doctors are still prescribing sedative drugs for older adults

Despite years of warnings that older adults shouldn't take sedative drugs that put them at risk of injury and death, a new study reveals how many primary care doctors are still prescribing them, how often, and exactly where.

19 Oct 2018

Metrohm’s new ID Kit enables fast, easy, and accurate detection of heroin and other opioids

Heroin and other opioids pose a threat to communities all over the world.

From Metrohm USA Inc. 17 Oct 2018