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.

Workers overdose on the job, and employers struggle to respond

Jimmy Sullivan prepared for his job as a bricklayer the same way every morning for years: injecting a shot of heroin before leaving his car.

28 Sep 2018

Buried in Congress’ opioid bill is protection for personal drug imports

The final version of the massive opioid bill Congress released Wednesday would grant the Food and Drug Administration new powers to crack down on drug imports, but it also includes a provision — nearly killed in the Senate — to shield people who are just trying to buy cheaper, needed prescription medication from other countries.

27 Sep 2018

Scientists develop new protocol for measuring background levels of drugs in forensic labs

When crime lab chemists handle evidence that contains illegal drugs, trace amounts of those drugs are inevitably released into the laboratory environment.

27 Sep 2018

New science-based curriculum released to teach adolescents about opioid risks

A new and free science-based curriculum designed to teach adolescents about the risks of opioids has been released by Project ALERT, a national evidence-based drug education program created and managed by the nonprofit RAND Corporation.

26 Sep 2018

Common painkiller not effective in controlling chronic pain after traumatic nerve injury

A new study out today in the Journal of Neurology finds that pregabalin is not effective in controlling the chronic pain that sometimes develops following traumatic nerve injury.

25 Sep 2018

Lung cancer patients treated with invasive surgery more likely to become chronic opioid users

Patients treated with more-invasive surgical techniques for a type of early-stage lung cancer are more likely to become chronic opioid users than patients treated with minimally invasive surgery, highlighting the need for additional research into how pain management after surgery might be a contributing factor to the opioid addiction crisis, according to a study published in JAMA Oncology in September.

24 Sep 2018

Enrollment in opioid controlled substance agreement reduces primary care visits

The medical community has long known that patients on long-term opioid therapy often have significantly more health care visits.

21 Sep 2018

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’ Health on the hill

As the start of the fiscal year draws near — along with pivotal midterm elections — Congress is picking up its pace on legislation. This week alone the Senate passed a comprehensive bill aimed at curbing the opioid epidemic and a nearly final bill to fund the Department of Health and Human Services.

20 Sep 2018

Effective management of neonatal abstinence syndrome requires coordinated ‘cascade of care’

Effective management of neonatal abstinence syndrome- withdrawal symptoms occurring in infants exposed to opioids in utero - requires a coordinated "cascade of care" from prevention through long-term follow-up, reports a study in Advances in Neonatal Care, official journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

20 Sep 2018

FDA takes new steps to address opioid crisis by approving Opioid Analgesic Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took new steps as part of its broader efforts to address the opioid crisis by approving the final Opioid Analgesic Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy.

19 Sep 2018

Day-tripping to the dispensary: Seniors in pain hop aboard the canna-bus

Shirley Avedon, 90, had never been a cannabis user. But carpal tunnel syndrome that sends shooting pains into both of her hands and an aversion to conventional steroid and surgical treatments is prompting her to consider some new options.

18 Sep 2018

UNC Health Care extends free access to virtual care service in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence

In the aftermath of Hurricane Florence and continued challenging conditions across much of the state, UNC Health Care has extended its offer of free access to its virtual care service, UNC Urgent Care 24/7

18 Sep 2018

More women veterans with chronic pain use CIH therapies than men

A recent major shift in practice by the Veterans Health Administration now means that complementary and integrative health therapies such as meditation, yoga and acupuncture are increasingly being offered to VA patients as non-drug approaches for pain management and related conditions, says Elizabeth Evans, an epidemiology researcher in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

18 Sep 2018

People battling substance use disorders may benefit from meth-relapse prevention compound

New research raises the possibility that a wider group of people battling substance use disorders may benefit from a Scripps Research-developed relapse-prevention compound than previously thought.

17 Sep 2018

Ensysce receives award from NIDA to undertake development of opioid overdose protection platform

Ensysce Biosciences Inc. today announced receipt of Notice of Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a four year award to undertake the pre-clinical and clinical development of the company's opioid overdose protection platform MPAR

17 Sep 2018

Half as many people are trying heroin, but marijuana use grows

Some good news from the front lines of the heroin crisis: Half as many people tried heroin for the first time in 2017 as in 2016. That's according to data released Friday from the government's annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

14 Sep 2018

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’ A detour on a smoking off-ramp

The Food and Drug Administration declared Wednesday that vaping among teenagers has reached "an epidemic proportion." The agency told ﬁve major e-cigarette manufacturers that they had 60 days to find ways to keep their products away from minors.

14 Sep 2018

Study: Poor older Americans most likely to rely on prescription opioids

Among older Americans, the poorest are the most likely to have used prescription opioids, according to a University at Buffalo study providing new insights into unexplored contours of the opioid crisis.

12 Sep 2018

Nearly one in three opioid prescriptions in the US not justified, finds analysis

According to a nationwide analysis of physician visit records conducted by a team of researchers at Harvard Medical School and the RAND Corporation, nearly 30 percent of the outpatient opioid prescriptions made out in the United States do not have documented justification for their use.

12 Sep 2018

Medical cannabis provides relief across dozens of health symptoms, study shows

Utilizing new mobile application technology, researchers at The University of New Mexico found that medical cannabis provides immediate symptom relief across dozens of health symptoms with relatively minimal negative side effects.

11 Sep 2018

Opioids News and Research

Further Reading

Workers overdose on the job, and employers struggle to respond

Buried in Congress’ opioid bill is protection for personal drug imports

Scientists develop new protocol for measuring background levels of drugs in forensic labs

New science-based curriculum released to teach adolescents about opioid risks

Common painkiller not effective in controlling chronic pain after traumatic nerve injury

Lung cancer patients treated with invasive surgery more likely to become chronic opioid users

Enrollment in opioid controlled substance agreement reduces primary care visits

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’ Health on the hill

Effective management of neonatal abstinence syndrome requires coordinated ‘cascade of care’

FDA takes new steps to address opioid crisis by approving Opioid Analgesic Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy

Day-tripping to the dispensary: Seniors in pain hop aboard the canna-bus

UNC Health Care extends free access to virtual care service in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence

More women veterans with chronic pain use CIH therapies than men

People battling substance use disorders may benefit from meth-relapse prevention compound

Ensysce receives award from NIDA to undertake development of opioid overdose protection platform

Half as many people are trying heroin, but marijuana use grows

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’ A detour on a smoking off-ramp

Study: Poor older Americans most likely to rely on prescription opioids

Nearly one in three opioid prescriptions in the US not justified, finds analysis

Medical cannabis provides relief across dozens of health symptoms, study shows

Event guide: The Non-Opioid Pain Therapeutics Summit eBook

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