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Study finds lack of consensus on how to treat chronic non-cancer pain

Chronic pain is complex and difficult to treat. Prescribing opioid pain medications has become controversial but may help some patients.

22 Feb 2025

An ice rink to fight opioid crisis: Drug-free fun vs. misuse of settlement cash

A Kentucky county nestled in the heart of Appalachia, where the opioid crisis has wreaked devastation for decades, spent $15,000 of its opioid settlement money on an ice rink.

20 Feb 2025

Researchers uncover the brain mechanism behind ketamine's action

Ketamine has received a Hollywood makeover. It used to be known as a rave drug (street name special K) and cat anesthetic.

14 Feb 2025

Insilico Medicine announces preclinical drug discovery benchmarks from 2021 to 2024

Insilico Medicine ( "Insilico") , a clinical stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven biotechnology company today announced a set of preclinical drug discovery benchmarks from the 22 developmental candidate nominations achieved by its platform from 2021 to 2024.

11 Feb 2025

Opioid prescriptions in emergency rooms linked to later health risks

Opioid prescriptions in the emergency department (ED) were associated with small increases in later opioid prescriptions and hospital admissions, found new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.241542.

10 Feb 2025

Medicare opioid safety policy shows initial success but effectiveness diminishes over time

A new study led by researchers at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute found that a 2019 Medicare opioid safety policy showed initial reductions in opioid prescribing to high-risk populations.

10 Feb 2025

Chiropractic spinal manipulation reduces opioid risks for sciatica patients

A new study led by researchers at University Hospitals Connor Whole Health found that adults with newly diagnosed sciatica who initially received chiropractic spinal manipulation (CSM) were significantly less likely to experience opioid-related adverse drug events (ORADEs) such as overdose and poisoning over a one-year follow-up compared to those receiving usual medical care.

29 Jan 2025

Qigong shows promise in reducing chronic back pain in veterans

Chronic pain is widespread in the United States, particularly among military veterans, affecting between 40 to 70% of this population and serving as a leading cause of disability.

17 Jan 2025

Majority of naloxone recipients in NYC at high risk of overdose

The overwhelming majority of those in New York City who obtained a naloxone kit to counteract opioid overdose had a high need for the drug, according to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

16 Jan 2025

Brief cognitive behavioral interventions help reduce substance use disorders in teens

Brief cognitive behavioral interventions that help young people manage aspects of their personality, such as impulsivity, sensation seeking, hopelessness, and anxiety sensitivity, have been shown to reduce teen Substance Use Disorders.

16 Jan 2025

Study highlights the growing crisis of methamphetamine-related deaths in the U.S.

Methamphetamine deaths in the U.S. rose 61-fold from 1999 to 2021, according to a new study, highlighting a growing crisis in addiction and public health.

13 Jan 2025

NFL players prescribed very few opioids for pain management

Due to the physical contact nature of their occupation, the elite athletes of the National Football League (NFL) often experience pain.

13 Jan 2025

Stimulant users are caught in fatal ‘fourth wave’ of opioid epidemic

In Pawtucket, Rhode Island, near a storefront advertising "free" cellphones, J.R. sat in an empty back stairwell and showed a reporter how he tries to avoid overdosing when he smokes crack cocaine.

3 Jan 2025

Syringe exchange fears hobble fight against West Virginia HIV outbreak

More than three years have passed since federal health officials arrived in central Appalachia to assess an alarming outbreak of HIV spread mostly between people who inject opioids or methamphetamine.

3 Jan 2025

Nonpharmacologic pain intervention provides benefits to people with dialysis-dependent kidney failure

Among people with dialysis-dependent kidney failure, a form of psychological therapy called pain coping skills training reduced how much pain got in the way of their daily lives, also known as pain interference.

30 Dec 2024

Study highlights benefits of expanding needle exchange programs in prisons

"Needle exchange programs are evidence-based strategies that prevent transmission of blood-borne viruses, reduce injection-related infections, improve access to medical care, and facilitate entry into substance dependence programs for people who inject drugs," writes Dr. Farah Houdroge, Disease Elimination Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia, with coauthors.

16 Dec 2024

How are states spending opioid settlement cash? We built a database of answers

In the past few years, state and local governments across the U.S. have begun spending billions in opioid settlements paid by companies accused of fueling the overdose crisis. But where is that money going, who is getting it, and is it doing any good?

16 Dec 2024

Unraveling the mystery of drug-induced liver injury

DILI is broadly categorized into intrinsic and idiosyncratic types. Intrinsic hepatotoxins, such as APAP, cause dose-dependent injury, while idiosyncratic DILI involves complex immune and metabolic interactions that remain poorly understood.

13 Dec 2024

Structural and functional brain changes found in individuals with opioid use disorder

Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine found structural and functional alterations in specific brain regions of individuals with opioid use disorder.

10 Dec 2024

$1.5 million grant supports alternatives to opioids initiative at University Hospitals

A grant of nearly $1.5 million from the Department of Health and Human Services through its Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will enable University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center to develop and implement an Alternatives to Opioids (ALTO) program within its Emergency Department (ED).

6 Dec 2024