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.

American Pain Society urges Congress to resist NIH budget cuts

The American Pain Society, www.americanpainsociety.org, today condemned the Trump Administration's proposed 19 percent cut in funding for the National Institutes of Health and warned that such a draconian budget reduction would devastate biomedical research in the United States unless Congress acted to prevent it.

31 Mar 2017

Cannabis use may impact treatment in women undergoing addiction therapy, study suggests

A new study suggests that the use of cannabis may impact treatment in women undergoing methadone treatment therapy.

30 Mar 2017

Research findings offer potential explanation for opioid-induced itching

Opioids have long been an important tool in the world of pain management, but the side effects of these drugs - from addiction and respiratory failure to severe itching and dizziness, can be overwhelming.

27 Mar 2017

Antidepressants and anti-seizure drugs can effectively treat diabetic nerve pain, research finds

A federal health agency has found certain antidepressants and anti-seizure drugs are among medications that effectively treat diabetic nerve pain.

25 Mar 2017

Medications that increase effect of natural brain opioids may be better way to reduce anxiety

Published in Nature Communications by University of Sydney scholars, the findings suggest medications that boost the effect of natural brain opioids might be a better way to reduce anxiety than 'receptor-binding' opioid drugs like morphine, which have major side effects.

23 Mar 2017

ACA adopts clinical practice guidelines for treatment of low back pain

The American Chiropractic Association, during its annual House of Delegates meeting March 17, approved a resolution to adopt clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of low back pain from the American College of Physicians and the Council on Chiropractic Guidelines and Practice Parameters (CCGPP).

22 Mar 2017

New recommendations aim to guide doctors and patients about testing, treatment options

Surgical options for people with medical conditions including obesity, and the risks of operating on the elderly, feature among 10 new recommendations released today under the Choosing Wisely Australia initiative.

22 Mar 2017

Poison control centers receive one call every 45 minutes about pediatric exposure to opioids

A new study published online today by Pediatrics and conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy and the Central Ohio Poison Center at Nationwide Children's Hospital found that there were more than 188,000 calls to US Poison Control Centers for pediatric exposure to opioids from January 2000 through December 2015, averaging 32 calls a day or one every 45 minutes.

20 Mar 2017

Drug or alcohol problems among veterans may increase risk of suicide, study finds

Veterans who have drug or alcohol problems are more than twice as likely to die by suicide as their comrades, a new study finds. And women veterans with substance use disorders have an even higher rate of suicide -- more than five times that of their peers, the research shows.

16 Mar 2017

Researchers uncover link between adult opioid misuse and childhood emotional abuse

A study by researchers at the University of Vermont has revealed a link between adult opioid misuse and childhood emotional abuse, a new finding that suggests a rethinking of treatment approaches for opioid abusers.

14 Mar 2017

Preoperative opioid use may lead to complications, readmissions and high costs post surgery

Surgery patients often go home from the hospital with a prescription for painkillers to take as they recover.

9 Mar 2017

CRNAs urge patients to learn about risks, benefits of pain relief treatments

The opioid crisis is one of the largest challenges facing today's healthcare professionals and the patients for whom they care.

8 Mar 2017

CAMH study measures impact of hospital-wide tobacco-free policy on attitudes and adverse events

A new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health showed positive changes in attitudes and a reduction in patient agitation after implementing a fully tobacco-free environment at Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital.

6 Mar 2017

Researchers discover new way to develop painkillers without harmful side effects

Researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin have discovered a new way of developing painkillers.

3 Mar 2017

High level use of opioids may affect survival of liver transplant recipients, study finds

An analysis of nearly 30,000 patients undergoing liver transplantation in the United States between 2008 and 2014 found elevated death and organ loss rates in the first 5 years after transplantation among recipients with the highest use of opioid pain medications while on the waiting list.

2 Mar 2017

Novel non-pharmacological approach shows promise to manage chronic pain

Chronic pain afflicts over 100 million people across the United States. It diminishes their productivity and their quality of life and costs hundreds of billions of dollars each year to medically manage. It shatters people's emotional wellbeing, tears apart families and claims lives through suicides and accidental drug overdoses.

1 Mar 2017

New anti-cocaine monoclonal antibody moves forward towards clinical studies in humans

A University of Cincinnati researcher who has developed an immunotherapy to help reverse cocaine addiction that's been successful in animal models says he hopes to have it in clinical trials in human volunteers within a year.

28 Feb 2017

Compound from snail's venom may offer alternative to opioids for pain relief

A tiny snail may offer an alternative to opioids for pain relief. Scientists at the University of Utah have found a compound that blocks pain by targeting a pathway not associated with opioids.

21 Feb 2017

Study shines light on pervasiveness of unsafely stored opioids in homes with children

Nearly 70 percent of prescription opioid medications kept in homes with children are not stored safely, a new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health finds.

20 Feb 2017

New research reveals brain chemistry involved in human bonding

In new research published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Northeastern University psychology professor Lisa Feldman Barrett found, for the first time, that the neurotransmitter dopamine is involved in human bonding, bringing the brain's reward system into our understanding of how we form human attachments.

17 Feb 2017