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Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opiate analgesic similar to but more potent than morphine. It is typically used to treat patients with severe pain, or to manage pain after surgery. It is also sometimes used to treat people with chronic pain who are physically tolerant to opiates. It is a schedule II prescription drug.

Researchers use machine learning to identify illegal selling of opioids on Twitter

Using advanced machine learning, a cross disciplinary team of University of California San Diego researchers developed technology that mined Twitter to identify entities illegally selling prescription opioids online.

25 Oct 2017

Opioid-free anesthesia reduces postoperative nausea, study finds

Opioid-free general anesthesia is safe, effective and dramatically decreases postoperative nausea, according to a single-center study of more than 1,000 patients being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2017 annual meeting.

24 Oct 2017

Study uncovers disturbing trends in prescribing opioids for nonmalignant chronic pain

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 90 Americans die every day by overdosing on opioids. While heroin and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl account for part of the crisis, in 2015 about 2 million people in the U.S. suffered from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers.

27 Sep 2017

New vaccine could offer protection against opioid combinations

Substance abuse is a continuing problem in the U.S., particularly with heroin and other opioids, to the point of being an epidemic.

21 Aug 2017

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 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

Opioid use disorder rises with little being done to curb the menace says new study

A new study has found that more and more Americans are being diagnosed with opioid addiction and the numbers that receive treatment are still very few. This finding is consistent with earlier findings from Blue Cross Blue Shield when analyzing member data.

29 Jun 2017

Study finds link between new opioid use and increased risk of cardiac death in older adults with COPD

Older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder who recently started using opioids have an increased risk of coronary artery disease-related death compared to non-opioid users, researchers at St. Michael's Hospital have found.

29 Jun 2017

New review examines link between pain and opioid abuse

The drug overdose epidemic is largely driven by opioids, which continue to be prescribed for chronic pain despite recommendations to use non-opioids for most cases.

12 Jun 2017

Fake contaminant opioids found in prescription pills leading to fatal overdoses in Georgia

There has been a spate of several overdoses in Georgia this week leading to four deaths according to the officials at Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The Bureau issued a statement saying that there is presence of two synthetic opioids in the fake prescription pills that led to these cases of overdose.

9 Jun 2017

Intranasal administration of medications becoming more popular in emergency departments

Administering medications through the nose as an alternative to injections or IVs is becoming increasingly popular in emergency departments and ambulances, according to a paper by Loyola Medicine pharmacists.

18 Apr 2017

Six important things to know about opioid crisis

While opioid drugs play an important role in pain management, an alarming increase in opioid diversion, opioid use disorder, and opioid-related mortality and morbidity in recent years has created a healthcare crisis in the United States.

5 Apr 2017

Researchers discover that existing anti-gout drug can reduce severity of opioid withdrawal symptoms

Opioid use and abuse is a significant social, health and economic issue in Canada. Researchers at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Hotchkiss Brain Institute have discovered that an existing anti-gout medication is effective in reducing the severity of withdrawal symptoms in opioid-dependent rodents.

30 Jan 2017

UAB physician calls for better education, legislation to help patients with opioid abuse

The U.S. opioid epidemic has evolved so much in the last four years that current federal policy responses risk diminishing returns in saving human lives, according to a new peer-reviewed perspective by University of Alabama at Birmingham Associate Professor of Preventive medicine Stefan Kertesz, M.D. His perspective was published online in the addiction journal Substance Abuse.

24 Nov 2016

Urgent Matters announces recipients of Emergency Care Innovation of the Year Award

Urgent Matters, Philips Blue Jay Consulting, and Schumacher Clinical Partners are pleased to announce the winners of the Emergency Care Innovation of the Year Award, a competition to foster innovation in emergency departments nationwide.

17 Oct 2016

Buprenorphine implants could be effective option to treat adults with opioid dependence

While buprenorphine has long been used to treat adults with opioid dependence, its efficacy can be hindered by lack of adherence to daily, sublingual (beneath the tongue) doses of the medication.

19 Jul 2016

Study sheds new light on the brain’s decision-making processes

Netflix binge-watching versus a hike in the woods. A cheeseburger versus kale salad. Fentanyl versus Tylenol. New UC research from the University California, Berkeley, suggests our brain activity could be influenced to make the healthier choice.

10 Jun 2016

New vaccine strategy may curb addiction, prevent fatal overdoses

With use of synthetic opioid "designer drugs" on the rise, scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have a new strategy to curb addiction and even prevent fatal overdoses.

17 Feb 2016

Long-term use of opioids increases risk of new-onset depression

Opioids may cause short-term improvement in mood, but long-term use imposes risk of new-onset depression, a Saint Louis University study shows.

13 Jan 2016

New data shows opioid overdose deaths hit record levels in 2014

From 2000 to 2014 nearly half a million Americans died from drug overdoses. Opioid overdose deaths, including both opioid pain relievers and heroin, hit record levels in 2014, with an alarming 14 percent increase in just one year, according to new data published today in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

20 Dec 2015