Heroin Dependence News and Research

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Study finds no evidence to suggest cannabis reduces illicit opioid use

A 20-year Australian study has found no evidence to suggest cannabis reduces illicit opioid use, and it may not be an effective long-term method of reducing harm for those with an opioid use disorder or problematic use of opioids.

29 Nov 2023

Re-engineered plant compound reduces morphine-seeking behaviors in mice

The abuse of prescription and illegal opioids, such as morphine and heroin, is a major problem in the U.S., with devastating public health, economic and social consequences.

5 Feb 2020

FDA warns marketer of unapproved products claiming to treat addiction, chronic pain

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today posted a warning letter to Nutra Pharma Corp. for illegally marketing unapproved products labeled as homeopathic with claims about their ability to treat addiction and chronic pain, including pain associated with cancer, diabetes, shingles, fibromyalgia and other serious conditions.

19 Mar 2019

CET ‘feasible’ in schizophrenia patients with substance misuse

Patients with schizophrenia and comorbid substance abuse diagnoses are able to benefit from cognitive enhancement therapy, preliminary research suggests.

7 Jan 2015

Buprenorphine maintenance therapy better than detoxification for treating prescription opioid dependence

For treating patients with prescription opioid dependence in primary care, buprenorphine maintenance therapy is superior to detoxification, according to a new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers published in the Oct. 20 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine.

21 Oct 2014

Research roundup: End-of-life preferences; surviving trauma when older; ACA's big waiver for states

Policies and practices that promote advance care planning and advance directive completion implicitly assume that patients' choices for end-of-life (EOL) care are stable over time, even with changes in health status.

31 May 2014

Incentives can help promote drug abstinence among pregnant women with heroin or cocaine addiction

A "contingency management" approach—offering incentives for negative drug tests—can help promote drug abstinence among pregnant women with heroin or cocaine addiction, reports a study in the September Addictive Disorders & Their Treatment. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

1 Sep 2012

Financial reward stubs out smoking habit

Rewarding drug-dependent pregnant women with money each time they cut down on or stop smoking is an effective way to reduce smoking levels in this population, say researchers.

29 Jun 2012

Contingency management programs an effective way to reduce smoking in pregnant women

Cigarette smoking among drug dependent pregnant women is alarmingly high, estimated at 77 to 99%. Programs that treat pregnant patients for substance use disorders often fail to address cigarette smoking despite the clear risks to both mother and child, including ectopic pregnancy, spontaneous abortion, preterm delivery, low birth weight, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. However, programs to help people quit smoking do not seem to interfere with drug abuse treatment, and may actually improve drug abstinence rates.

22 Jun 2012

Censorship of public health websites by Russian drug agency an 'assault' on HIV prevention

"Amidst pro-democracy protests, the Russian authorities have taken what is an ongoing assault on HIV prevention to the next level by moving to silence public health advocates whose only infraction has been to spread lifesaving information online and to criticize the government for its own failures," Eka Iakobishvili, a human rights analyst at Harm Reduction International, and Claudia Stoicescu, an analyst on Harm Reduction International's public health research team, write in this Huffington Post opinion piece.

13 Feb 2012

Research points to ineffective and incomplete drug education as factor in heroin initiation

Researchers found Chicago area suburban heroin users have little knowledge about the drug and its effects when they first use it, and they often substitute heroin after becoming addicted to prescription pain medications.

19 Oct 2011

Reuters examines how Russia's 'drug problem' has 'become an AIDS problem'

Reuters, in a piece exploring the issue of heroin use in Russia describes how the country's "drug problem has now become an AIDS problem."

28 Jan 2011

First large-scale study to assess treatment for prescription drug addiction

UCSF is launching a new study to evaluate treatments for addiction to prescription painkillers and has openings for patients to enroll.

19 Apr 2007

Drug therapy for heroin addicts helps women quit smoking

New research is suggesting that women trying to quit smoking can be helped by taking medication approved for the treatment of alcohol and heroin dependence.

10 Oct 2006

Use of general anesthesia for heroin detoxification offers no benefit when compared to two other methods

The use of general anesthesia for heroin detoxification offers no benefit when compared to two other methods, and is associated with several potentially life-threatening adverse events, according to an article in the August 24/31 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

23 Aug 2005

Biotoxin from puffer fish may provide treatment for opioid withdrawal

On November 10, 2004 investigators involved in a Phase IIa clinical trial of the novel biotoxin Tetrodotoxin (TTX) for the treatment of opioid withdrawal enrolled their first participants.

18 Nov 2004