Opioid Addiction News and Research

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Mothering over meds: Docs say common treatment for opioid-exposed babies isn’t necessary

On learning last year she was pregnant with her second child, Cailyn Morreale was overcome with fear and trepidation.

22 Oct 2024

Poppy seed brew triggers morphine overdose, drawing attention of lawmakers

It sounds like a joke: poppy seeds infused with opioids. Indeed, it was a plotline on the sitcom Seinfeld. But for some it has been a tragedy.

9 Oct 2024

Higher doses of buprenorphine linked to lower emergency visits in opioid use disorder

Adults with opioid use disorder who receive a higher daily dose of the opioid addiction treatment medication buprenorphine may have a lower risk of subsequent emergency department visits or use of inpatient services related to behavioral health (such as for mental health and substance use disorders) than adults receiving the recommended dose, according to an analysis funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

25 Sep 2024

New study explores the potential of hormone therapy for opioid recovery

In the midst of America's growing opioid crisis, a much healthier alternative to long-term pain management is emerging -; one affectionately known as "the cuddle hormone," or oxytocin.

11 Sep 2024

Renewed interest in psychedelics as potential addiction therapies

After years of being seen as dangerous "party drugs," psychedelic substances are receiving renewed attention as therapies for addiction -- but far more research is needed, according to a new special series of articles in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, published at Rutgers University.

26 Aug 2024

Childhood sleep patterns may influence adolescent alcohol and marijuana use

A good night's sleep is essential for children's health and development, but childhood sleep patterns may also be linked to future substance use.

13 Aug 2024

MUSC researchers uncover the surprising role of the dorsal peduncular nucleus in opioid addiction

Opioids, like the commonly prescribed pain reliever oxycodone, are known for being highly addictive. In 2022, nearly 85,000 people died from an opioid overdose in the U.S. according to the Centers for Disease control.

12 Aug 2024

Marine fungus-derived aniquinazolin B could be a potential opioid alternative

Opioids have long been known as natural substances with substantial pharmacological effect. They have been used as effective painkillers.

17 Jul 2024

Lifesaving drugs and police projects mark first use of opioid settlement cash in California

Sonja Verdugo lost her husband to an opioid overdose last year. She regularly delivers medical supplies to people using drugs who are living — and dying — on the streets of Los Angeles. And she advocates at Los Angeles City Hall for policies to address addiction and homelessness.

12 Jul 2024

Study finds early, unnecessary opioid prescriptions for teen surgery

A multi-institutional study found that 1 in 6 youths fill an opioid prescription prior to surgery, and 3% of patients were still filling opioid prescriptions three to six months after surgery, indicating persistent opioid use and possible opioid dependence.

12 Jul 2024

Study pinpoints brain area critical to oxycodone relapse prevention

Even years after they have recovered, a person who once struggled with alcohol or opioid addiction can relapse-;and that relapse is more likely to occur during particularly stressful times.

9 Jul 2024

UCLA study finds insomnia drug suvorexant prevents opioid addiction in mice

New research led by UCLA Health has found a drug that treats insomnia works to prevent the addictive effects of the morphine opioids in mice while still providing effective pain relief.

9 Jul 2024

Pain doesn’t belong on a scale of zero to 10

Over the past two years, a simple but baffling request has preceded most of my encounters with medical professionals: "Rate your pain on a scale of zero to 10."

2 Jul 2024

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Live from Aspen: Health and the 2024 elections

The presidential election is less than five months away, and while abortion is the only health policy issue expected to play a leading role, others are likely to be raised in the presidential and down-ballot races.

21 Jun 2024

UC San Diego's initiative for combating the opioid crisis with AI

Opioids are a broad group of effective pain-relieving medicines that can become highly addictive in some individuals. According to government sources, nearly 40 million people are addicted to illicit drugs worldwide.

13 Jun 2024

Stanford study reveals link between adaptive myelination and drug addiction

Our brains, even in adulthood, continually adapt to what we do, strengthening or weakening neural pathways as we practice new skills or abandon old habits.

5 Jun 2024

California pays meth users to get sober

Here in the rugged foothills of California's Sierra Nevada, the streets aren't littered with needles and dealers aren't hustling drugs on the corner.

22 May 2024

Mindfulness training reduces dropout rates and relapses in opioid addiction treatment

Supplementing standard opioid addiction treatment with Mindfulness Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) -; an intervention that incorporates mindfulness training, savoring skills, and cognitive reappraisal -; cuts program dropout rates by 59 percent and relapses by 42 percent, according to Rutgers-led research.

6 May 2024

MSU team creates a promising vaccine candidate for antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Driven by the overuse of antimicrobials, pathogens are quickly building up resistances to once-successful treatments.

24 Apr 2024

A paramedic was skeptical about this Rx for stopping repeat opioid overdoses. Then he saw it help.

Fire Capt. Jesse Blaire steered his SUV through the mobile home park until he spotted the little beige house with white trim and radioed to let dispatchers know he'd arrived.

25 Mar 2024