Opioid Drug News and Research

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Medicaid pays for one-third of drug abuse hospitalizations

Medicaid paid for more than one-third of the 1.3 million hospital stays related to prescription or illegal drug abuse in 2005, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

2 Nov 2007

Alcoholism in the family linked to greater sweet preferences among women

More than 250 million women worldwide smoke tobacco. Compared to men, women have a greater risk of smoking-related diseases, and also have more difficulty quitting. A new study, the first of its kind, has found that cigarette smoking and having a family history of alcoholism have different effects on sweet-taste perception and food cravings.

24 Oct 2007

Acupuncture before and during surgery reduces the need for powerful painkillers

A new study has found that using acupuncture before and during surgery significantly reduces the level of pain and level of painkillers needed by patients following surgery.

17 Oct 2007

Nicotine patch for prostate surgery relief?

The use of a nicotine patch - successfully used to help many smokers decrease their dependency on nicotine - was shown to reduce pain in men after prostate removal surgery in a new anesthesiology study.

15 Oct 2007

How does the opioid system work?

The opioid system controls pain, reward and addictive behaviors. Opioids exert their pharmacological actions through three opioid receptors, mu, delta and kappa whose genes have been cloned (Oprm, Oprd1 and Oprk1, respectively).

15 Oct 2007

Pain medication use does not impair driving skills and reaction times according to new study

Moderate, long-term pain medication use does not impair a person's ability to drive safely, according to a new study.

15 Oct 2007

Electroacupuncture on the anterior forearm may help gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms

The First Hospital of Peking University, China-Research, has shown that electroacupuncture at Pericardium Meridian Point 6 (PC6 or Nei Guan - Pericardium Meridian) may decrease the frequency of transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxation (TLESR), which is the main mechanism underlying gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

10 Oct 2007

New guidelines for treating low-back pain

The American College of Physicians (ACP) and the American Pain Society (APS) today released joint guidelines on diagnosing and treating low back pain.

2 Oct 2007

Research explains why opioids are thought to be ineffective in people with fibromyalgia

People who have the common chronic pain condition fibromyalgia often report that they don't respond to the types of medication that relieve other people's pain.

27 Sep 2007

FDA warning on use of Fentora (fentanyl buccal)

The Food and Drug Administration is alerting health care professionals and consumers to concerns over the use of Fentora (fentanyl buccal) tablets after recent reports of deaths and other adverse events.

27 Sep 2007

Warning about dangerous potential of pain drug Fentora

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has warned doctors about the dangers of a drug used to treat pain in cancer sufferers.

26 Sep 2007

Methadone for managing chronic pain

Approximately 30% of Canadians suffer daily from chronic pain. Patients may be affected differently depending on the intensity, but all chronic pain is debilitating and difficult to treat.

13 Sep 2007

Opioid-based pain medications may cause sleep apnea

Opioid-based pain medications may cause sleep apnea, according to an article in the September issue of Pain Medicine, the journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine.

10 Sep 2007

Watson Pharmaceuticals receives FDA approval for generic Duragesic

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has received final approval from the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for fentanyl transdermal system in the 25, 50, 75 & 100 mcg/hour strengths.

21 Aug 2007

Breakthrough pain medication

Cancer patients frequently experience two types of pain: persistent and breakthrough.

17 Aug 2007

Cannabis mouth spray eases pain of cancer patients

Canadian health authorities have given approval for a new cannabis-based painkiller for use with cancer patients.

8 Aug 2007

Gastroenterologist-directed sedation safe and effective for endoscopic procedures

The use of an evidence-based sedation protocol for endoscopic procedures improves the quality of practice and reduces the incidence of sedation-related adverse events, according to an AGA Institute Review of Endoscopic Sedation published in the August issue of Gastroenterology , the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

3 Aug 2007

National study to treat addiction to prescription pain medications

Researchers funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, launched the first large-scale national study evaluating a treatment for addiction to prescription opioid analgesics (i.e., painkillers) such as Vicodin and OxyContin.

10 Jul 2007

Abiraterone reduces levels of prostate specific antigen

For prostate cancer patients whose tumors have continued to grow despite medical or surgical castration, a new drug candidate that inhibits production of male hormones anywhere in the body is showing promise in early trials.

9 Jul 2007

Targeted nalmefene with simple medical management in the treatment of heavy drinkers

Problem drinkers who took a craving-curbing drug whenever they felt the desire to imbibe reported fewer heavy drinking days each month than drinkers who took a look-alike placebo pill, but both groups reported marked reductions in heavy drinking days.

4 Jul 2007