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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.

Researchers call for urgent improvement in pain management for inflammatory arthritis patients

Researchers from Keele University's School of Medicine have found that analgesic medicines - commonly known as "painkillers" - are widely prescribed to people with inflammatory arthritis across England despite little research evidence that they improve pain for these patients, and studies showing they can cause serious side-effects.

12 Oct 2023

Severe maternal morbidity, opioid use, and prior hospital care linked to pregnancy-associated deaths

The majority of research and public discourse on US maternal mortality focuses on pregnancy-related maternal deaths-;deaths caused or accelerated by a pregnancy-;rather than the broader category of pregnancy-associated maternal deaths, which are deaths from any cause during pregnancy or up to one year postpartum, including those that are pregnancy-related.

11 Oct 2023

New analysis looks at rates of opioid prescribing to US adolescents

A new analysis reveals that rates of opioid prescribing to US adolescents have decreased in recent years, primarily limited to non-surgery indications. Opioid prescription rates for surgery have remained stable.

5 Oct 2023

More schools stock overdose reversal meds, but others worry about stigma

Last year, a student fell unconscious after walking out of a bathroom at Central High School in Pueblo, Colorado.

3 Oct 2023

Virtual reality vs. opioids: clinical trial of non-pharmacological pain management during burn wound care

Researchers assessed the feasibility and efficacy of virtual reality as a non-pharmaceutical intervention for managing procedural pain in adult burn patients during dressing changes compared to standard opioid-based approaches.

28 Sep 2023

Hotter days in New York linked to spike in substance abuse hospital visits

New study finds a positive correlation between rising temperatures and increased hospital visits for alcohol and substance-related disorders in New York State. The research suggests that climate change could exacerbate negative outcomes related to substance abuse.

27 Sep 2023

Rising temperatures could increase hospital visits from alcohol- and substance-related disorders

Hospital visits from alcohol- and substance-related disorders are driven by elevated temperatures and could be further affected by rising temperatures due to climate change, according to new research by environmental health scientists at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

26 Sep 2023

Study: Most patients prescribed fewer opioids after surgery satisfied with pain control

In a recent Mayo Clinic study, researchers found that most patients prescribed fewer opioids after surgery were able to maintain satisfactory comfort levels without requiring more prescription refills later.

25 Sep 2023

Officials agree: Use settlement funds to curb youth addiction. But the ‘how’ gets hairy.

When three teenagers died of fentanyl overdoses last year in Larimer County, Colorado, it shocked the community and “flipped families upside down,” said Tom Gonzales, the county’s public health director.

25 Sep 2023

New study suggests higher buprenorphine doses could help save lives

Individuals with opioid use disorder who were prescribed a lower buprenorphine dose were 20% more likely to discontinue treatment than those on a higher dose, according to a study of patients prescribed buprenorphine in Rhode Island from 2016 to 2020, as fentanyl became widely available.

19 Sep 2023

Anesthesiology physician-scientist pipeline trails other specialties, particularly among women

Anesthesiology researchers are responsible for some of medicine's most significant advances, from the Apgar score that tests a newborn's health to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

15 Sep 2023

Experts provide guidance on opioid management in individuals with cancer-related pain

Clinicians treating cancer-related pain must consider whether and how to prescribe opioids to patients who use nonmedical stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamines; however, no guidelines exist related to these common and challenging situations.

15 Sep 2023

Despite successes, addiction treatment programs for families struggle to stay open

Two playgrounds border the Recovering Hope Treatment Center for addiction that sits at the end of a gravel road in eastern Minnesota's rural Kanabec County. A meeting room inside is furnished with rocking chairs and baby walkers. And there are strollers in the halls.

13 Sep 2023

Study: Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. more than quadrupled from 1999 to 2020

The United States is experiencing its highest overall death rates in more than a century, fueled in part by drug overdose mortality. The origins of the current epidemic are due, at least in part, to a 1986 World Health Organization pronouncement that pain treatment is a universal right.

12 Sep 2023

Experimental insomnia treatment may help prevent opioid relapse

A good night's sleep has many proven health benefits, and a new Scripps Research study suggests one more: preventing opioid relapse.

6 Sep 2023

Enhanced recovery program shows promise in reducing opioid reliance after pancreatic cancer surgery

By improving hospital care pathways, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center successfully reduced inpatient opioid use by 50% after pancreatic cancer surgery and cut the median opioid prescription volumes at discharge to zero.

6 Sep 2023

Study highlights risks of high-dose naloxone in opioid overdose response

Whether regular distribution of two intranasal or intramuscular administrations of low-dose naloxone was effective and adequate in reversing opioid overdoses.

4 Sep 2023

Artificial intelligence may influence whether you can get pain medication

Elizabeth Amirault had never heard of a Narx Score. But she said she learned last year the tool had been used to track her medication use.

30 Aug 2023

New guideline supports use of acetaminophen and NSAIDs for pediatric dental pain

Acetaminophen or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen are recommended as first-line treatments for managing short-term dental pain in children under age 12, according to a new clinical practice guideline developed by the American Dental Association Science & Research Institute (ADASRI), the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine and the Center for Integrative Global Oral Health at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine.

25 Aug 2023

Anesthesiologists can play a greater role in managing patients with substance use disorders

As use and misuse of alcohol, opioids, and psychostimulants continues to increase, anesthesiologists can become a more integral part of the care team managing patients with a Substance Use Disorder (SUD), according to a series of three articles published in the September issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, the official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society.

24 Aug 2023