Opioids News and Research

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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.

How America got hooked on a deadly drug

Purdue Pharma left almost nothing to chance in its whirlwind marketing of its new painkiller OxyContin.

13 Jun 2018

Researchers explore how postoperative patients can be protected from opioid addiction

Greater coordination is needed between surgeons and physicians about the prescription of pain-relieving opioid drugs following surgery to help identify patients who are at risk of becoming opioid addicts.

13 Jun 2018

Research reveals potential new treatment for drug addiction relapse

Research published in Addiction Biology by scientists at the University of Bath reveals a new potential mechanism for combatting drug addiction relapse.

12 Jun 2018

Sustained preoperative opioid use predicts continued use following surgical procedure

Patients who take prescription opioids for a longer period before spinal surgery are more likely to continue using opioids several months after surgery, reports a study in the June 6, 2018, issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio in partnership with Wolters Kluwer.

8 Jun 2018

Kate Spade’s death ignites concern about rising suicide rate

Fashion designer Kate Spade's death Tuesday has reminded Americans of the enormous toll of suicide, a growing problem that claims nearly 45,000 lives a year.

7 Jun 2018

Research project aims to study opioid prescriptions after cesarean delivery and hysterectomy

Each year, approximately 1.8 million women will have a cesarean delivery or hysterectomy. While opioids are the mainstay treatment for acute pain after these surgeries, most women use only a fraction of the opioids prescribed and do not properly dispose of unused drugs

7 Jun 2018

FDA warns nine online networks to stop illegal marketing of unapproved opioids

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that it has warned nine online networks, operating a total of 53 websites, that they must stop illegally marketing potentially dangerous, unapproved and misbranded versions of opioid medications, including tramadol and oxycodone.

6 Jun 2018

Opioid misuse may compromise effectiveness of treatments for alcohol use disorder

New research indicates that opioid misuse and the use of cannabis and other drugs may compromise the effectiveness of treatments for alcohol use disorder.

6 Jun 2018

Study: 1 out of every 5 deaths among young adults in the U.S. is related to opioids

One out of every five deaths among young adults in the United States is related to opioids, suggests a study led by researchers in Canada.

1 Jun 2018

Single spinal injection reverses chemotherapy-induced pain for months in mice

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have found a new way to block a root cause of pain. The key is a naturally occurring protein called apolipoprotein A-I binding protein (AIBP). AIBP binds to toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), a protein that sits on the surface of cells like an antenna, searching for signs of infection or tissue damage.

29 May 2018

Illinois looks at medical marijuana use for opioid dependence

Illinois officials are now considering the use of medical marijuana to combat the rising menace of opioid abuse and dependence. A Senate bill that allows people who qualify to fill opioid prescriptions to be able to apply for medical cannabis program of the state has been placed.

28 May 2018

Proposed National Resilience Strategy to reverse catastrophic increases in 'deaths of despair'

Startling increases in nationwide deaths from drug overdoses, alcohol, and suicides constitute a public health crisis – spurring an urgent call for a National Resilience Strategy to stem these "deaths of despair."

26 May 2018

Exercise alters brain's dopamine system to help treat addiction, study finds

New research by the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions has identified a key mechanism in how aerobic exercise can help impact the brain in ways that may support treatment -; and even prevention strategies -; for addiction.

25 May 2018

‘Time’s up’: Covered California takes aim at hospital C-section rates

Covered California, the state’s health insurance marketplace under the Affordable Care Act, has devised what could be a powerful new way to hold hospitals accountable for the quality of their care. Starting in less than two years, if the hospitals haven’t met targets for safety and quality, they’ll risk being excluded from the “in-network” designation of health plans sold on the state’s insurance exchange.

24 May 2018

Study sheds new light on sharp rise in fatal drug overdoses in recent years

A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine sheds new light on the sharp rise in fatal drug overdoses in recent years, one of the most severe public health challenges of our time. The study found that the growth in fatal overdoses for non-Hispanic whites aged 22-56 years was sufficiently large to account for the entire growth in mortality rates and years of potential life lost (YPLL) for this population from 1999 to 2015.

22 May 2018

Local anesthetic drug not linked to reduction in opioid use, complications after knee surgery

Contrary to what some studies may suggest, the local anesthetic drug, liposomal bupivacaine, did not reduce in-hospital opioid prescriptions or opioid-related complications in patients who received the drug during total knee replacement surgery as part of a multimodal approach to manage postsurgical pain, finds a new study published in the Online First edition of Anesthesiology, the peer-reviewed medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

22 May 2018

In-hospital opioid prescribing may increase post-discharge opioid use, shows study

Patients who receive an opioid for most of their hospital stay and patients who are still taking an opioid within 12 hours of being discharged from the hospital appear more likely to fill a prescription for opioids within 90 days of leaving the hospital, according to new research presented at the ATS 2018 International Conference.

21 May 2018

Clinical study supports usual medical care plus chiropractic care for low back pain

U.S military personnel with low back pain who received usual medical care plus chiropractic care reported moderate improvement in their pain intensity and disability compared with patients who received usual medical care alone.

18 May 2018

FDA OKs first non-opioid drug for adults with opioid withdrawal symptoms

The United States Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), in a statement this week, approved a new drug Lucemyra (lofexidine hydrochloride) for the treatment and alleviation of opioid symptom withdrawal symptoms in adults in whom the drugs have been withdrawn abruptly.

17 May 2018

Opioid overdoses are rising faster among Latinos than whites or blacks. Why?

The tall, gangly man twists a cone of paper in his hands as stories from nearly 30 years of addiction pour out: the robbery that landed him in prison at age 17; never getting his high school equivalency diploma; going through the horrors of detox, maybe 40 times, including this latest bout, which he finished two weeks ago. He’s now in a residential treatment unit for at least 30 days.