Opioids News and Research

RSS

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.

Drug or alcohol problems among veterans may increase risk of suicide, study finds

Veterans who have drug or alcohol problems are more than twice as likely to die by suicide as their comrades, a new study finds. And women veterans with substance use disorders have an even higher rate of suicide -- more than five times that of their peers, the research shows.

16 Mar 2017

Researchers uncover link between adult opioid misuse and childhood emotional abuse

A study by researchers at the University of Vermont has revealed a link between adult opioid misuse and childhood emotional abuse, a new finding that suggests a rethinking of treatment approaches for opioid abusers.

14 Mar 2017

Preoperative opioid use may lead to complications, readmissions and high costs post surgery

Surgery patients often go home from the hospital with a prescription for painkillers to take as they recover.

9 Mar 2017

CRNAs urge patients to learn about risks, benefits of pain relief treatments

The opioid crisis is one of the largest challenges facing today's healthcare professionals and the patients for whom they care.

8 Mar 2017

CAMH study measures impact of hospital-wide tobacco-free policy on attitudes and adverse events

A new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health showed positive changes in attitudes and a reduction in patient agitation after implementing a fully tobacco-free environment at Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital.

6 Mar 2017

Researchers discover new way to develop painkillers without harmful side effects

Researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin have discovered a new way of developing painkillers.

3 Mar 2017

High level use of opioids may affect survival of liver transplant recipients, study finds

An analysis of nearly 30,000 patients undergoing liver transplantation in the United States between 2008 and 2014 found elevated death and organ loss rates in the first 5 years after transplantation among recipients with the highest use of opioid pain medications while on the waiting list.

2 Mar 2017

Novel non-pharmacological approach shows promise to manage chronic pain

Chronic pain afflicts over 100 million people across the United States. It diminishes their productivity and their quality of life and costs hundreds of billions of dollars each year to medically manage. It shatters people's emotional wellbeing, tears apart families and claims lives through suicides and accidental drug overdoses.

1 Mar 2017

New anti-cocaine monoclonal antibody moves forward towards clinical studies in humans

A University of Cincinnati researcher who has developed an immunotherapy to help reverse cocaine addiction that's been successful in animal models says he hopes to have it in clinical trials in human volunteers within a year.

28 Feb 2017

Compound from snail's venom may offer alternative to opioids for pain relief

A tiny snail may offer an alternative to opioids for pain relief. Scientists at the University of Utah have found a compound that blocks pain by targeting a pathway not associated with opioids.

21 Feb 2017

Study shines light on pervasiveness of unsafely stored opioids in homes with children

Nearly 70 percent of prescription opioid medications kept in homes with children are not stored safely, a new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health finds.

20 Feb 2017

New research reveals brain chemistry involved in human bonding

In new research published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Northeastern University psychology professor Lisa Feldman Barrett found, for the first time, that the neurotransmitter dopamine is involved in human bonding, bringing the brain's reward system into our understanding of how we form human attachments.

17 Feb 2017

Study finds sharp rise in number of older Americans taking multiple brain-affecting drugs

The number of older Americans who take three or more medicines that affect their brains has more than doubled in just a decade, a new study finds.

14 Feb 2017

ACA urges patients to try non-drug approaches for back pain relief before taking NSAIDs

People suffering from back pain should consider first trying chiropractic services and other non-drug therapies in light of a new research review that found common over-the-counter and prescription pain medications have limited effectiveness for back pain and raise the risk of side-effects, according to the American Chiropractic Association.

13 Feb 2017

Poor and less-educated older Americans more likely to suffer from chronic pain, research shows

Poorer and less-educated older Americans are more like to suffer from chronic pain than those with greater wealth and more education, but the disparity between the two groups is much greater than previously thought, climbing as high as 370 percent in some categories, according to new research by a University at Buffalo medical sociologist.

8 Feb 2017

New article highlights prevalence of nonmedical prescription drug use among young people

Balancing a country's need to make prescription drugs available to those in need while simultaneously curbing nonmedical use is one of our greatest challenges, according to a perspective article just published by Silvia Martins, MD, PhD, associate professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and a colleague at American University of Beirut.

6 Feb 2017

Common drugs for treating back pain provide little benefit, research reveals

Commonly used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, used to treat back pain provide little benefit, but cause side effects, according to new research from The George Institute for Global Health.

2 Feb 2017

New position statement offers recommendations for physicians on prevention of diabetic neuropathy

An estimated 60 to 70 percent of people with diabetes develop some form of diabetic neuropathy, or the chronic nerve damage diabetes causes, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

31 Jan 2017

Researchers discover that existing anti-gout drug can reduce severity of opioid withdrawal symptoms

Opioid use and abuse is a significant social, health and economic issue in Canada. Researchers at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Hotchkiss Brain Institute have discovered that an existing anti-gout medication is effective in reducing the severity of withdrawal symptoms in opioid-dependent rodents.

30 Jan 2017

Brain response patterns to rewards may be influenced by gene variants affecting pain sensitivity

Patterns of brain responses to rewards are a significant predictor of pain symptoms—a link that is already present by adolescence—and may be influenced by gene variants affecting pain sensitivity, reports a study in PAIN, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

28 Jan 2017