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.

Kratom may be safer and less addictive than current treatments for pain, research suggests

A delayed U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration ban on kratom would stifle scientific understanding of the herb's active chemical components and documented pharmacologic properties if implemented, according to a special report published today in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

29 Nov 2016

Private practitioners urge patients to choose physical therapy over opioids to manage pain

Prescription opioid headlines are staggering: 40 Americans die each day from overdoses involving prescription opioids; they cost the United States economy $78.5 billion a year; and 227 million opioid prescriptions were handed out in the U.S. in 2015.

26 Nov 2016

New vaccine shows potential to decrease risk of fatal opioid overdose

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have developed a vaccine that blocks the pain-numbing effects of the opioid drugs oxycodone and hydrocodone in animal models.

23 Nov 2016

Study reveals new insights into drug-caused deaths among health care professionals

An Australian-first study conducted by Monash University has found that from 2003-2013 nearly five deaths per 1000 employed Australian health care professionals were caused by drugs, with a significant association between specific professions and drug type.

23 Nov 2016

Opioid exposure may impact healing in patients with chronic wounds

Patients with chronic wounds who never receive opioids heal faster than those who do receive the drugs, according to a new study by George Washington University (GW) researcher Victoria Shanmugam, M.D.

21 Nov 2016

New technique for identifying illicit drugs can provide high sensitivity and rapid results

For the identification of illicit drugs in forensic toxicological casework, analysis can be delayed and potentially compromised due to lengthy sample preparation. However a new technique has been developed that can provide high sensitivity and fast results.

16 Nov 2016

Medical cannabis may help treat mental health problems and opioid addiction

Using marijuana could help some alcoholics and people addicted to opioids kick their habits, a UBC study has found.

16 Nov 2016

Study finds long-term use of transdermal opioid patches twice as common among Alzheimer's patients

Approximately seven per cent of persons with Alzheimer's disease use strong pain medicines, opioids, for non-cancer pain for a period longer than six months, according to a recent study conducted at the University of Eastern Finland.

14 Nov 2016

AMCC to raise awareness about dangers of prescription drug abuse across the U.S.

On November 12, 2016 the 7th Annual American Medicine Chest Challenge --- a national public health initiative to raise awareness about the dangers of prescription drug abuse and encourage safe disposal of prescription drugs will be held in communities throughout the nation.

11 Nov 2016

Mothers in therapy for substance use recover faster if children take part in treatment, study shows

Mothers in therapy for drug and alcohol use recover faster if their children take part in their treatment sessions, according to a first-of-its-kind study.

2 Nov 2016

Study finds increasing incidence of hospitalizations for prescription opioid poisonings in children and teens

The overall incidence of hospitalizations for prescription opioid poisonings in children and adolescents has more than doubled from 1997 to 2012, with increasing incidence of poisonings attributed to suicide or self-inflicted injury and accidental intent, according to a new study published online by JAMA Pediatrics.

1 Nov 2016

TSRI scientists discover key molecular player in inherited disorder and morphine addiction

In a remarkable "two for one" discovery, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have illuminated a key molecular player in the addictive effects of morphine in animal models.

27 Oct 2016

Study reveals way to actively reverse anesthetic-induced unconsciousness

The latest study from a Massachusetts General Hospital/Massachusetts Institute of Technology team investigating the mechanisms underlying general anesthesia finds that stimulating a specific group of neurons in mice produces signs of arousal -- including getting on their feet and walking -- even as the animals continue to receive the anesthetic drug isoflurane.

27 Oct 2016

New initiative aims to prevent opioid addition among surgical patients in Michigan

America's opioid drug epidemic has struck hard in Michigan. But now, a team from the University of Michigan is striking back at a key factor: opioid prescriptions for patients before and after surgery.

25 Oct 2016

ERAS programs help patients better prepare for surgery and recover faster, studies reveal

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programs, an important component of the Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH), are helping patients better prepare for surgery and recuperate faster afterward, according to two new studies being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2016 annual meeting.

24 Oct 2016

Many back pain patients taking opioids get limited relief and worry about side effects, study finds

Millions of people take opioids for chronic back pain, but many of them get limited relief while experiencing side effects and worrying about the stigma associated with taking them, suggests research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2016 annual meeting.

24 Oct 2016

John Cryer MP, CPPC and TalkHealth jointly launch new chronic pain patient medication survey

It is thought that more than 28 million British people across the United Kingdom suffer with chronic pain, with 8 million of those reporting pain that is moderately to severely disabling.

19 Oct 2016

U-M investigators awarded $7.5 million NIH grant to expand chronic pain research

In order to better understand the disparity between identifiable damage and chronic pain, the National Institutes of Health has awarded $7.5 million over five years to physician-scientists at the University of Michigan Health System.

19 Oct 2016

Urgent Matters announces recipients of Emergency Care Innovation of the Year Award

Urgent Matters, Philips Blue Jay Consulting, and Schumacher Clinical Partners are pleased to announce the winners of the Emergency Care Innovation of the Year Award, a competition to foster innovation in emergency departments nationwide.

17 Oct 2016

Wayne State receives NIH grant to study use of opioid addiction drug to fight relapse in recovering addicts

A team led by Wayne State University School of Medicine researcher Mark Greenwald, Ph.D., will use a four-year, $2,279,723 competitively renewed grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health to explore whether the opioid addiction treatment medication buprenorphine can decrease the magnitude and/or duration of responses to stressors faced by recovering addicts.

15 Oct 2016