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.

A rural county’s choice: Use opioid funds to pay off debt, or pay them forward to curb crisis

Over the past two years, rural Greene County in northeastern Tennessee has collected more than $2.7 million from regional and national settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors.

16 May 2023

UArizona Health Sciences researchers seek to improve opioid therapy while decreasing its side effects

University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers are taking the foot off the brake in their quest to improve opioid therapy while decreasing its side effects.

15 May 2023

Ketogenic diet's surprising impact on opioid sensitivity and withdrawal

Research investigates the effects of a ketogenic diet (KD) on responses to oxycodone, a commonly prescribed opioid for pain management. The study found sex-biased effects of KD on oxycodone responses in mice, suggesting potential implications for clinical pain management and treatment of opioid use disorder.

10 May 2023

California confronts overdose epidemic among former prison inmates

Michael Vera walked into a bedroom of a residential drug treatment program in Los Angeles in March to find its occupant slumped over on his bed and struggling to breathe, a homemade straw on the floor beside him and tinfoil with what appeared to be drug residue under his body.

10 May 2023

Medical cannabis soothes cancer pain

Study evaluated the safety and effectiveness of medical cannabis in reducing pain and concurrent medications in patients with cancer. The results suggest that medical cannabis is a safe and effective complementary treatment for pain relief in patients with cancer.

4 May 2023

Researchers identify a potential safer route to pain relief

Strategies to treat pain without triggering dangerous side effects such as euphoria and addiction have proven elusive.

4 May 2023

Does physical activity impact substance use disorder treatment?

Researchers reviewed existing studies on physical activity interventions for treating substance use disorders.

28 Apr 2023

The association between breastfeeding, drug exposure, and infant outcomes: more research is needed

Researchers explored the data linking breastfeeding, infant outcomes, and drug exposure.

28 Apr 2023

UC research examines link between genetics and the presence of opioid use disorder

New research out of the University of Cincinnati examines the association between genetics and the presence of opioid use disorder.

27 Apr 2023

Study assesses trends in buprenorphine initiation and retention in the United States

Treating opioid addiction should be much easier now than it was a few years ago, thanks to pandemic-era rule changes that aim to improve access to buprenorphine, a medicine proven to help in recovery.

25 Apr 2023

Is there an association between the consumption of ultra-processed food and adverse microbiota-gut-brain axis implications?

Researchers reviewed the impact of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) on the microbiota-gut-brain axis.

25 Apr 2023

The Biden administration vowed to be a leading voice on opioid settlements but has gone quiet

Early in President Joe Biden's tenure, his administration promised to play a key role in ensuring opioid settlement funds went toward tackling the nation's addiction crisis.

21 Apr 2023

Researchers compare the action of natural and therapeutic opioids

The human body naturally produces opioid-like substances, such as endorphins, which block the perception of pain and increase the feeling of well-being.

19 Apr 2023

New biologic inactivates potent opioid and reverses overdose

A new therapeutic designed by Scripps Research chemists can alter the molecular structure of the potent opioid carfentanil, inactivating the opioid and reversing a carfentanil overdose.

18 Apr 2023

Study sheds light on cardiovascular health of babies exposed to opioids in the womb

A new study sheds light on an understudied aspect of today's opioid crisis: What happens to the cardiovascular health of babies exposed to opioids in the womb.

13 Apr 2023

Modified Botox can alleviate chronic pain without risk of paralysis or addiction

A modified form of Botox could give long-term pain relief to patients with chronic nerve injury pain, according to a new study.

11 Apr 2023

MIP Discovery announces drugs of abuse reagent launch

MIP Discovery, a leader in rationally designed detection reagents based on its proprietary nanoMIP technology, in response to the growing synthetic opioid crisis has announced the launch of its first drugs of abuse products which are able to recognize norfentanyl, the main urinary metabolite of fentanyl.

From MIP Discovery 4 Apr 2023

Online "e-health" program helps people with chronic pain reduce opioids and pain intensity

An online "e-health" program helped more people with chronic pain reduce their opioid medications and pain intensity than a control group that had only regular treatment in a recent clinical study.

3 Apr 2023

CBD treatment in elite athletes: topical administration tolerated well with only minor adverse effects

Researchers conducted an open-label pilot study to determine the efficacy and tolerability of CBD as a potential pain management therapy in a group of former elite athletes with chronic levels of pain in the lower extremities.