Morphine News and Research

Latest Morphine News and Research

Supply problem with the opiate painkiller, diamorphine

The UK Department of Health has advised the NHS that there is a supply problem with the opiate painkiller, diamorphine, and that stocks may rapidly reach a critical level in the next few weeks.

26 Dec 2004

Botox reduces pain and spasms during breast reconstruction after mastectomy

Botox, known for reducing wrinkles, also can be used to reduce pain and spasms during breast reconstruction after mastectomy, according to results of a recent University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) study.

29 Nov 2004

Reproductive hormones have effects on all of these stages of brain growth and development

Scientists are now uncovering increasing evidence that the brain not only responds to hormones produced by the reproductive system, but that these hormones-the so-called "female hormones," estrogen and progestin, and the "male" androgens, such as testosterone-play an important role in the development of differences between male and female brains.

2 Nov 2004

Smoking shown to quell painful sensations and heighten positive emotions

Smokers often say that lighting up a cigarette can calm their nerves, satisfy their craving and help them relax.

28 Oct 2004

Global effort to relieve chronic pain

The World Health Organization (WHO) co-sponsors the first Global Day Against Pain, which seeks to draw global attention to the urgent need for better pain relief for sufferers from diseases such as cancer and AIDS.

11 Oct 2004

Botox could be assuming a new role as a pain reliever

In a study presented today at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Plastic Surgery 2004 conference in Philadelphia, women injected with Botox in the pectoral muscles following the surgical removal of their breast experienced significantly less pain and shorter hospital stays.

10 Oct 2004

Guideline evaluates treatments for postherpetic neuralgia

A new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology evaluates treatments for postherpetic neuralgia. The guideline is published in the September 28 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

28 Sep 2004

Opiate abuse may alter brain neurons making brain more sensitive to stress

If the research proves applicable to humans, the findings may help explain how hospital patients who have received morphine may be susceptible to stress disorder, attention problems and sleep disturbances.

27 Sep 2004

Genes in poppy could hold the key to producing improved pain management pharmaceuticals

"The genes we found behaved differently in Norman compared to standard morphine producing poppies and were consistently associated with the blockage in morphine synthesis and with the accumulation of thebaine and oripavine," Dr Larkin says.

23 Sep 2004

Important that nurses help women find ways to bond with their infants when breast-feeding is not possible

New mothers with fibromyalgia (FM) face multiple barriers to breast-feeding their babies, according to a study published recently in the American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing.

20 Sep 2004

Sea snail offers natural healing powers for a range of illnesses from chronic pain to diseases of the brain

A beautiful, but often deadly, snail from the sea has been revealed as a largely untapped source of natural healing powers for a range of illnesses from chronic pain to diseases of the brain.

20 Aug 2004

Virtual reality appears to dramatically change how the brain physically registers pain

The work, which used a specialized type of magnetic resonance imaging to track pain-related brain activity, showed drops of as much as 97 percent in such activity in some brain centers. The study marks the first time that scientists have documented a link between virtual reality and pain reduction in terms of an actual physiological response.

21 Jun 2004

Support for the medical use of marijuana

Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau has announced his support for the medical use of marijuana. The District Attorney was joined by Montel Williams in announcing support for legislation introduced by New York State Assemblyman Richard Gottfried.

16 Jun 2004

Common weeds may be better than herbal cousins for preventing and curing a host of diseases

Unwanted, pulled or poisoned, the lowly weed is sometimes better than its highly touted “herbal” cousins for preventing and curing a host of diseases, according to University of Florida research.

10 Jun 2004

Crime & prescription drug use in Australia

Research regarding the illicit use of prescription drugs in the Northern Territory and how this compares to other Australian states is the focus of the next presentation of Charles Darwin University’s Faculty of Education, Health and Science 2004 Seminar Program.

7 May 2004

Morphine does not alleviate acute pain in preterm neonates

Preterm neonates undergo many painful procedures as part of their standard care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Preterm babies are able to experience pain and indeed are highly sensitive to it.

2 May 2004

Anesthesiologists battle post-op pain

Post-operative pain is the No. 1 issue for people who've had surgery-and University of Utah anesthesiologists are helping these patients fight that battle on several fronts.

27 Apr 2004

Americans over using perscription drugs

Nearly 1.3 million Americans 12 and older abuse prescription drugs and require treatment for their problem, a new study concludes.

21 Apr 2004

SkyePharma agreement with Medeus Pharma for marketing and distribution of DepoMorphine

SkyePharma PLC has announced that it has entered into a strategic marketing agreement with Medeus Pharma for the marketing and distribution of DepoMorphine(TM) in Europe. DepoMorphine(TM) is SkyePharma's novel sustained-release injectable formulation of morphine for relief of moderate-to-severe post-operative pain. DepoMorphine(TM) was filed in the US and Europe last year and approvals are anticipated to commence in the second half of 2004.

5 Apr 2004

Patch for post-surgical pain

A patch that delivers pain medication through the skin is just as effective and more convenient than medication delivered by an intravenous pump for post-surgical pain, according to a new study.

22 Mar 2004