Opioid use disorder treatment associated with decreased risk of overdose after surgery, suggests first-of-its-kind study of over 4 million surgeries

Although people with opioid use disorder (OUD) are significantly more likely to overdose or have a complication after major surgery than those without the disorder, using medications for the treatment of OUD before surgery may eliminate that extra risk, suggests a large, first-of-its-kind study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2023 annual meeting.

Could monoclonal antibodies replace opioids for chronic pain?

During the pandemic, physicians used infusions of monoclonal antibodies to help patients fight off COVID-19 infections. Now, in response to the U.S. opioid crisis, researchers at UC Davis are trying to create monoclonal antibodies that can help fight chronic pain. The research is funded with a $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s HEAL Initiative, an aggressive effort to speed scientific solutions to stem the national’s opioid crisis.

WVU pharmaceutical experts caution ‘one pill can kill’ as new forms of fentanyl become more prevalent

Faculty members with the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy are issuing warnings about the rise of fentanyl in Mountain State communities and elsewhere following the recent seizure of a large amount of “rainbow fentanyl,” potent illegal pills resembling candy, by law enforcement officers in Monongalia County.

The Effect of Prescribing Patterns on Utilization of Opioid Medication in ACL Reconstruction: A Randomized, Prospective Trial

Prescribing smaller quantities of opioid medication appears to be as effective in controlling postoperative pain after knee surgery as higher quantities and may help to limit the number of opioids prescribed and possible diversion of unused prescription opioid medication, according to research presented today at the American Orthopaedic Society of Sports Medicine 2022 Annual Meeting.

Post-Surgical Pain Relief Without Opioids

Clinician researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have shown that patients don’t necessarily need opioids for pain relief following robotic prostatectomies. In a study published in the Journal of Robotic Surgery, the team found that strategic use of local anesthetic and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) plus acetaminophen can effectively control post-surgical pain without narcotics.

Preparing Future Clinicians to Intervene in Opioid Crisis

Opioid use disorder and overdose have reached unprecedented levels around the world. In the United States, remediation of pain is one of the most common reasons American adults seek healthcare. Therefore, it is vital that clinicians practicing in diverse roles and settings have a clinical understanding of pain and substance use disorders as well as knowledge about public health and opioid policy interventions.

Other treatments can reduce need for addictive pain medication

Hardly a day goes by without the public being warned about the dangers of opioids. But still, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 130 people die every day of opioid overdose and the problem is getting worse. A Houston Methodist pain specialist says new advancements in pain management are giving patients options.