English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
Esperanto
French
German
Greek
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
UrduResults of a study shows the opioid crisis is not just about the drugs used; it is also about the ones that are not used. The findings, emphasizing the importance of safe drug disposal, are timely as the next National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, sponsored by the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), approaches on April 27, 2024.
Tag: opioid abuse
Medical Bioethics Expert Available – Philadelphia Lawmakers Vote to Prohibit Safe Injection Sites
What: According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia City Council voted to prohibit supervised drug consumption sites across most of the city, greatly imperiling the future of such a facility if the legislation becomes law. Peter Clark, S.J., PhD, director…
Study Shows Differences in How Patients With Heroin Use Disorder Process Drug and Reward Cues
Findings may help inform the development of intervention and prevention strategies
Discovery suggests route to safer pain medications
Strategies to treat pain without triggering dangerous side effects such as euphoria and addiction have proven elusive. Now scientists at Washington University School of Medicine have identified a potential pathway to pain relief that neither triggers addiction nor causes hallucinations.
Buprenorphine After Nonfatal Opioid Overdose Results in Reduced Risk of Overdose Death
Receiving medication for opioid use disorders, such as buprenorphine after an overdose, leads to lower mortality risk, according to a Rutgers study.
Increased overdose and mental health risks persist two years after opioid dose reduction
A new UC Davis Health study suggests that the increased rates of overdose and mental health crisis observed during the first year after opioid dose tapering persist through the second year. The study was published in JAMA Network Open.
Medication that lowers risk of overdose underused
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Saint Louis University found that less than half of Americans who received treatment for opioid use disorder over a five-year period were offered a potentially lifesaving medication. The numbers were even lower for those with what’s known as polysubstance use disorder — when opioid users also misuse other substances.
GW Law Expert Available to Discuss Conflicts of Interest of the Opioid Epidemic
WASHINGTON (April 27, 2022)—On Wednesday, Jessica Tillipman, a professor of law at The George Washington University, testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on conflicts of interest in McKinsey & Company’s work for FDA and opioid companies. The…
Overdose Risk More Than Tripled from 2014-2019 among NJ Medicaid Users
A rise in heroin and fentanyl in New Jersey between 2014-2019 led to the tripling of medically treated opioid overdoses despite the state’s strict limiting of prescription opioids for pain and substantial state initiatives to expand access to treatment for opioid use disorder, according to a Rutgers-led study.
Pain medicine specialists innovate to tackle America’s ongoing opioid epidemic by reducing misuse after surgery
CHICAGO – Drug overdose deaths broke records during 2020, and while the pandemic no doubt contributed, surgery plays a significant and often overlooked role in America’s ongoing opioid epidemic because many patients continue to use their prescribed opioids months after their procedures. Pain medicine specialists are leading the way in addressing the opioid epidemic by developing strategies to reduce opioid misuse related to surgery, from helping to ease pain before the procedure to ensuring at-risk patients have access to naloxone to prevent an accidental overdose, according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
‘Flushing’ out drug use trends early in the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic drastically affected people’s lives, especially early on. Today, scientists report that wastewater analysis identified drugs that people turned to for relief and those that plummeted in use, between March and June 2020. They will present their results at ACS Fall 2021.
Focusing on Solutions to the Opioid Crisis, Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) Announces Family- and Community-Based Initiatives to Prevent Substance Use Disorder and Overdose
Recognizing the urgent need for comprehensive approaches to opioid use disorder that address the needs of the entire family, the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) is today issuing a new Request for Proposals for projects that will engage and empower vulnerable families and communities to prevent opioid use disorder and overdose.
New Diagnostic Method May Predict Relapse Risk for Those Recovering from Prescription Opioid Addiction
Rutgers scientists have used a diagnostic technique for the first time in the opioid addiction field that they believe has the potential to determine which opioid-addicted patients are more likely to relapse.
Secret Shopper Study Sheds Light on Barriers to Opioid Treatment for Women
After a 2020 Vanderbilt University Medical Center study showed women have a difficult time accessing treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), investigators analyzed comments received from the study’s participants to further shed light on barriers to care, which included everything from long on-hold times to difficult interactions with clinic receptionists during phone calls seeking appointments.
Civil commitment for substance use disorder treatment – What do addiction medicine specialists think?
Amid the rising toll of opioid overdoses and deaths in the U.S., several states are considering laws enabling civil commitment for involuntary treatment of patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). Most addiction medicine physicians support civil commitment for SUD treatment – but others strongly oppose this approach, reports a survey study in Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
Access to overdose-reversing drugs declined during pandemic, researchers find
In a new study, clinician-researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) analyzed naloxone prescription trends during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and compared them to trends in opioid prescriptions and to overall prescriptions.
House Reintroduces Bill to Modernize Medicare’s Chiropractic Coverage
The Chiropractic Coverage Modernization Act (H.R. 2654), introduced April 19 in the U.S. House of Representatives, would increase Medicare coverage of services provided by doctors of chiropractic within the full extent of their state licensure, enabling chiropractic patients to conveniently and safely access needed care.
Opioid overdose reduced in patients taking buprenorphine
The drug buprenorphine is an effective treatment for opioid use disorder, but many who misuse opioids also take benzodiazepines — drugs that treat anxiety and similar conditions. Many treatment centers hesitate to treat patients addicted to opioids who also take benzodiazepines. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis studied overdose risk in people taking buprenorphine and found that the drug lowered risk, even in people taking benzodiazepines.
Experts to Discuss the Essential Efforts of Clinical Laboratories to Fight the Opioid Epidemic at the 2020 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting
The opioid epidemic has only gotten worse since the advent of COVID-19, with some areas in the U.S. reporting a 50% increase in drug overdoses due to the pandemic. With no end in sight to this public health crisis, scientific sessions during the virtual 2020 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo will highlight the integral role of clinical laboratories in efforts to manage it, as well as the latest drug tests needed to do so.
UTEP Partnership Receives Federal Grant to Combat Opioid Abuse in West Texas Counties
The University of Texas at El Paso’s Minority AIDS Research Center (MARC) is the subrecipient of a $1 million implementation grant to target substance use disorders and opioid use disorders in five rural counties along the Texas-Mexico border.
Negative side effects of opioids could be coming from users’ own immune systems (video)
Opioid users can develop chronic inflammation and heightened pain sensitivity. These side effects might stem from the body’s own immune system, which can make antibodies against the drugs. The researchers will present their results at the American Chemical Society Fall 2020 Virtual Meeting & Expo.
Economists conclude opioid crisis responsible for millions of children living apart from parents
Affiliates with Notre Dame’s Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities found that greater exposure to the opioid crisis increases the chance that a child’s mother or father is absent from the household and increases the likelihood that he or she lives in a household headed by a grandparent.
Young adults’ risks from first-time opioid prescriptions may not be as high as previously thought
Young adults and adolescents who are prescribed opioids for the first time may be at a slightly greater risk of developing a substance-related problem later in life, according to a new study co-authored by Indiana University researchers. However, the risk may not be as high as previously thought.
Linking Hospital and Other Records Can Predict Both Fatal and Nonfatal Opioid Overdoses, Study Suggests
A new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that the odds of a fatal opioid overdose were 1.5 times higher for individuals with one to two visits to the emergency department for any medical issue than for people with no hospital visits.
Addiction studies expert addresses the effects of social distancing on individuals in recovery
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The effects of social distancing and self-quarantine are weighing on all Americans, but a WVU expert in addiction studies suggests that individuals with substance use disorders who are in the recovery process may be more vulnerable to…
Saint Louis University Forms Missouri’s First Addiction Medicine Fellowship
Saint Louis University School of Medicine is tackling the country’s opioid abuse crisis by training community physicians to recognize and treat addictions.
Opioid Dependence Found to Permanently Change Brains of Rats
Approximately one-quarter of patients who are prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them, with five to 10 percent developing an opioid use disorder or addiction. In a new study, UC San Diego researchers found that opioid dependence produced permanent changes in the brains of rats.
Epidemic levels of chronic pain, opioid use disorder add to challenges of managing patients in pain
A series of seven articles in AACN Advanced Critical Care focuses on the challenges of safe, effective pain management in the ICU, including more Americans reporting daily chronic pain and the rapidly increasing prevalence of opioid misuse and opioid use disorder.
Opioid Overdose Risk Factors for Teens, College-Aged Youth Same as Adults
Older teens may have similar risk factors for prescription opioid overdose as adults, a new study suggests.
Researchers receive nearly $5 million to curb opioid cravings
Two researchers from Penn State College of Medicine have received nearly $5 million from the National Institutes of Health to study whether an already-approved drug can be used to reduce cravings and prevent relapse in those struggling with opioid addiction.
Opioid prescription misuse in older adults in lasting physical, mental complications
Older adults in the U.S. who suffer prescription opioid misuse (POM) are at a higher risk for physical and mental quality of life problems as well as other complications, new research conducted in part at Texas State University indicates.
Study Reveals Urban Hotspots of High-Schoolers’ Opioid Abuse
A new study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that in several cities and counties the proportion of high-schoolers who have ever used heroin or misused prescription opioids is much higher than the national average.
Northwestern Medicine to Host Five Medication Collection Sites for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
Northwestern Medicine is once again coming together with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day with five medication collection sites on Saturday, October 26 from 10 am to 2 pm at locations in Chicago, Winfield, Lake Forest, St. Charles and Sandwich. This DEA initiative provides the community with a safe, convenient and responsible way to dispose of unused opioids and other prescription medications.
Sanford Burnham Prebys awarded $3.58 million NIH grant to advance potential treatment for opioid-use disorders
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), awarded a $3.58 million grant to Sanford Burnham Prebys scientist Anthony Pinkerton, Ph.D., to advance a potential treatment for opioid-use disorders, called SBI-553.
Mindfulness May Reduce Opioid Cravings, Study Finds
People suffering from opioid addiction and chronic pain may have fewer cravings and less pain if they use both mindfulness techniques and medication for opioid dependence, according to Rutgers and other researchers.
UCLA to lead $25 million opioid study in rural America
Scientists from the UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs will lead a $25 million National Institutes of Health study testing treatments, including the use of telemedicine, to help fight the opioid epidemic in rural America.
Nearly 1 in 3 Patients with Lupus Use Prescription Opioids for Pain
A new study finds nearly one in three adults with lupus use prescription opioids to manage pain, despite a lack of evidence that opioids are effective for reducing pain from rheumatic diseases.
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.
Patients in the U.S. and Canada are Seven Times as Likely as those in Sweden to Receive Opioids After Surgery
Patients in the United States and Canada are seven times as likely as those in Sweden to receive a prescription for opioid medications after surgery, according to a new multi-institutional study led by researchers from Penn Medicine.