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.

Study: Opioid prescribing preferences, practices among surgical residents and faculty differ

Opioid prescribing preferences and practices among surgical residents and faculty differ, according to a new study published in the journal Surgery.

8 Jul 2021

California lawmakers push feds to allow a therapy that pays meth users to abstain

In his multiple attempts to overcome a methamphetamine addiction that ground through two decades of his life, Tyrone Clifford Jr. remembers well the closest he came. "The most success I had," he said, "is when my dealer was in jail."

2 Jul 2021

Sunflower peptide identified as a potential drug for treating abdominal pain

A naturally occurring peptide in sunflower seeds was synthetically optimised and has now been identified as a potential drug for treating abdominal pain or inflammation (in the gastrointestinal tract, abdominal area and/or internal organs).

28 Jun 2021

Many people with fibromyalgia substitute CBD for opioids and pain medications, finds study

Fibromyalgia is one of many chronic pain conditions that remains stubbornly difficult to treat.

24 Jun 2021

Dentists need to be aware of medication history even in younger patients, study suggests

A new study demonstrates that many younger adult dental patients are taking medications and highlights the importance of dental providers reviewing medication histories regardless of age.

24 Jun 2021

People with a history of childhood trauma get a more pleasurable 'high' from morphine

People who have experienced childhood trauma get a more pleasurable "high" from morphine, new research suggests.

22 Jun 2021

Recommended treatments can benefit people with lower back pain

Medical guidelines help doctors understand the best way to treat health conditions. Surprisingly, many doctors do not adhere to them, and this is a problem, according to a new study by scientists at University of Utah Health and MDGuidelines.

18 Jun 2021

AMP’s new consensus can promote standardization of PGx gene/allele testing, improve patient care

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), the premier global, molecular diagnostic professional society, today published consensus recommendations to aid in the design and validation of clinical CYP2D6 assays, promote standardization of testing across different laboratories and improve patient care

11 Jun 2021

Surgeons can avoid postoperative opioid prescriptions, studies suggest

Surgeons can ease their patients' pain from common operations without prescribing opioids, and avoid the possibility of starting someone on a path to long-term use, a pair of new studies suggests.

10 Jun 2021

New open-source tool designed to predict drug overdose mortality in the U.S.

For two decades, the number of Americans who die each year from drug overdoses has steadily risen, from less than 20,000 in 1999 to more than 80,000 in 2020.

10 Jun 2021

Clinical trial investigates effectiveness of delivering HIV, substance use care through mobile clinics

A clinical trial is underway in five U.S. cities to determine whether delivering integrated health services through mobile clinics can improve HIV and substance use outcomes among people with opioid use disorder who inject drugs.

9 Jun 2021

Research opens alternative therapeutic avenues for treatment of chronic pain

Building on previous findings, scientists have demonstrated that conolidine interacts with the newly identified opioid receptor ACKR3/CXCR7.

3 Jun 2021

Study reveals prevalence of multimorbidity among people using methamphetamine

People who use methamphetamine are more likely to have health conditions, mental illness, and substance use disorders than people who do not use the drug, according to a new study by researchers at the Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research (CDUHR) at NYU School of Global Public Health.

3 Jun 2021

Most prescriptions for buprenorphine are written by a small number of health care providers

Most prescriptions for the drug buprenorphine, used to treat opioid use disorder, are written by a small number of the health care providers, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

2 Jun 2021

Study reveals inequities in access to primary care among Canadian prescription opioids users

Stigma and high care needs can present barriers to the provision of high-quality primary care for people with opioid use disorder (OUD) and those prescribed opioids for chronic pain.

1 Jun 2021

Opioids like ‘lean’ permeate hip-hop culture, but dangers are downplayed

Nykerrius Williams knows about the close relationship between hip-hop and opioid use. Williams, 27, an independent rapper from Gibsland, Louisiana, who goes by the name Young Nyke, took oxycodone pills for the first time when he was 16 and has continued patterns of misuse of those pills, as well as Lortabs, Xanax and codeine cough syrups, until recently. To him, it's part of the business.

28 May 2021

Pain monitoring technology can reduce intraoperative opioid consumption

A new study has shown that effective opioid-sparing anaesthesia with dexmedetomidine can be guided with NOL pain monitoring technology (Medasense, Israel). The study showed that the NOL monitor is able to detect the effect of dexmedetomidine on the patient's pain response and enable administration of less intraoperative opioids.

26 May 2021

New peptides allow cannabis-derived drugs to fight pain in mice without side effects

An international team, led by researchers from Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) in Barcelona, Spain, David Andreu and Rafael Maldonado, has developed a peptides family that allows delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main component of Cannabis sativa, to fight pain in mice without side effects.

20 May 2021

Clinical trial looks at cannabis as a potentially effective treatment for acute migraines

Allison Knigge was in elementary school when she started to experience migraines. They continued to get progressively worse as time went on, especially after the birth of her son.