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.

New method effectively reduces postoperative muscular pain

Postoperative pain can pose a number of challenges for surgical patients and their care providers. A common method to treat pain has been to administer opioids.

2 Jul 2020

More than one-third of excess deaths in pandemic's early months linked to other causes

Since COVID-19's spread to the United States earlier this year, death rates in the U.S. have risen significantly. But deaths attributed to COVID-19 only account for about two-thirds of the increase in March and April, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

1 Jul 2020

Study shows women are more likely to be prescribed with opioid analgesics

Women are significantly more likely to receive prescriptions of opioid analgesics. Read the study, which was performed in a nationally representative sample of adults in the U.S., in Journal of Women's Health.

30 Jun 2020

Pilot project increases access to treatment for opioid use disorder in rural Colorado

Researchers at the University of Colorado College of Nursing at the Anschutz Medical Campus found that an 18-month pilot project that trained Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants to prescribe Medication for Opioid Use Disorders was successful in increasing availability and access of services to residents of two rural Colorado counties experiencing high overdose rates.

29 Jun 2020

Physician prescribing of muscle relaxants has tripled from 2005 to 2016, study shows

Office visits for ongoing prescribing of skeletal muscle relaxant drugs tripled from 2005 to 2016, according to a new study from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

26 Jun 2020

Study: Linking hospital and other databases can predict risk of opioid overdoses

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.

24 Jun 2020

The hidden deaths of the COVID pandemic

Sara Wittner had seemingly gotten her life back under control. After a December relapse in her battle with drug addiction, the 32-year-old completed a 30-day detox program and started taking a monthly injection to block her cravings for opioids.

23 Jun 2020

New book shows meditation can reduce conflict and divisions in society

The COVID-19 pandemic has put societies everywhere under extreme stress, and collective stress is often a precursor to outbreaks of violence. Striking features of this global health crisis have been the collective anxiety of the population, the wide variations in the way governments have responded, and the varying degree of their success.

21 Jun 2020

New therapy provides relief in patients with chronic low back pain

A new study has found that tanezumab, a monoclonal antibody that inhibits nerve activity, provides relief in patients with chronic low back pain, one of the leading reasons why people seek medical care and the number one cause of disability worldwide.

19 Jun 2020

Managing pain after sports medicine procedures without opioids

A Henry Ford Hospital study published in the Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery, has found that patients who underwent knee surgery and other types of sports medicine procedures could manage their pain without opioids or a minimal dosage.

18 Jun 2020

Study: Nearly 10% of patients continue to use opioids more than 90 days after heart surgery

Nearly 10 percent of patients who are prescribed opioid medications following heart surgery will continue to use opioids more than 90 days after the procedure, according to a new study led by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

17 Jun 2020

Depression and anxiety symptoms linked to changes in the brain's opioid system

A new study conducted in Turku, Finland, reveals how symptoms indicating depression and anxiety are linked to brain function changes already in healthy individuals.

16 Jun 2020

Drug shortages can be exacerbated by COVID-19 pandemic

A new paper published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society examines the nation's current shortage of vitally needed medications, and how this dangerous situation is being made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.

11 Jun 2020

Weighing the risks and benefits of drug screening

Little evidence supports the new recommendations for clinical screening for drug use. Do the potential benefits outweigh the potential harms?

10 Jun 2020

Opioid, sedative and antidepressant use prior to surgery leads to more complications

A study led by University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researchers showed that patients who already used opioids, sedatives or antidepressants prior to colorectal surgery experience significantly more complications post-surgery.

8 Jun 2020

UTHSC researchers receive NIH award for opioid addiction studies

A team of University of Tennessee Health Science Center researchers in the College of Medicine recently received a National Institutes of Health award to study how genetic differences may explain why some people are more susceptible to opioid addiction than others.

5 Jun 2020

Study highlights increased consumption of opioids in patients with osteoarthritis

Fentanyl, tramadol or tilidine: New European figures show that even in Europe increasingly more people are taking opioids for pain connected with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.

5 Jun 2020

Pandemic presents new hurdles, and hope, for people struggling with addiction

Before Philadelphia shut down to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Ed had a routine: most mornings he would head to a nearby McDonald’s to brush his teeth, wash his face and — when he had the money — buy a cup of coffee.

2 Jun 2020

Researchers assess harm reduction awareness among frequent cannabis users

Harm reduction strategies have proven effective for use of opioids, alcohol, and tobacco products.

30 May 2020

Study finds nitrous oxide use during labor to be safe with rare side effects

Researchers at the University of Colorado College of Nursing and the School of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology at the Anschutz Medical Campus found that the use of nitrous oxide as a pain relief option for individuals in labor is safe for newborn children and laboring individual, and converting to a different form of pain relief such as an epidural or opioid is influenced by a woman's prior birth history and other factors.

29 May 2020