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.

Researchers uncover the binding mechanism of opioid receptor

Together with colleagues from Shanghai, Brussels, Canada and the USA, researchers from the University of Bonn have uncovered the binding mechanism of an important pain receptor.

27 Nov 2019

Opioid use during pregnancy alters the baby's brain

During pregnancy, everything taken in by the mother crosses the placenta. Opioid use during pregnancy is tied to changes in the baby’s brain, a new study found.

25 Nov 2019

Not yesterday’s cocaine: Death toll rising from tainted drug

A pain pill prescription for nerve damage revived Gwendolyn Barton's long-dormant addiction last year, awakening fears she would slip back into smoking crack cocaine.

25 Nov 2019

Parents using marijuana could raise risk of addictions among offspring

Researchers from Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital at Belmont, MA have found that parents using marijuana could be raising the risk of their children picking up addictions such as marijuana, tobacco, alcohol and even opiods misuse. Their study titled, “Associations of Parental Marijuana Use With Offspring Marijuana, Tobacco, and Alcohol Use and Opioid Misuse,” was published in the latest issue of the journal JAMA Network last week.

24 Nov 2019

This story contains a warning that might cause alarm — or apathy

For more than a decade, Raymond Ho has answered calls for California's poison emergency hotline.

22 Nov 2019

Fentanyl-involved overdoses are concentrated in resource-deprived neighborhoods

Fentanyl overdoses cluster geographically more than non-fentanyl overdoses, according to a study just released by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

22 Nov 2019

Predicting opioid-related problems among cancer survivors

Opioids play an important role in how cancer patients manage pain, but the ongoing opioid epidemic has raised concerns about their potential for abuse.

22 Nov 2019

Study finds postpartum women are getting prescribed more narcotics than needed

New University of Minnesota Medical School research finds postpartum women are generally getting prescribed more narcotics than they need.

21 Nov 2019

Researchers discover a peptide involved in both migraine and opioid-overuse pain

About 10% of the world population suffers from migraine headaches, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

20 Nov 2019

Experts outline new framework to improve care for opioid use disorder

Every day, more than 100 Americans lose their lives to the opioid crisis, and researchers from across the nation are racing to find solutions.

20 Nov 2019

PCORI Board approves $70 million to support projects designed to improve care for health conditions

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Board of Governors today approved $70 million to fund 21 studies and related projects designed to improve care for health conditions that impose high burdens on patients, their families and the healthcare system.

19 Nov 2019

New drug 'ubrogepant' may work for migraine

A new study published in the November 19, 2019 issue of JAMA shows that a newly developed small molecule drug called ubrogepant may successfully fight migraine at doses of 25 and 50 mg, with pain relief at 2 hours with both doses, while the most troublesome symptom of migraine was held off at 2 hours post-dose with the 50 mg dose. This may help millions of migraine patients to achieve pain relief and function better.

19 Nov 2019

Cannabis cannot be used as a replacement drug for people with opioid use disorder

There has been interest in cannabis being used as a replacement drug for people with opioid use disorder, but research at McMaster University has found it doesn't work.

19 Nov 2019

Opioid dose tapering rates as much as six times higher than recommended

Stigma and safety fears have made daily dose tapering of opioid prescriptions more common. New research from UC Davis Health physicians, however, shows tapering can occur at rates as much as six times higher than recommended, putting patients at risk of withdrawal, uncontrolled pain or mental health crises.

18 Nov 2019

Surgeon general’s marijuana warning omits crucial context

Speaking about a recent federal advisory on marijuana, Dr. Jerome Adams, the surgeon general, put a new spin on long-standing admonitions about the drug.

15 Nov 2019

Adoption of state Prescription Drug Monitoring programs linked with death rates from heroin poisoning

A new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health found a consistent association between the adoption of state Prescription Drug Monitoring programs (PDMP) and death rates from heroin poisoning.

14 Nov 2019

Opioid-free pain management guidelines released by Pitt Dental Medicine

The University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine is the first in the nation to establish opioid-free pain management guidelines for the vast majority of procedures performed in all of its clinics.

14 Nov 2019

TACC announces role as key collaborator in NIH grant to study chronic pain and opioid dependence

Pain impacts nearly every individual at some point in their lives. With more than 25 million adults in the U.S. experiencing daily pain, the U.S. is facing a crisis due to the high prevalence of chronic pain and associated opioid use disorder and overdose deaths.

14 Nov 2019

Urban hotspots of opioid abuse among high-schoolers revealed

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.

14 Nov 2019

Timely identification of prenatal exposure to opioids, gabapentin could mean more appropriate care

Timely identification of newborns exposed to both opioids and gabapentin during pregnancy could mean more appropriate care for newborns experiencing withdrawal, according to researchers at Marshall University, in collaboration with Marshall Health, Cabell Huntington Hospital and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

13 Nov 2019

Opioids News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers uncover the binding mechanism of opioid receptor

Opioid use during pregnancy alters the baby's brain

Not yesterday’s cocaine: Death toll rising from tainted drug

Parents using marijuana could raise risk of addictions among offspring

This story contains a warning that might cause alarm — or apathy

Fentanyl-involved overdoses are concentrated in resource-deprived neighborhoods

Predicting opioid-related problems among cancer survivors

Study finds postpartum women are getting prescribed more narcotics than needed

Researchers discover a peptide involved in both migraine and opioid-overuse pain

Experts outline new framework to improve care for opioid use disorder

PCORI Board approves $70 million to support projects designed to improve care for health conditions

New drug 'ubrogepant' may work for migraine

Cannabis cannot be used as a replacement drug for people with opioid use disorder

Opioid dose tapering rates as much as six times higher than recommended

Surgeon general’s marijuana warning omits crucial context

Adoption of state Prescription Drug Monitoring programs linked with death rates from heroin poisoning

Opioid-free pain management guidelines released by Pitt Dental Medicine

TACC announces role as key collaborator in NIH grant to study chronic pain and opioid dependence

Urban hotspots of opioid abuse among high-schoolers revealed

Timely identification of prenatal exposure to opioids, gabapentin could mean more appropriate care

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