| Article
Research conducted at University of North Carolina School of Medicine sheds new light on the cause of a frequently encountered side effect of opioid therapy, intense itching. UNC scientists report that the receptor protein MRGRPX2 may be activated to trigger an immune system response that results in...
| Article
Much of the publicity today, as well as initiatives like the CDC guidelines, really focus on the outpatient problems with chronic pain patients. But there’s a growing concern with how we prescribe opioids for post-op pain control. There is a fair amount of literature that’s emerging about whether...
| Article
A study conducted by researchers from University of Kentucky College of Public Health, Lexington reports that states which elected to expand Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act saw a significant increase in the prescribing of buprenorphine. Study author Hefei Wen, PhD, stated, "Our...
| Article
The challenge to prescribers seeking to manage their patients’ chronic pain while addressing the risk for opioid related adverse events has escalated with the increasing use of opioid therapy over the last 2 decades. A recent study by a team that included PAINWeek faculty member Beth Darnall, PhD...
| Article
A study from the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation recommends that doctors should determine if their patients who are scheduled for elective abdominal surgery are already taking opioids. The study found that these patients experienced longer hospital stays and...
| Video
One approach to maintaining the balance between risks and benefits of opioid therapy for chronic pain has been the development of abuse deterrent formulations. A pain management PA provides an overview of abuse deterrent technologies, both existing and emerging. While developments are encouraging...
| Article
Greater reliance on opioid medications while awaiting a liver transplant may correlate with higher risk for organ loss and subsequent death after the transplant procedure, according to findings from new research published in Liver Transplantation. The connection between opioid use and patient...
| Podcast
As we acknowledge the recent increases in deaths and other negative outcomes associated with chronic opioid use, abuse, and overdose, we as clinicians are faced with very important questions: Can opioids be rationally prescribed for chronic pain? For whom? How? For how long? Recent CDC guidelines...
| Podcast
Opioid therapy fairly predictably causes constipation, which can be a great source of distress for patients. Defined as a reduction in bowel movement frequency and increased straining, this adverse effect is so common that good practice dictates preventive therapies, not waiting to see if it...
| Podcast
Every day something new happens in pain management. One day it might be a change in a licensing board practice standards and the next day might bring new legislation on opioid overdose prevention. Whatever the case, pain management practitioners need a system to help keep themselves and their staff...