| Article
The hot topic with respect to practitioner groups is there seems to be a lot of denouncing of the fact that there’s too much opioid use and everyone is looking for ideas to minimize these opioids. But one of the top suggestions that people will consider is maybe nonopioid and nonpharmacologic...
| Article
An analysis to be published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology concludes that patients receiving hemodialysis for kidney failure should limit their use of opioid analgesics for the management of pain, a commonly reported accompanying effect of this treatment. The analysis...
| Article
Findings from a recent study conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine adds to evidence reported last month in the Daily Dose on the risks of preoperative opioid therapy for patients undergoing spinal surgery. This multicenter database study of adult patients who...
| Article
Diversion has long been recognized as one aspect of the overall public health issue presented by opioid misuse, and SAMHSA has reported that almost 50% of US teenagers who misuse a prescription opioid obtained the drug from a relative or friend. But there are increasing reports of diversion in the...
| Article
New policies and training invoked by Navy Medicine, providing medical services to sailors, Marines, and family members, are designed to strike a balance between ensuring safe use of opioids and preserving access to them for the treatment of chronic pain. Patients in the care of Navy Medicine will...
| Article
Last week, the National Institutes of Health announced a major new research commitment devoted to advancing the national response to the crisis of opioid abuse and addiction. The HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Initiative will be a multiagency initiative to advance scientific research on a...
| Article
Last week, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams, MD, MPH, issued an advisory advocating for greater distribution and availability of naloxone as an element of the national response to opioid use disorder. The Surgeon General recommends that individuals at risk for opioid overdose, as well as their family...
| Article
In 2017, the state of Kentucky became the first to classify gabapentin as a Schedule 5 substance, following the finding that the drug was involved in up to 33% of overdose fatalities during the prior year. This means that prescriptions for gabapentin will be reported to the state’s PDMP going...
| Article
Because they are likely to be at the scene of an overdose when it occurs, fellow drug users may be the most suitable targets for naloxone training, according to conclusions from a new study conducted at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In interviews with 450 drug users in the...
| Article
A new study conducted by researchers from the University at Buffalo School of Nursing is one of the first to focus specifically on the risk factors for opioid misuse in older adults. This population is particularly sensitive to adverse effects from opioids, according to the researchers. Study author...