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In this discussion, senior faculty members Heit and Gourlay reflect on some of the challenges resulting from the recent "decade of pain". Both the overuse of opioids and the solutions that have been proposed in response have led to changes in how we diagnose and treat this patient population...
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The risk for opioid dependency among opioid-naïve cancer patients who took the medication following lung surgery, is highlighted in new research presented earlier this week at the annual meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Lead author Alexander Brescia, MD, commented, “Surgeons are at the...
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Results of a study conducted by researchers from Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, suggest that a new patient education brochure is effective in forestalling diversion of opioid medications. The patient education material outlines safe medication...
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In a news release last week, Boston Scientific Corporation, Marlborough, MA, announced FDA approval for its Spectra WaveWriter Spinal Cord Stimulator (SCS) for the management of chronic pain. The Company describes it as “…the first and only system approved by the FDA to simultaneously provide...
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Cannabis as a pharmacological agent has been used for centuries. It's been described in China, in Asian countries dating back to well before the BC era. Ultimately it made its way to the United States where it actually was made available to patients until it was outlawed in the 1930s and '40s. And...
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Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, supported by collaborating scientists from other institutions, have reported major new insights that may illuminate the route to opioids that relieve pain without provoking the adverse effects that underlie the current opioid...
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A study conducted by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sheds new light on national patterns for opioid prescribing to US patients who are below age 65 and on disability. The survey included data from 2014 on some 3.5 million Medicare Part D recipients who were medically...
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Drs. Hall and Aljassem address the complex pharmacokinetic profile of methadone, recommending that clinicians be knowledgeable in the interpatient variabilities of the medication, and aware of the limitations of the data concerning its use for managing severe or refractory pain.
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Topical opioids can provide rapid pain reduction without reported adverse effects or tolerance. A physician and a pharmacist review the current evidence supporting topical opioid administration for pain, and discuss the logistics of adding compounded solutions to the clinician' s practice.
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Findings from a new study conducted by researchers at University of Pittsburg School of Medicine seek to provide expert consensus about treatment approaches to engage to manage challenging and/or concerning behaviors that may accompany long-term opioid use. These may include excessive use of opioids...