Opioid Addiction

Pre-Op Chronic Opioid Use Ups Poor Outcomes Post Spinal Fusion
April 06, 2018Preoperative chronic opioid use is associated with poor outcomes and continued dependence after posterior lumbar fusion.

FDA Issues Mandatory Recall of Food Products Containing Powdered Kratom
April 06, 2018The recall is due to samples of the product testing positive for Salmonella.

Helping to End Addiction Long-Term Initiative by NIH Launched to Address Opioid Epidemic
April 05, 2018National Institutes of Health Director, Francis Collins, MD, PhD, announced on April 4, 2018 the launch of the Helping to End Addiction Long-Term Initiative.

Opioid Receipt Up for Teens With Mental Health Conditions
March 28, 2018Adolescents with pre-existing mental health conditions and treatments are more likely to receive any opioid and to transition to long-term opioid therapy.

Long-Term Opioid Use Increases Asthma, Allergic Rhinitis Prevalence
March 12, 2018In addition to their analgesic effects, opioid binding to opioid receptors leads to the release of histamine from mast cells, including those implicated in asthma and allergic rhinitis.

Opioid Dependence Pharmacotherapy and Clinical, Criminal Outcomes in Mental Illness
March 06, 2018All 3 opioid-dependence pharmacotherapies — methadone, buprenorphine, and oral naltrexone — were associated with reductions in inpatient substance abuse treatment.

An Avenue for the Development of Opioid Adjuncts for Enhanced Analgesia, Reduced Abuse Potential
February 26, 2018Suppression of the function of an intracellular modulator of the μ-opioid receptor was found to enhance the analgesic activity of agonists for those receptors, delay the tolerance to morphine and reduce its rewarding effects

Antidepressant Medication Adherence and Long-Term Opioid Cessation
February 21, 2018Antidepressant medication adherence is associated with cessation of long-term prescription opioid use among patients with non-cancer pain.

Opioid Use in Sepsis Linked to Higher Mortality
February 12, 2018Higher mortality associated with opioid use in hospitalized patients with sepsis suggests an immunosuppressive effect that could contribute to worse outcomes.

Opioid Prescribing Trends in the Veterans Health Administration
February 09, 2018Opioid prescribing trends in the Veterans Health Administration from 2010 to 2016 followed similar trajectories as non-VHA settings, peaking around 2012 then declining.

Evaluating Excessive NSAID Use in Ibuprofen Users
February 06, 2018Fifteen percent of adults who took ibuprofen during a 1-week diary study exceeded the maximum recommended daily dose limit.

Electronic Medical Record "Nudge" May Shape Opioid Prescribing Behavior in the ED
February 01, 2018Implementation of electronic medical record default opioid prescriptions of 10 tablets of 5 mg oxycodone/325 mg acetaminophen at discharge from the ED may be associated with an increased percentage of prescriptions for 10 tablets, compared with no default.

Opioid Prescriptions for Musculoskeletal Conditions Increase Patient Satisfaction
January 31, 2018The researchers found that 13.1% of patients with musculoskeletal conditions were opioid users, and those using prescribed opioids were more likely to be highly satisfied with their care.

Efficacy of Tamper-Resistant Controlled-Release Oxycodone
January 24, 2018The tamper-resistant formulation of controlled-release oxycodone in Australia reduced tampering among high-risk populations.

FDA Tentatively Approves Arymo ER Label Update for Abuse-Deterrent Claims
January 09, 2018The FDA has tentatively approved an update to the Arymo ER extended-release tablets labeling to include data from an intranasal abuse-deterrent claim.

Topical Analgesics Aid Opioid Discontinuation, Pain Management
January 08, 2018In a recent study, about half of the study patients taking opioids who were prescribed topical analgesics for pain management discontinued their opioids after 3 to 6 months of treatment.

Gabapentinoid Use Increased in the United States Over Last Decade
January 05, 2018From 2002 to 2015, the percentage of individuals in the United States who used gabapentin and/or pregabalin increased in 1.2% to 3.9%.

Ob-Gyns Opioid Prescribing Practices Need Improvement
January 05, 2018Improvement in obstetrician-gynecologists' knowledge and prescribing practices regarding opioids is needed.

Investigational Oxycodone Vaccine Shows Potential for Oxycodone Abuse, Overdose
January 04, 2018An investigational vaccine may represent an effective treatment strategy for oxycodone abuse and may help reduce oxycodone overdose severity.

Chronic Pain Management in Primary Care Settings
December 14, 2017From helping patients with opioid addiction to finding pain management programs, one physician shares his experience with chronic pain management in the primary care setting.

High Risk for Prescription Opioid, Heroin Overdose in Baby Boomer Generation
December 14, 2017Individuals born between 1947 and 1964 have a significantly increased risk for prescription opioid overdose death and heroin overdose death, and those born from 1979 to 1992 also have an increased risk of heroin overdose death.

Personalized Opioid Dosing Suggested Following Hysterectomy
November 27, 2017Gynecologists prescribe about twice the amount of opioids than patients use after hysterectomy for benign, nonobstetric indications.

DEA Announces All Illicit Fentanyl Analogues Will Be Subject to Criminal Prosecution
November 21, 2017The announcement comes from the Department of Justice and will give the Drug Enforcement Agency the ability to take immediate action to stop illicit fentanyl from coming into the US.

Cannabis Use Associated With Relationship Between Pain and Negative Affect
November 20, 2017Frequent cannabis users enrolled in a Medication-Assisted Treatment for opioid addiction exhibit greater associations between pain and negative affects compared with less-frequent users.

Obama Administration Senior Policy Advisor and Addiction Expert on White House Initiative to Address the Opioid Crisis
November 07, 2017On October 30, 2017, the Clinton Foundation's Health Matters Initiative held a panel event at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for the release of a report co-written by these 2 organizations, titled "The Opioid Epidemic - From Evidence to Impact."

Opioid Crisis Declared Public Health Emergency by White House: Implications According to Pain Specialists
October 27, 2017On October 26, 2017, President Trump declared the opioid epidemic a national public health emergency.

Opioid Epidemic Declared National Emergency by White House
August 25, 2017The opioid epidemic has been declared a national emergency by President Donald Trump, which means federal funding can be increased and directed toward treatment programs.

Long-Term Opioid Therapy Linked to Adverse Effects in Polyneuropathy
August 24, 2017Long-term treatment with opioids is associated with more adverse outcomes in patients with polyneuropathy, including depression, overdose, and opioid dependence.

Migraine Treatment: Are Opioids Overprescribed?
August 24, 2017There are nearly as many migraine patients receiving opioids as there are patients receiving level A abortive medications.

Comprehensive Initiative Positively Impacts Opioid Prescribing
August 23, 2017After a comprehensive initiative to curb opioid prescribing, researchers identified reductions in all tracked outcomes, including a 30% decrease in prescribing opioids at high doses.
Clinical Pain Advisor Articles
- Reviewing the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Cannabis-Based Medicines for Chronic Neuropathic Pain
- Femoral Nerve Block Alone or in Combination With Sciatic Nerve Block for TKA: A Meta-Analysis
- Predicting Suicidal Ideation in Veterans With Chronic Pain
- Widespread Impact of Reducing Opioids, Adding IV Acetaminophen for Postsurgical Pain Management
- How the City of San Francisco Is Tackling the Intertwined HIV/HCV and Opioid Epidemics
- Radiofrequency Ablation for Chronic Hip Pain: Reviewing the Evidence
- Reviewing the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Cannabis-Based Medicines for Chronic Neuropathic Pain
- Opioid Use Disorder Treatment: Evidence-Based Guideline
- Widespread Impact of Reducing Opioids, Adding IV Acetaminophen for Postsurgical Pain Management
- How the City of San Francisco Is Tackling the Intertwined HIV/HCV and Opioid Epidemics
- White Matter Hyperintensities Linked to Tension-Type Headaches
- Expert Q&A: Effects of Collaborative Care Models on Patient Satisfaction in Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Predicting Response to Onabotulinumtoxin A in Chronic Migraine
- Intrathecal Drug Delivery and Spinal Cord Stimulation for Cancer Pain: A Review
- First Opioid Lawsuit Targeting Pharmacy Benefit Managers