Anna Lembke, MD, discusses how patients who use drugs are affected by the convergence of 2 public health emergencies – increasing overdose rates, and the COVID-19 pandemic – and addresses controversial solutions proposed by other investigators.
From 2010 to 2017, there were significant increases in the estimated rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome and maternal opioid-related diagnoses.
The study examined the effect of therapeutic suggestions played to patients through earphones during surgery on postoperative pain and opioid use.
Patients already receiving OUD treatment continued to receive care during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic.
An opinion piece highlights the growing concerns among medical professionals about the exacerbating effects the COVID-19 pandemic may have among people with opioid use disorder.
In parallel to the ongoing national opioid crisis, the incidence rate of infective endocarditis cases has increased markedly among people aged 18 to 29 years with hepatitis C virus infection and those with opioid use disorder.
Despite conflicting evidence, a third of primary physicians do not perceive OUD medication to be more effective than nonmedication treatment.
Suicide decedents tended to be older, women, and white compared with decedents of undetermined intent.
For as much as we know about the dangers of opioids, relatively little is known about how environmental factors might influence opioid-related mortality. Does cold weather increase the risk of fatal overdose?
An increasing number of urine drug test (UDT) results positive for cocaine or methamphetamine are also positive for nonprescribed fentanyl.
