03.15.2016 Urges physicians not to use opioids first-line for chronic pain by Kristina Fiore Associate Editor, MedPage Today The CDC has released its final guidance on opioid prescribing, urging clinicians not to use the painkillers as first-line therapy for chronic pain and suggesting limits on dose and duration when they do have to be prescribed. […]
Date: January 12, 2016 Source: Saint Louis University Summary: Opioids may cause short-term improvement in mood, but long-term use imposes risk of new-onset depression, a new study shows. The link was independent of the known contribution of pain to depression, and the study calls on clinicians to consider the contribution of opioid use when depressed […]
Patients taking opioids are less likely to subsequently receive guideline-recommended therapy TUESDAY, Oct. 20, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Opioid use is widespread among patients with newly diagnosed fibromyalgia, and patients taking opioids have a decreased likelihood of receiving guideline-recommended medications, according to a study published online Oct. 7 in Pain Practice. Rachel Halpern, Ph.D., M.P.H., […]
BMJ Open 2015;5:e007836 doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-007836 Rehabilitation medicine Association of worker characteristics and early reimbursement for physical therapy, chiropractic and opioid prescriptions with workers’ compensation claim duration, for cases of acute low back pain: an observational cohort study Jason W Busse Abstract Objective To assess the association between early reimbursement for physiotherapy, chiropractic and opioid prescriptions for […]
Clinical Pain Medicine ISSUE: AUGUST 2015 | VOLUME: 13(8) There are no significant differences between giving nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids to patients in the emergency department (ED) with regard to their risk for developing chronic pain after motor vehicle accidents, a new study suggests. Individuals presenting to EDs after vehicular accidents have a […]
Understanding why physicians from various areas of expertise prescribe opioids helps the medical community as a whole combat opioid abuse, misuse and overdose. Even though emergency physicians are not likely to prescribe opioids to discharged patients, doctors from other medical fields are contributing to the opioid epidemic at a higher rate. Published in The Journal […]
By Lynn Arditi Journal Staff Writer Posted Apr. 28, 2015 @ 2:12 pm Updated Apr 28, 2015 at 4:33 PM PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Massachusetts health officials said Tuesday that more than 1,000 deaths in 2014 are likely related to opioid overdoses, but the overdose death rate is still lower than Rhode Island’s. Based on those […]
April 13, 2015 TAKE-HOME MESSAGE In order to determine the association of opioid use with heat pain perception, investigators evaluated 187 adults with chronic pain and found that those receiving opioids were more likely to be hyperalgesic than those who were not. Findings suggest that hyperalgesia is independently associated with long-term opioid use. Abstract […]
Beth Skwarecki February 18, 2015 Long-acting opioids were associated with a greater than 2-fold risk for unintentional overdose compared with short-acting formulations, according to a cohort study published online February 16 in JAMA Internal Medicine. Moreover, the risk was more than 5-fold greater in the first 2 weeks of using a long-acting opioid. “If replicated in other cohorts, our findings […]
Richard C. Dart, M.D. January 15, 2015 N Engl J Med 2015; 372:241-248 Abstract / Article Extract Background The use of prescription opioid medications has increased greatly in the United States during the past two decades; in 2010, there were 16,651 opioid-related deaths. In response, hundreds of federal, state, and local interventions have been implemented. […]
Megan Brooks January 22, 2015 Opioid pain medications are widely prescribed among women of childbearing age, which is a “significant public health concern,” federal health officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said today. A new report published in the January 23 issue ofMorbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) shows that roughly one fourth of privately insured women […]
Friday 16 January 2015 Alan Yuhas in New York In 2012, Americans received nearly 260 million prescriptions for opiate painkillers. Now, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released a white paper that reports “a dire need for research” to make up for the “scant” evidence that opioid painkillers should be used to treat chronic pain. The […]
Megan Brooks DisclosuresJanuary 09, 2015 In a drug safety communication issued today, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it is aware of recent reports “questioning” the safety of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) pain medicines when used during pregnancy, but that it lacks adequate studies to change current recommendations. The benefits and risks of using prescription […]