Researchers Find Potential Alternative To Addictive Opioid Pain Relievers
A group of scientists say they're one step closer to finding another option to addictive opioid pain medications.
opioids
College High: Students Are Using More Marijuana, Fewer Opioids
Illicit drug use runs in cycles, and right now young adults are favoring marijuana over opioids or amphetamines. But they're still indulging a lot less than people in the baby boom generation.
An Even Deadlier Opioid, Carfentanil, Is Hitting The Streets
Carfentanil, a powerful opioid used to sedate elephants, is being blamed for a record spike in drug overdoses in the Midwest. It's much stronger, and riskier, than heroin or fentanyl.
FDA Boosts Warning On Danger Of Combining Opioids And Anxiety Meds
Doctors increasingly prescribe opioid painkillers with benzodiazepines — medications used to treat anxiety and insomnia. That combination is causing a spike in overdoses and deaths, the FDA warns.
Scientists Engineer An Opioid That May Reduce Pain With Less Risk
Opioids lock to a receptor in the brain that controls pain relief, pleasure and need. A new compound may offer relief without as much risk of addiction or overdose. But it's only been tested in mice.
California Court Helps Kids By Healing Parents' Addictions
A special court in Sacramento, Calif., aims to keep families together by getting treatment for parents who have substance abuse problems, instead of sending off their kids to foster care.
Many More People Seek Medical Help For Opioid Abuse
Insurance claims for medical services related to opioid dependence rose more than 3,000 percent between 2007 and 2014, a study finds, suggesting that opioid problems have gone mainstream.
Doctors Need A New Skill Set For This Opioid Abuse Treatment
Practicing surgery on a piece of pork — that's how some doctors are learning to implant a new drug that curbs opioid cravings. It's not a skill set typically used in addiction medicine.
As Opioid Epidemic Surges, Medical Schools Try To Keep Pace
Most medical schools offer little teaching about opioid addiction, even though there is unmet demand for treatment in many areas. Stanford University's medical school is trying to change that.
Montana's 'Pain Refugees' Leave State To Get Prescribed Opioids
With rising awareness of opioid abuse, some pain patients say doctors are less likely to prescribe them. One Montana sufferer goes to great lengths to get his prescription — he flies to California.