Treatment & Prevention

A review by researchers at Johns Hopkins University adds to evidence that most prescribed opioid pills go unused.

The majority of patients misusing both opioids and benzodiazepines (BZDs) recognize the risks of overdose and substance dependence, but need more education and motivation to stop concurrent use, says new research led by a School of Public Health addiction expert.

At the Emory Pain Center, providers educate patients and the community about pain relief options without turning to prescription medications.

A study by University of Arizona researchers revealed that rats with neuropathic pain that were bathed in green LED showed more tolerance for thermal and tactile stimulus.

Two side effects of opioids — growing tolerance to the drugs and increased sensitivity to pain — may be specifically caused by the drugs’ effect on peripheral pain neurons in the body, not those in the spinal cord or brain, according to a new study.

Researchers have identified a novel compound that appears to exhibit painkilling power comparable to morphine but lacks that drug’s most lethal property: respiratory suppression, which results in some 30,000 drug overdose deaths annually in the United States.

Opioid addiction is a crippling problem in society, with an estimated 9 percent of Americans abusing opiates at some point in their life.