opoids

Maternal diet sets up junk food addiction in babies
04/30/2013 - 12:17

Research from the University of Adelaide suggests that mothers who eat junk food while pregnant have already programmed their babies to be addicted to a high fat, high sugar diet by the time they are weaned.

 

more
Electric stimulation of brain releases powerful, opiate-like painkiller
01/02/2013 - 09:27

Researchers used electricity on certain regions in the brain of a patient with chronic, severe facial pain to release an opiate-like substance that's considered one of the body's most powerful painkillers.

more
Few regular users of strong painkillers
07/30/2012 - 07:57

Fewer Norwegians than suspected take opioids such as Paralgin forte and morphine regularly. Those who do, however, use these strong painkillers over extended periods. Each year roughly 10 per cent of the Norwegian population are given a prescription for opioids. Until recently, the number of these who can be considered regular users of such medications was unknown.

more
Adolescents and Young Adults with Mental Health Disorders at Risk of Long-Term Opioid Use
06/06/2012 - 17:59

Long-term use and abuse of opioid painkillers, such as OxyContin and Vicodin, has markedly increased in the United States in the last two decades. Of note, prescription opioids constitute 86.9 percent of prescription drug misuse among high school students.  And last week in a two-day U.S. Food and Drug Administration public meeting, officials questioned the use of long-term opioids for chronic pain due to a lack of evidence for the effectiveness and concerns about the potential risk for addiction.

more
New Treatment May Reduce Opioid-Induced Constipation in Critical Care Patients
03/01/2012 - 10:32

Opioids are a mainstay of care in the critical care unit, but their use frequently causes constipation which can lead to adverse outcomes including delayed feeding and later discharge from the ICU. Researchers from London, UK, and Chicago, IL, have found that methylnaltrexone (MNTX), a peripheral opioid antagonist, may restore bowel function in critically ill patients.

more
UCSF Study Finds Medical Marijuana Could Help Patients Reduce Pain with Opiates
12/06/2011 - 12:53

A UCSF study suggests patients with chronic pain may experience greater relief if their doctors add cannabinoids – the main ingredient in cannabis or medical marijuana – to an opiates-only treatment. The findings, from a small-scale study, also suggest that a combined therapy could result in reduced opiate dosages.

more