Opioids News - SciTechDaily

Scientists Uncover Hidden Mechanism Behind Opioid Addiction – Discovery Could Revolutionize Addiction Treatment

Medical University of South Carolina — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 08:21:50 +0000

Opioid receptors located in the dorsal peduncular nucleus uniquely contribute to the rewarding effects of opioids. Opioids, such as the widely prescribed painkiller oxycodone, are notorious for their high addiction potential. In 2022, opioid overdoses claimed the lives of nearly 85,000 people in the U.S., as reported by the Centers for Disease Control. Despite this, [...]

Breakthrough Research Supercharges Naloxone’s Power Against Deadly Opioids

Washington University School of Medicine — Sun, 04 Aug 2024 22:04:31 +0000

Newly identified compound enhances naloxone’s potency and duration, according to a mouse study. The ongoing opioid crisis in the U.S. claims tens of thousands of lives annually. Naloxone, known by its brand name Narcan, has been instrumental in saving numerous lives by reversing opioid overdoses. However, the emergence of new, more potent opioids is making [...]

Replacing Opioids: Natural Compound Promises Pain Relief Without Addiction

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 08:38:54 +0000

Researchers at Mainz University have discovered a natural compound that could potentially serve as a long-term alternative to opioids and may help alleviate the opioid crisis. Opioids, recognized for their significant pharmacological effects, have long been used as effective painkillers. Morphine, a notable example first isolated and synthesized in the early 19th century, provides crucial [...]

Revolutionary Opioid Research Could Transform Addiction Treatment

Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 11:15:32 +0000

Scientists have developed new biosensors that enable real-time tracking of opioid signaling in the brain, offering profound insights into the effects of opioids and enhancing the development of targeted therapeutics. New findings from a researcher at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience could revolutionize our understanding of how opioids impact the brain. Despite the [...]

Powerful Veterinary Drug With Horrific Side Effects Has Infiltrated the UK’s Illicit Market

King's College London — Sat, 13 Jul 2024 18:24:13 +0000

Xylazine, a potent animal tranquilizer, has entered the UK drug scene, causing significant health risks and a recorded death. Experts call for preventive measures and harm-reduction strategies to address this emerging threat. Xylazine, a powerful animal tranquiliser linked to horrific side effects, is now widespread in the UK illicit drug market. Xylazine is often combined [...]

Could a Sleep Pill Be the Answer to Opioid Addiction?

University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 09:00:09 +0000

A UCLA Health study shows that insomnia drug prevents opioid addiction in mice at opioid doses that provide potent pain relief. Research shows suvorexant, used for insomnia, may also prevent opioid addiction in mice by blocking hypocretin receptors. It maintains effective pain relief and reduces addiction-related brain changes, suggesting potential for safer pain treatments. A [...]

Nature’s Painkiller: Natural Molecules Found in Cannabis Rival Morphine in Groundbreaking Study

University of Arizona Health Sciences — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 03:21:29 +0000

Researchers at the Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction conducted tests on five terpenes, finding promising results in their pain-relief capabilities. A study from the University of Arizona Health Sciences, published in the journal PAIN, discovered that terpenes from Cannabis sativa were as effective as morphine in alleviating chronic neuropathic pain. Additionally, combining these two [...]

Scripps Scientists Pioneer Vaccine To Combat Deadly “Zombie Drug” Xylazine

Scripps Research Institute — Sat, 25 May 2024 00:59:23 +0000

Chemical biologists at Scripps Research have developed a preliminary “proof-of-concept” vaccine, potentially paving the way for the first effective treatment for xylazine overdose in humans. Xylazine, a sedative and pain reliever approved by the FDA for animals, causes severe side effects in humans. Recently, it has been illicitly mixed with opioids such as fentanyl and [...]

Pills in Disguise: The Surprising Surge of Fentanyl Seizures

National Institute on Drug Abuse — Sat, 18 May 2024 23:31:30 +0000

NIH-supported study highlights increasingly dangerous illicit drug supply, risk of pills not coming from a pharmacy. Law enforcement seizures of illicit fentanyl increased dramatically in number and size between 2017 to 2023 in the U.S., especially in pill form, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute on [...]

Fentanyl Pill Seizures Skyrocketed by Over 1,700% Since 2017

NYU Langone Health / NYU Grossman School of Medicine — Mon, 13 May 2024 09:00:31 +0000

U.S. fentanyl seizures skyrocketed by over 1,700% from 2017 to 2023, with nearly half of the seizures in pill form by 2023, indicating a major shift in the drug market and increased overdose risks. According to a new analysis, the number of illicit fentanyl seizures by law enforcement in the United States grew by more [...]

New Technique Can Quickly Detect Fentanyl and Other Opioids

University of Waterloo — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 21:37:43 +0000

The testing method has the capability to examine blood samples in half the time compared to alternative approaches. Researchers at the University of Waterloo have created an innovative blood testing technique that identifies potent opioids more quickly than conventional methods, with the potential to save lives. The method, the latest effort by Waterloo researchers and [...]

Scientists Develop Groundbreaking Handheld Test for Detecting Fentanyl With 98% Accuracy

University of Texas at Dallas — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 20:47:22 +0000

The first-of-its-kind electrochemical test can identify trace quantities with a 98% accuracy rate. Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas have created a first-of-its-kind, handheld electrochemical sensor that can accurately detect fentanyl in urine within seconds. The proof-of-concept technology can detect even trace amounts of fentanyl with 98% accuracy using a small portable device [...]

New Research Challenges the Commonly Held View That Opioids Are the Most Powerful Pain Relievers

University of Sydney — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 03:27:04 +0000

Our understanding of the role of opioid medicines in cancer pain is challenged by a new review. Researchers studying opioid data for cancer-related pain discovered significant evidence gaps about the actual effectiveness of these medicines for alleviating cancer pain. This review questions the widely accepted belief that opioids are the most powerful pain relievers. The [...]

The Prescription Paradigm Shift: Planning the Path to Safer Patient Care

University of Southern California — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 18:14:07 +0000

Letters notifying physicians of patient overdose deaths and providing a plan for the future is an effective intervention, according to a new study. Physicians who are notified that a patient has died of a drug overdose are more judicious in issuing controlled substances if the notification includes a plan for what to do during subsequent [...]

Prisons: The Unexpected Answer to the Opioid Epidemic?

Rutgers University — Sun, 15 Oct 2023 23:43:11 +0000

A study from Rutgers suggests that enhancing prison reentry programs could reduce the opioid overdose death rate in the U.S. With opioid overdose deaths surging in the United States, many communities are urgently seeking effective solutions. A recent Rutgers-led study has identified strengthening prison reentry programs for the highest-risk users as one of the most promising [...]

Opioid Treatment Strategies Shift As Researchers Advocate for Higher Buprenorphine Dosages

Brown University — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 13:48:28 +0000

A new study led by Brown University researchers suggests a need to reevaluate opioid addiction treatment recommendations in the era of fentanyl. New research reveals that individuals diagnosed with opioid use disorder who received a lower buprenorphine dose were 20% more likely to abandon their treatment compared to those on a higher dosage. This study, [...]

Researchers Discover New Way To Reverse the Effects of Fentanyl

Indiana University — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 02:35:51 +0000

According to the Centers for Disease Control, overdoses claim the lives of 100,000 Americans annually, with a significant majority attributed to the consumption of synthetic opiates such as fentanyl. Although naloxone, currently the only antidote for opiate overdose, is more widely available now, it is less effective against fentanyl-class synthetic opioids. Researchers at Indiana University [...]

Fentanyl Crisis Demands a Dose of Reality: More Buprenorphine?

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 21:33:06 +0000

NIH-funded study suggests the need to reevaluate opioid addiction treatment recommendations in the era of fentanyl. People with opioid use disorder who were prescribed a lower buprenorphine dose were 20% more likely to discontinue treatment than those on a higher dose. This is according to a study of patients prescribed buprenorphine in Rhode Island from [...]

Why Opioids Are Not the Answer to Your Back Pain: New Study Calls for Medical Rethink

University of Sydney — Mon, 04 Sep 2023 06:52:30 +0000

The evidence calls for treatment guidelines to be changed. According to a world-first trial led by the University of Sydney, opioids are no more effective than a placebo for treating acute back and neck pain and could even be harmful. The research team argues that this evidence calls for an update to treatment guidelines, advising [...]

Beating the Opioid Crisis: Human Trials for Fentanyl and Heroin Vaccines Nearing Launch

University of Montana — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 01:17:29 +0000

Scientists from the University of Montana, along with their partners, are close to initiating human trials for vaccines designed to prevent overdoses from fentanyl and heroin. These vaccines aim to offer a safeguard for individuals grappling with substance addiction or those vulnerable to unintentional overdoses. Data from the National Institutes of Health indicates that in [...]

A Longer-Lasting and More Powerful Treatment – New Antibody Reverses Effects of Potent Opioid

Scripps Research Institute — Sat, 12 Aug 2023 02:04:46 +0000

Antibody therapy developed by Scripps Research seems to offer over existing opioid-overdose treatments. Scientists at Scripps Research have demonstrated that an antibody, in single-chain fragment variable (scFv) format, can bind to the powerful opioid carfentanil and reverse its overdose symptoms in preclinical tests. Carfentanil is a derivative of the synthetic opioid fentanyl and is roughly [...]

Breaking Free: New Treatment Helps People Stop Using Addictive Opioid Painkillers

University of Warwick — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 13:51:05 +0000

Scientists from the University of Warwick and The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough have led a clinical study, financed by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), on a new treatment that could aid individuals in discontinuing their reliance on opioid painkillers for chronic pain management. Prescription opioids are currently used by [...]

Better Than Drugs? Scientists Use Hugs To Treat Opioid-Exposed Newborns

University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center — Sun, 16 Jul 2023 18:36:49 +0000

A clinical trial conducted by UNM has identified the best care practices for newborns exposed to opioids. According to recent research by the University of New Mexico, hugging and swaddling newborns exposed to opioids can decrease their hospitalization period by nearly a week, in contrast to traditional drug-oriented treatments. Over the years, medical professionals have [...]

Proven Medication, Troubling Math: Only 1 in 4 Adolescent Treatment Facilities Offer Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 23:54:54 +0000

NIH-funded study indicates a substantial need to expand access to evidence-based treatment among young people. Only 1 in 4 residential addiction treatment facilities caring for U.S. adolescents under 18 years old offer buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder, according to a new study. Only 1 in 8 offer buprenorphine for ongoing treatment. [...]