Opioids

While opioids are among the most powerful painkillers, they're also highly addictive, which makes them hard to get. A new finding may offer hope to pain patients in the form of powerful drugs that lack the most severe side effects of current options.

A new study has shown that for people with chronic pain taking opioids over the long term, incorporating an internet-based self-management program into treatment may help reduce both pain and opioid intake.

Scientists have discovered how a specific brain circuit functions during fentanyl withdrawal, potentially leading to relapse. Suppression of this could lead to better, targeted medical treatments for opioid use disorders.

Although the drug naloxone can be a lifesaver in cases of opioid overdose, it has to be administered quickly. That's where a new wearable device comes in, as it's designed to first detect the effects of an overdose, and then deliver an injection of naloxone.

Intriguing new preclinical research has found targeting opioid receptors in the gut could be a new treatment for inflammatory bowel disease. The research builds on early evidence showing a relationship between opioids and immune cell function.

Fascinating new research has found a link between opioid addiction and vitamin D deficiency. The research indicates subjects with low vitamin D levels may experience heightened euphoric effects from opioids, making them more susceptible to addiction.

A new proof-of-concept study suggests CRISPR gene therapy may be a promising alternative to opioids for chronic pain. The preliminary investigation demonstrated lowered pain sensitivity in mice after temporarily repressing activity of a specific gene.

In order to keep patients from developing opioid addictions, it's best if doctors can avoid prescribing the things in the first place. A new surgical patch could help, by gradually releasing painkillers right where they're needed.

Novel research has described the discovery of opioid antibodies produced by the immune system following chronic opioid use. The researchers suggest these antibodies may be responsible for some negative side effects seen in long-term opioid users.

Opioid pain relievers not only produce potential side effects such as nausea and constipation, but they can also be highly addictive. Australian scientists have therefore created what could be a better medication, that is made using tarantula venom.

Presently, in order to check the level of opioid drugs in a person's bloodstream, a blood sample must be taken. Things may soon be getting much less invasive, however, as scientists have now developed a breath test that does the job.