Doctors should tell patients and caregivers about the overdose antidote naloxone when they prescribe opioid painkillers such as Percocet and OxyContin and medicines to treat opioid addiction.
The FDA has announced that it is requiring drug manufacturers for all opioid pain relievers and medicines to treat opioid use disorder to include new recommendations about naloxone to the prescribing information.
The United States reached a grim record last year with nearly 71,000 drug overdose deaths.
At unsanctioned safe drug consumption sites, where participants are allowed to inject illicit drugs under the supervision of trained personnel, overdoses are less likely to result in death.
Filling an opioid prescription in the postpartum period is associated with an increased risk for serious opioid-related events, with the risk increasing with the number of prescriptions filled.
Researchers sought to examine national- and county-level buprenorphine prescription patterns by patient demographics and clinician specialty, and county-level characteristics associated with buprenorphine dispensing.
Approximately one-third of patients with migraine reported using opioids to treat their symptoms, a practice that contrasts with current guidelines.
Over half of the sample attained opioids through their own prescription, and 47.2% of patients with co-occurring sedative use disorder attained sedatives by prescription.
An opinion piece highlights the growing concerns among medical professionals about the exacerbating effects the COVID-19 pandemic may have among people with opioid use disorder.
Patients on hemodialysis who use opioids concurrently with a short-acting benzodiazepine are especially at risk for early death, a study found.
