Addiction

Pain management remains to be a challenging area for clinicians, nurses, and medical residents – and it doesn't matter how long they've been in the field.

Prescription drug policies are designed to curb overdose deaths, but at the same time they could be hurting patients who really need the medications.

Even financial incentives over $1,000 haven't helped substance users to take better care of their HIV.

Although patients commonly take opioids to relieve chronic back pain, there is no concrete evidence supporting this strategy.

Though it may seem logical that people who are prescribed opioids to treat pain after surgery are at risk of becoming chronic users, a study of privately insured patients showed that the risk is slight. Over 99 percent of patients in the retrospective analysis recovered without turning to regular opioid use.

About 15% of complex postoperative pain patients end up developing moderate to severe chronic pain, becoming disabled, and using opioids long-term, according to a new study in the journal Pain Management.

Although designed to make taking medications simple and easy to remember, pill organizers could spell trouble for older adults.

State opioid laws strive to reduce prescription painkiller use, but a new study found that they have no impact in a population with high usage rates.

This probably won’t come as shocking news, but long-acting opioids significantly increase the risk of death compared to other pain therapy options.

Opioid addiction is a national problem. But should nursing home patients be given more access to these drugs? An AMA panel debated the issue today in Chicago.

Over-the-counter diarrhea drug loperamide (Imodium/Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc.) has recently been in the news because opioid abusers have been using it to self-treat symptoms of opioid withdrawal. Others abuse it for its euphoric properties.

Opioid abuse in the form of fentanyl killed Prince, the Minnesota rock star and composer.

When addicted physicians seek treatment, they generally succeed. Addiction specialist Joseph Garbely, DO, says physicians usually have too much at stake to fail.

The nation's opioid addiction crisis is not limited to patients. In a Q&A with MD Magazine, addiction specialist Joseph Garbely, DO, says doctors are vulnerable and often wait too long to get help.

An implanted version of the opiate addiction drug buprenorphine has been approved by the FDA.

The new Rome IV criteria classify the functional bowel disorders into five distinct categories, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), functional constipation, functional diarrhea, functional abdominal bloating/distention, and unspecified functional bowel disorder. A new category for opioid-induced constipation, which is distinct from the functional bowel disorders, has been added.

Rome IV updates include more specific definitions and diagnostic criteria for functional gastroduodenal disorders such as functional dyspepsia, belching disorders, and nausea and vomiting disorders.

The Rome Foundation announced the release of updated and revised Rome IV diagnostic criteria for more than 20 different gastrointestinal disorders at DDW 2016.

After a child recovers from surgery or illness, their leftover prescription pain medications should be properly disposed of – the keyword being “should.â€

Buprenorphine made treatment for addiction to opioids available in a daily pill. Trial results to be presented in Atlanta, GA show an implanted form of the drug could make treatment even more convenient.

Restrictions on e-cigarettes, hookahs, and other tobacco products are about to get a lot tighter. The FDA is going to regulate them just like cigarettes, prohibiting their sale to minors.

As officials continue to investigate the death of Prince Rogers Nelson at the age of 57, talk of a prescription drug addiction has been in the forefront.

Why didn't dozens of young patients diagnosed with hepatitis C get treatment in Princeton, NJ? New CDC study offers reasons.

More than 1,000 people are treated in the emergency room for misusing prescription drugs every day, according to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN). But a low-cost approach to preventing the misuse from turning into an overdose appears effective in a new study.

Researchers in the UK analyzed the genomes of heavy drinkers and found that those who had liver disease had variants in two genes, a condition not shared by heavy drinkers who did not get liver disease.

Heavy, persistent pot use is bad news for those who hope to be financially and socially successful by midlife.

As opioid addiction remains an area of concern in medicine, measures to combat the epidemic are urgently needed.

As cannabis use (for both medicinal and recreational purposes) becomes more popular, it’s important for women and healthcare professionals to know the risks during pregnancy.

Patients afflicted with staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) skin and soft tissue infections only take about 57% of their prescribed antibiotic doses upon leaving the hospital.

Faced with a heroin epidemic that has addicts dying in public places one city considers European-style "safe injection facilities."