Addiction

Donor livers are scarce, donated organs are precious, and transplant surgeons make the final call on whether to transplant. When the question of whether to give a liver to a patient who uses marijuana, drinks too much alcohol, or even smokes tobacco comes up, the issue gets tricky.

Researchers appear to have identified a specific molecule that controls morphine receptor signaling in a small group of brain cells. The particular regulator of G protein signaling protein is called RGS7 and has been identified as a novel regulator of the μ-opioid receptor, which morphine acts upon to mediate its euphoric and analgesic effects.

The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) has released new evidence-based recommendations on the use of prescription medications for the treatment of opioid addiction.

A program that integrated addiction treatment into primary care for patients with, or at risk for, HIV appears to successfully engage and treat patients with substance dependence. Developed by researchers at Boston Medical Center, the program was shown to reduce substance dependence and encourage engagement in treatment.

Are more patients with newly diagnosed fibromyalgia taking guideline-recommended medications or opioids? The answer may surprise you.

Researchers report that not only does a reduction in the use of alcohol in adolescence not lead to replacement by tobacco or cannabis use, but that the same clustering effect blamed for high abuse of all three substances may also contribute to decreases across use of all three substances.

New clues on morphine behavior hold promise for withdrawal treatment.

Expensive and worth it. That's the verdict from Medicaid programs across the US when it comes to the new hepatitis C antivirals. State spending figures are available in a study published as a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Varenicline and bupropion may be safer for people who are quitting smoking than nicotine replacement therapy.

Researchers have identified a biomarker that could help clinicians determine whether patients with alcohol use disorders would benefit from treatment with acamprosate.

Bullied adolescents who engage in regular exercise have reduced rates of suicidal ideation and attempt compared to their sedentary peers.

Secondhand smoke exposure in utero and in childhood puts people at higher risk of having atrial fibrillation later in life, San Francisco researchers found.

Every day 46 people in the United States die from a prescription painkiller overdose. As part of its effort to combat this startling epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will soon launch a comprehensive prevention program.

Canada-based researchers examined the effectiveness of opioids for the long-term management of chronic neuropathic pain and found less than encouraging results, according to a study in The Journal of Pain.

The debate over whether state Medicaid programs are violating federal law by restricting access to pricey new hepatitis-C drugs is getting hotter. The While House is under new pressure to step in.

Findings from two studies presented July 22 at the International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference in Vancouver, Canada indicate that HIV treatment for illicit drug users appears to improve their social and socioeconomic wellbeing, in addition to their overall health.

The number of opioid-related deaths nearly quadrupled from 1999 to 2011 in the US; and while that number continues to increase, one state has made positive strides with the implementation of two initiatives.

Does the use of electronic cigarettes, known as "vaping" lead teens to become smokers? A California team reports teen users are more likely to later try combustible tobacco, but say it is not clear whether they would have become smokers anyway.

Many patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who smoke use it as a distraction from the pain associated with their condition and as a coping mechanism for dealing with the frustrations of living with RA.

Researchers in Brazil recently noted that marijuana use may mitigate some of the more severe psychiatric side effects associated with crack cocaine addiction, potentially making it easier for addicts to stop using the drug.

For patients unable to have regular bowel movements the search for effective treatment can be uncomfortable with limited options. A potential new treatment is being tested where a vibrating capsule could help these patients with regular bodily functions.

Merely being told that a treatment has analgesic effects may be all that a patient needs in order to experience pain relief, a new study suggested.

Research indicates that alcohol use disorder as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) appears to be a highly prevalent, highly comorbid, and disabling disorder that often goes untreated in the United States.

Opioid analgesics are often prescribed to patients who suffer from chronic lower back pain; however, a new report suggests that these medications are less effective in a subset of these patients.

Study results suggest that brain inflammation resulting from chronic nerve pain appears to alter activity in brain regions that regulate mood and motivation. The findings indicate, for the first time, a direct biophysical relationship between long-term pain and the co-morbid anxiety, depression, and substance abuse observed in more than 50% of patients with chronic nerve pain.

Weighing the pros and cons of prescription opioid use for chronic pain is an ongoing battle, and new research may have just added to the list of disadvantages.

With 259 million painkiller prescriptions written in 2012 alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one of the most common side effects experienced by patients being treated for chronic pain is opioid-induced constipation (OIC).

It should be common knowledge that prescription opioids have addictive properties, yet alarming survey results reveal that many healthcare providers do not understand the extent to which this is the case.

Researchers from Northwestern University have suggested that many mental disorders do not appear to predict future violent behavior, with the exception of substance use disorders.

A CDC report recommends that when physicians prescribe opioids, appropriate patients should also get naloxone kits in case they overdose.