Addiction

Reducing high-dose opioid therapy does not worsen pain severity, functional ability, or aberrant drug-related behaviors in chronic pain patients when concurrent biopsychosocial services are offered.

Sometimes, chronic pain patients intentionally magnify or downplay their physical and mental symptoms during office visits. Despite that fact, little attention in the clinical setting is paid to underlying motives for positively or negatively biased self-reports.

Even if a chronic pain patient had been taking opioid medications exactly as prescribed, it would still be possible for the patient to experience negative cognitive and emotional responses to dose tapering that could amplify sensory pain and lead to opioid addiction.

In light of the fact that many physicians continue to rely on observational analysis and patient self-reporting to monitor opioid addiction or misuse, results from a scientific poster reinforced the benefits of routine urine drug testing in improving compliance with prescribed opioid medications and ultimately enhancing pain care.

Preliminary research data revealed a significantly higher incidence of opioid-induced constipation among patients taking opioid analgesics for chronic non-cancer pain than self-reported constipation complaints suggest.

When encouraging and supporting patients to quit smoking, varenicline is unlikely to increase the risk of neuropsychiatric adverse events such as suicide, depression, and aggression, even in patients with pre-existing psychiatric illness.

Results of a long-term study indicate that when both parents smoke, children's absorption of secondhand smoke leads to increased artery wall thickness.

A 40-member coalition partly comprised of physician experts on opioid addiction treatment and overdose prevention is asking the US Food and Drug Administration to rescind its approval of extended-release Zohydro (hydrocodone bitratrate), given the drug's perceived dangers to the public.

Because e-cigarettes are marketed as a "safer alternative to tobacco smoking," concerns have surfaced regarding the potential for long-term health consequences that stem from inhaling vapor containing nicotine, propylene glycol, and by-products, as well as exposing bystanders to the substance second-hand.

Administering drops of the probiotic supplement Lactobacillus reuteri protectis in healthy infants results in fewer instances of colic, acid reflux, and constipation compared to placebo.

There has been much speculation about whether the implementation of complex mental health parity rules will actually yield equal coverage of care.

Following a low-FODMAPs diet reduced symptoms for patients suffering from IBS, according to a study of 38 patients. Unfortunately,the diet might not be realistic for all IBS patients to take on.

A study published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry concludes that adults dependent on cocaine and/or methamphetamine who undergo stimulant addiction treatment does not detract from simultaneous smoking cessation therapy, and can even increase likelihood of quitting.

A study presented at the 2013 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons has demonstrated that a simple postoperative pain treatment decreases both pain and the use of narcotic pain relievers.

Study results show that improvement in short-term mortality was seen in patients who receive corticosteroids for treatment of severe alcoholic hepatitis without an increased risk of infection occurrence.

Primary care physicians should be aware of the signs and symptoms of common liver conditions, and incorporate the latest laboratory tests and diagnostic procedures into practice.

A community pharmacist shares his insights and opinions on concerns over the risks involved with ADHD medications for children.

New research findings underscore the need for improved medical and psychiatric care coordination for HIV patients.

A unique program that focuses on specific neighborhoods in Philadelphia with high hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS infection rates provides free testing, works with local leaders to destigmatize testing, and connects infected individuals with needed health care services.

Researchers have had little success in developing an HIV cure, but recent studies involving gene therapy, immune-based therapy, reactivation of the immune system, and "very early" treatment have produced promising results.

Due to improvements in treatment and other factors, the number of HIV-positive patients over age 50 is growing rapidly. With their greater risk for serious comorbidities such as depression and addiction, these patients represent a unique challenge for clinicians and caregivers.

Post-hoc analysis of phase III clinical study results finds lubiprostone doesn't interfere with the analgesic effect of opioids in chronic non-cancer pain patients with opioid-induced constipation.

A recent study found each missed physician visit increases an HIV patient's risk of death by 12 percent.

Commander John J. Burke details how pain management practitioners can adequately protect themselves from prescription drug diverters without hurting their legitimate patients.

Jennifer E. Bolen, JD, says it's the responsibility of physicians - not labs - to ensure drug testing reports comply with federal and state guidelines in the event of an audit.

When alcohol consumption is a concern, it's better to prescribe antiretroviral therapy in HIV patients than to withhold it, according to a group of researchers at University Hospital of Berne in Switzerland.

In a clinical review published in Clinical and Experimental Gastroenterology, researchers from Iwate Medical University in Japan evaluated the long-term safety and efficacy of the novel serotonin-receptor agonist ramosetron in patients suffering from diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D).

The new Federation of State Medical Boards Model Policy for the Use of Opioid Analgesics in the Treatment of Chronic Pain is designed to help ensure physicians who prescribe or use opioids do so "in full compliance with state and federal regulations, accepted clinical practice, and in a manner that is safe and reduces risk."

An online commentary published in the May 22/May 29 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association asserts that all hospitals should randomly test physicians for drug and alcohol abuse to increase patient safety.

Results from a 12-week study show patients treated with eluxadoline report decreased abdominal pain and improved bowel movement frequency and urgency.