Addiction

According to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the death rates caused by overdoses of prescription painkillers has more than tripled in the past decade, surpassing the total number of deaths caused by heroin and cocaine combined.

An algorithm-driven resource can aid in promoting treatment adherence and identifying high-risk patients in opioid therapy. Anecdotal accounts and clinical studies alike indicate that primary care physicians and other clinicians who use opioid medications to treat patients for chronic pain are struggling to implement uniform and effective abuse and misuse assessment and risk management protocols.

Although the evidence appears to indicate that addiction rates are quite low among chronic pain patients treated with prescription opioids, clinician and patient fears regarding addiction continue to play a significant role in the treatment decision process. Proper screening, risk assessment, and ongoing monitoring remain the keys to minimizing addiction risk and ensuring effective pain management.

Urine drug testing is a commonly accepted component of treating patients with chronic noncancer pain with opioids. But do non-specialists truly understand the tools they are using?

Federal report underscores recent data showing surge in the abuse and misuse of prescription opioids, especially among adolescents

A program developed by the American Pain Foundation and its partners is spreading the message about safe and effective pain management by offering useful resources for patients and physicians.

Fast, good, and cheap: the rule is we only get two in life -- yet in today's health care system, clinicians are pressured to achieve all three. However, the necessary steps for ensuring safe and good pain management are a challenge for physicians who practice in the world of the 15-minute office visit

Physicians need better tools for identifying patients at higher risk of opioid abuse and misuse, as well as better guidance on managing chronic pain patients. Is the limited use of opioid risk reduction tools in the primary care setting due to providers shunning the use of these tools because of a lack of good quality evidence supporting their effectiveness, or do primary care providers "lack a systematic way of identifying high-risk patients who need to be monitored closely?"

Although a recent study found naltrexone compared favorably to placebo in treating patients for opioid dependence, critics have questioned the results.

As part of the American Academy of Physician Assistants' (AAPA) Leadership Forum, 200 physicians assistants took to Capitol Hill to drum up support among members of Congress for "removal of barriers for PAs" that AAPA believes will help their members "meet the demands of a 21st century health care system."

Physicians need a reliable tool that allows them to monitor treatment compliance and determine if patients are diverting meds or using illicit drugs.

Recent research may potentially lead to the development of the first pharmacological treatment for cocaine addiction.

Omega 3 fatty acids have long been hailed as good for the heart, but can they also be good for the brain?

Heavy users of marijuana saw a significant decrease in their cravings and daily use after just a few sessions of running on a treadmill.

Johns Hopkins is opening a multidisciplinary clinic to deal with what they believe is the start of a troubling trend of chronic constipation in children.

A drug used to treat alcohol dependence becomes available for opioid addiction.

Synergy Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced positive results in a Phase IIa clinical trial of plecanatide in patients with chronic constipation.

This podcast reviews the myths and misunderstandings that prevent physicians from prescribing opioids to treat chronic musculoskeletal pain.

The most widespread misunderstanding is of the difference between physical dependence and addiction. Many patients, the public and sadly healthcare professionals fear that anyone taking opioid medications on a long-term basis will become addicted.

The most difficult question I am asked, by patients, is "Why?" Why did I become an addict? Why do I still have cravings? Why do I slip up and use, even thought I know it's wrong and I feel stupid and horrible doing it?

One nice thing about a 'psychodynamic blog' is that it can be about anything, since any issue involving humans will have a psychodynamic aspect. But when looking for a story about psychodynamics it is hard to find more content than a story about a drug addict.

Patients with cancer who experience moderate to severe pain may be prescribed opioids and could become addicted to them; thus, it is important for oncology nurses to understand addiction and how to assess and manage pain in this patient population.

Constipation is a very prevalent problem, affecting up to 20% of the US population.

Treatment with stimulant drugs does not increase the risk that girls with ADHD will begin smoking cigarettes.

A new study published in the September 10 issue of Neuropsychopharmacology suggests that teens are more susceptible to becoming addicted to the pain killer OxyContin than adults.

If the results of a Tufts University rat study hold true for humans, the chances are good that obesity will be treated as an addictive behavior in the future.

When evaluating patients with depression, it is key that physicians expand their thinking and mindset to consider possible diagnoses beyond unipolar depression.