The past decade has witnessed an alarming increase in the number of deaths due to prescription opioids that has paralleled the rise in the number of opioid prescriptions dispensed. Prescription drug monitoring programs, abuse-deterrent formulations and proper disposal of opioids have been promoted to help combat the opioid epidemic. We discuss changes that dentists, the third most frequent pres...

Opioids have been the mainstay for pain relief and palliation over a long period of time. They are commonly abused by drug addicts and such dependence usually imparts severe physiologic effects on multiple organ systems. The negative impact of opioids on the endocrine system is poorly understood and often underestimated. We describe a patient who developed severe suppression of the hypothalamic...

Opioids are a mainstay of treatment for pain worldwide. Pruritus, common side effect opioids, is patient dissatisfier that limits their use in many clinical settings. Both parenteral and neuraxial administration opioids frequently evoke pruritus. The ability to suppress while causing itch continues perplex clinicians researchers alike. Several mechanisms have been proposed explain how can give ...

Background: Seventy percent of the yearly 1.8 million emergency contacts to Danish hospitals arrives from patients in pain. Pain management is an essential and challenging part medicine ineffective analgesia for attending department (ED) common can lead complications, extended hospital stays course illness. Opioid-tolerant are increasing challenge requiring different acute pain management, ie. ...

OBJECTIVES To examine the relationship between nonmedical use of prescription opioids and heroin initiation from childhood to young adulthood, and to test whether certain ages, racial/ethnic, and income groups were at higher risk for this transition. STUDY DESIGN Among a nationally representative sample of US adolescents assessed in the 2004-2011 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health cross-...

BACKGROUND The morbidity and mortality burden of the US opioid epidemic falls heavily on reproductive-age women. Information on the patterns of and sources for non-medical use of prescription opioids among reproductive age women, including pregnant women, will inform public health and prevention efforts to mitigate the effects of the opioid epidemic. This study characterized non-medical use of ...

OBJECTIVE To provide family physicians with a practical clinical summary of opioid prescribing for specific populations based on recommendations from the Canadian Guideline for Safe and Effective Use of Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain. QUALITY OF EVIDENCE Researchers for the guideline conducted a systematic review of the literature, focusing on reviews of the effectiveness and safety of o...

Opioids are the cornerstone of pain treatment in burn patients. Undertreatment of pain has been associated with psychological sequela. However, prescription opioids have been increasingly associated with adverse drug effects. Safe opioid prescribing practices have been established in other populations. The purpose of this study was to explore postdischarge prescribing practices in a regional bu...

Critically ill patients often experience pain from an underlying illness or injury, a recent surgical other invasive procedure, various interventions in the intensive care unit (ICU), e.g., endotracheal intubation, vascular access devices, nasogastric tubes, urinary catheters, mechanical ventilation, and routine nursing care, such as repositioning. Opioids remain mainstay medication for control...

Opioids are powerful analgesics when used to treat acute pain and some forms of chronic pain. A large body of literature has shown that opioids can, in addition, also prevent (this review) or induce and perhaps reverse, some forms central sensitisation in in vitro and in vivo animal models of pain. However, the concept of central sensitisation is, at present, ambiguous and the usefulness of opi...