opioids

U.S. health chief says overdose deaths beginning to level off

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Carla K. Johnson, Associated Press

The number of U.S. drug overdose deaths has begun to level off after years of relentless increases driven by the opioid epidemic, health secretary Alex Azar said Tuesday, cautioning it's too soon to declare victory.

Column: Recent research sheds new light on why nicotine is so addictive

By Nora D. Volkow, Scientific American

Research continues to provide new insights into the reinforcing effects of nicotine, and we now know that nicotine’s insidiousness as a reinforcer goes beyond its ability to promote smoking.

5 important stories that were lost in last week’s news dump

By Joshua Barajas, Harry Zahn, Erica R. Hendry

The lack of pain diagnoses attached to opioid prescriptions, the alarming new numbers on suicide attempts among trans youth, and other stories we're reading this week.

Nearly 30 percent of patients prescribed opioids had no recorded pain diagnoses

By Laura Santhanam

The research team behind a new letter published in the Annals of Internal Medicine did not make a conclusion that these prescriptions were inappropriate.

The Senate could soon pass an opioids package. But a new law is still a long way away

By Lev Facher, STAT

The Senate is likely to pass a comprehensive bill to address the opioid crisis in the coming weeks. But the finish line on that long-discussed priority remains a long way off.

This gene may determine your chronic pain after a traumatic car crash

By Sarah Linnstaedt, The Conversation

A study of more than 1,500 motor vehicle accident survivors reveals that rare variants of a "stress response" gene increase vulnerability to developing chronic pain.

WATCH: Trump asks Sessions to file federal lawsuit against opioid manufacturers

Trump is asking Sessions to look out for opioids coming into the U.S. from China and Mexico, saying those countries are "sending their garbage and killing our people."…

A festering opioid crisis, worn-out families and ‘so much pain to process’

By Jeffrey Brown, Mike Fritz

In “Dopesick,” journalist and author Beth Macy takes readers to the front lines of the opioid epidemic in Roanoke, Virginia, and other nearby communities, telling the story of grieving families, exhausted medical workers and convicted heroin dealers. Jeffrey Brown reports…

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White House launches anti-opioid ad campaign aimed at youth

By Ken Thomas, Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The White House launched a series of new advertisements Thursday aimed at warning young people about the dangers of opioids, taking another step in the effort to turn the tide against the deadly epidemic.

This digital pill wants to make following your prescription easier

By Cat Wise

Most adults say they struggle with remembering to take their prescriptions. A nationwide study is testing a pill with an ingestible sensor that tracks medication adherence from inside the body.