| Video
Naloxone received FDA approval for the treatment of opioid overdose in 1971. Only recently has its use at the community level become more commonplace. Dr. Zacharoff looks at naloxone's role in improving the safety and efficacy of opioid analgesics, and in arresting the surge in unintended opioid...
| Video
With opioids in the penalty box, and no new molecule on the horizon, what is "plan B" for primary care in the treatment of chronic pain? Dr. Stacey offers perspective, as a pain practitioner.
| Article
Findings from a new study conclude that patients on long-term opioid therapy for noncancer pain and who also suffer from depression were more successful at stopping opioid use if they also adhere to a course of antidepressant medication. These patients, in turn, experienced a greater improvement in...
| Video
Providers who do not understand medical necessity for drug testing, controlled medication prescribing, and substance abuse treatment are at risk as payers increasingly scrutinize these areas. Attorney Jennifer Bolen outlines some "pearls and pitfalls" for clinicians. Watch for important tools you...
| Video
In this discussion, senior faculty members Heit and Gourlay reflect on some of the challenges resulting from the recent "decade of pain". Both the overuse of opioids and the solutions that have been proposed in response have led to changes in how we diagnose and treat this patient population...
| Video
Too often, prescribers are the last to learn of an overdose event and worse, fail to take action once notified. Attorney Bolen outlines policies and protocols that practitioners can implement to proactively signal their intent to get things right when they go wrong.
| Article
The risk for opioid dependency among opioid-naïve cancer patients who took the medication following lung surgery, is highlighted in new research presented earlier this week at the annual meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Lead author Alexander Brescia, MD, commented, “Surgeons are at the...
| Article
Findings from a recently completed study have returned encouraging results for a new noninvasive technology for the treatment of pain from trigeminal neuralgia (TN), often described by sufferers as the worst imaginable. The study concluded that stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) delivered via...
| Article
I think this is a fine kettle of fish we find ourselves in with this opioid controversy. It’s easy to decry the use of opioids if you don’t have Plan B. So I think we’re seeing this in practice all the time, aren’t we?
When we talk about the multimodal therapy, the important thing is I think we...
| Article
Results of a study conducted by researchers from Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, suggest that a new patient education brochure is effective in forestalling diversion of opioid medications. The patient education material outlines safe medication...