| Article
Findings from a recent study conducted at Kaiser Permanente Department of Research and Evaluation conclude that when physicians reduce opioid dosage levels for their patients who are on high-dose opioid therapy for chronic pain, levels of patient satisfaction with care do not suffer. Lead author...
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A cross-sectional study published in the July edition of Drug and Alcohol Dependence concludes that the application of dispositional mindfulness may mediate the risk for opioid misuse in patients with chronic pain who are on long-term opioid therapy. The practice can attenuate opioid craving and...
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If I ask patients how satisfied they are with their pain treatment, I think there’s an inverse correlation with whether they’re on opioids or not; and the higher the dose of opioids, the less satisfied they are. In general, I don’t think that they’re a great treatment. I think they’re reserved for a...
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Conclusions from new research conducted by a team from University of West Virginia School of Pharmacy and colleagues may help to inform prescribers’ decision making about the engagement of opioid therapy for noncancer pain. In seeking to better understand the risk factors for transitioning to long...
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Is naloxone the silver bullet? Well maybe the silver bullet du jour. I think the biggest challenges with respect to naloxone are the educational hurdles because unlike the EpiPen, naloxone is intended to be administered by someone else not the patient. So that means that the burden of determining an...
| Podcast
Many patients receiving opioids will need to be switched from one to another during therapy or at least from one dosage formulation or route of administration to another. During this session, practitioners learn to recognize clinical situations in which opioid switching would be appropriate...
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The hot topic with respect to practitioner groups is there seems to be a lot of denouncing of the fact that there’s too much opioid use and everyone is looking for ideas to minimize these opioids. But one of the top suggestions that people will consider is maybe nonopioid and nonpharmacologic...
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An analysis to be published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology concludes that patients receiving hemodialysis for kidney failure should limit their use of opioid analgesics for the management of pain, a commonly reported accompanying effect of this treatment. The analysis...
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Researchers at Washington University report that nalfurafine hydrochloride, branded in Japan as Remitch, can provide relief from the intense itching that can be a side effect of opioid therapy. Remitch is approved in Japan for the treatment of itching in patients with severe liver disease and...
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Findings from a recent study conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine adds to evidence reported last month in the Daily Dose on the risks of preoperative opioid therapy for patients undergoing spinal surgery. This multicenter database study of adult patients who...