PAINWeek Presenter Dr. Argoff on the Burden of OIC

Opioids are powerful analgesics, but unfortunately that pain relief may come with side-effects that place a heavy burden on patients. Patients may experience diminished quality of life due to opioid-induced constipation, leading to depression/anxiety, embarrassment, increased cost of healthcare...

Treating Acute and Chronic Pain in Young Athletes

In a guide for team physicians working with young athletes—10 to 18 years old—it is recommended that practitioners look at all factors involved before potentially prescribing opioids to this age group. This Special Communications: Team Physician and Consensus Statement appears in the journal Medicin...

Acute Pain in Patients With Active Substance Use Disorder

Opioid use and addiction have soared in the United States over the past 20 years, and drug overdoses have become the leading cause of injury death.

Persons with opioid use disorder (OUD), particularly those injecting opioids, frequently require hospitalization and encounter need of acute opioid...

A Potential Biofluid Alternative for Drug Testing

A poster abstract (LB008) presented at the American Academy of Pain Medicine 36th Annual Meeting acknowledges the potential of sweat as a biofluid alternative for drug testing. The abstract states that, although used extensively, “sampling of urine is inconvenient, tamper prone, and results are...

American Medical Association: Combating Rising Numbers of Overdoses

The American Medical Association just released a new OPIOID TASK FORCE 2020 PROGRESS REPORT in the hopes of reducing drug overdoses and deaths. Although prescription opioid overdose deaths have decreased, illicit drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine have risen. Last year, fentanyl...

Safely Prescribing Opioids, and Naloxone

“Even during this global pandemic, we have continued to prioritize addressing the opioid crisis,” says Stephen M. Hahn, MD, the FDA’s Commissioner, referring to the FDA’s new labeling requirement. This labeling—on opioid pain medication and opioid use disorder medication—must include the...

A Study of Opioids for Hip and/or Knee Osteoarthritis

According to the CDC, osteoarthritis (OA) affects over 32.5 million US adults. Patients with this chronic pain condition are often prescribed opioids, but with what efficacy? A recent study of patients with knee and/or hip OA examined the differences between strong and weak or intermediate opioids...

Early Physical Therapy Shows Improvement for Lower Back Pain

From the Mental Health Clinician journal.

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic lower back pain is a leading cause of disability in US adults. Opioid use continues to be controversial despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on chronic pain management to use nonpharmacologic...

The Importance of Pain/Addiction Treatment Education

From the AAPM 36th Annual Meeting Scientific Poster Abstracts: 205. Coauthored by Senior PAINWeek Faculty Dr. Kevin Zacharoff.

Many physicians report inadequate training in the areas of pain assessment, treatment, and aberrant drug-related behaviors. This presentation will describe the...

Pediatric Pain Management and Codeine

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice; establishment of a public docket; request for comments.

SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or the Agency) is announcing the establishment of a docket to solicit public comment on specific questions pertaining to the use of...