Posts Tagged ‘ Research & Studies ’

American Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting, May 6-8, Baltimore

Journalists are cordially invited to cover proceedings of the 29th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society, May 6-8 at the Baltimore Convention Center.


 

New simulation trains for pain

As computer-simulated technology begins to percolate out of video games and into real life applications, many careers are now turning to the new technology to help with training and education.


 

Risky behavior: Bullying, Rx abuse

The 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey highlights the “in your face” issue of bullying in local high schools.


 

Expand Rx overdose study

The insidious nature of prescription drug abuse is that it can begin in such a benign fashion. A young person suffers an injury or for some other reason experiences chronic pain. He or she reaches out to a health care provider who writes a prescription for a painkiller.


 

Study finds jump in opiate usage

The number of white men arrested for using opiate prescription drugs has increased nearly 20 percent over the last year, according to a study by ASU’s Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety.


 

ASU report reveals rising prescription drug abuse

A recently released survey of Maricopa County jail facilities reveals a striking increase in the use of opiates and prescription painkillers among new inmates.


 

Pain management: Opioid use in chronic noncancer pain

The American Pain Society and the American Academy of Pain Medicine has issued evidence-based guidelines for the management of chronic pain based on an expert review of the literature.


 

Pediatricians say colleagues cautious about treating chronic pain in children

Many pediatricians don’t think it’s their responsibility to treat severe, chronic pain in their patients, according to a new study co-authored by several University of Florida College of Medicine researchers and an investigator from Molloy College.


 

Former doctor may go to prison

The former chief of acute pain at Baystate Medical Center faces up to two years in prison after pleading guilty Monday to falsifying findings in a drug research study.
Dr. Scott S. Reuben, a nationally known pain researcher formerly of Longmeadow, must pay $420,000 in restitution and could be sentenced to 18 to 24 months in prison under a plea agreement with the federal government.


 

Oxycontin Abusers Often Rely on ‘Leftover’ Meds From Friends

Almost all people who illegally use or abuse opioid painkillers such as Oxycontin or Vicodin get the drugs from a friend or relative who had a prescription, a new report shows.
In the study, which involved a 2008 survey of more than 5,300 Utah adults, almost 2 percent of respondents said they had taken an opioid pain medicine not prescribed to them over the past year.
Ninety-seven percent of the time, the drug came from a friend or relative, and in most cases the drug was handed over willingly.


 

44% Say ‘Breakthrough’ Cancer Pain Uncontrolled

Nearly half of patients suffering breakthrough cancer pain — intense bouts of crippling pain — say treatment does not offer adequate relief.
On average, patients rate the pain as 7.4 on a 10-point scale where 10 is the worst pain imaginable. Over half of patients rank the pain as 8, 9, or 10, according to a Harris survey commissioned by the American Pain Foundation.
“We’re not talking about minor aches and pains,” American Pain Foundation CEO Will Rowe says in a news release. “These severe flares of pain often strike without warning, leaving many people fearful of the next crippling episode.”


 

New Research Gives Insight to the Frequency of ‘Doctor Shopping’ Occurring Within Prescription Monitoring Programs

Research presented at the American Academy of Pain Medicine’s 26th Annual Meeting provides early published data analyzing information gathered from California’s prescription monitoring program, known as the Controlled Substances Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES). The analysis found a two-fold increase in the likelihood of individuals receiving opioids from multiple providers or “doctor shopping” when they were also being simultaneously prescribed a single additional class of a controlled substances, such as benzodiazepines or amphetamines. When there was more than one additional drug class involved, there was a 13-fold increase for individuals seeing multiple providers.


 

Stats: Pill popping popular for teens

Good news, teens are using less drugs. Bad news, there is an exception.

State and national statistics say that fewer teens are using most types of drugs. The percentage of Ohio teens who said they have tried smoking cigarettes plunged from 73.1 percent in 1999 to 51.2 in 2007, according to a state survey. Illegal drug use is dwindling or not increasing in most areas.

But, amid the good news is a bit of bad news, to wit, prescription abuse.

While statistics vary depending on the source, state statistics show that high school students are abusing more prescription pills than seven years ago. National statistics show a bump in some age groups, and local authorities said they are seeing the rise regionally, as well.


 

Phosphagenics Reports Positive Transdermal Oxycodone Patch Study Data

Phosphagenics has announced positive results from a phase 1B clinical study using its TPM (Targeted Penetration Matrix) for the transdermal delivery of oxycodone. The trial showed that daily application of a TPM-oxycodone patch delivered therapeutic bloodstream levels of oxycodone in a reproducible, consistent and sustained manner.


 

Opiate painkillers raise fracture risk

Older adults who take powerful prescription painkillers known as opioids face an increased risk of bone fractures, especially at moderately high medication doses, a new study finds.
Opioids are powerful narcotic pain medications that include morphine, oxycodone (Oxycontin and other brands) and hydrocodone (Vicodin and others).
The drugs work well against severe pain in the short term, but their longer-term effectiveness for chronic pain is less clear. Moreover, with longer use comes the risk of addiction, in addition to side effects such as nausea, constipation, dizziness and sedation.


 

Proposal Would Require Ohio Doctors To Consult Rx Monitoring Database

On Thursday, Ohio officials are scheduled to discuss a proposed state law that would require health care professionals to consult an online database before prescribing pain medications, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
The Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association has been working with the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy and state lawmakers to craft the legislation.


 

More and more Americans with Chronic Pain are taking Medically prescribed Opioids

More and more Americans with chronic pain are taking medically prescribed opioids like Oxycontin and Vicodin. In a study published this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the risk of overdose in these patients is examined. The study connects the risk of fatal and non-fatal opioid overdose to prescription use – strongly associated the risk with the prescribed dose of the drug.
Almost 10,000 patients who received multiple opioid prescriptions for back pain and osteoarthritis. Patients who received higher doses were nine times more likely to overdose than were those patients receiving low doses of the drugs. Most of the overdoses happened with patients receiving low to medium doses, because prescriptions at those levels were much more common.


 

Prescribed Opioids: Overdoses Not Uncommon

Overdoses and drug-related deaths are not uncommon among people taking opioid drugs that have been prescribed by a doctor for chronic pain, a new government-funded study finds.
The finding suggests an urgent need to more closely monitor patients who are prescribed drugs like OxyContin, Vicodin, and methadone for long-term use, as well as the need to reassess current prescribing practices, an Obama administration official noted.


 

Overdoses From Prescription Painkillers on the Rise

Overdoses from prescription painkillers are increasing in the United States, a new study shows.
Researchers examined pharmacy files on 9,940 adults who took opioids such as oxycodone and hydrocodone for at least three months between 1997 and 2005. The patients, who were insured and members of the Group Health Cooperative in Washington, were prescribed the drugs for chronic pain due to non-cancer causes, including conditions of the back or neck, headaches, jaw pain, pain in the extremities, arthritis and menstrual pain or injuries.
Fifty-one patients overdosed on the drugs; six of the overdoses were fatal, the researchers found.


 

Prescription Opioid Painkillers Linked to Overdoses in Study

More doctors are prescribing oxycodone, morphine and other opioid painkillers for back pain, arthritis and headache, leading to potentially fatal overdoses, a study said.
Researchers looked at pharmacy files for adults with chronic pain who had been given at least three opioid prescriptions over three months. They found that 51 patients of 9,940 had an overdose, and six died, according to the study published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine.


 

 
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