British Medical Association Takes On Prescription Drug Dependence
Last year the British Medical Association (BMA) released a report on dependence and withdrawal from prescription drugs including benzodiazepines, z-drugs, opioids, and antidepressants. Now,...
The Poison We Pick
In this piece for New York Magazine, Andrew Sullivan traces the history of the use of opiates in the U.S. and explores the social, economic,...
Despite âFlurry of Interest,â Ketamine Remains Unproven For Depression
In 2014, then National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) director, Thomas Insel, speculated that ketamine âmight be the most important breakthrough in antidepressant treatment in decades.â A recent review of the research suggests that while ketamine may produce a rapid short-term improvement in depression, the effect is short-lived and the potential for addiction and dependence warrants considerable caution.
FDA Proposes That Doctors Learn About Acupuncture
From STAT: The FDA is now recommending that physicians learn about a variety of approaches to pain management, including non-pharmacologic therapies such as chiropractic care...
TV Documentary Funded by Doctor with Industry Ties
From STAT: A new documentary, "The Painful Truth," chronicles the plight of several patients struggling to find treatment for their chronic pain, suggesting that physicians...
Researchers Find Bias in Industry-Funded Continuing Medical Education
Industry-funded continuing medical education (CME) influences physicians to prescribe more opioids, focus less on the consequences.
Study Finds Long-Term Opioid Use Increases Depression Risk
A study published this week in the Annals of Family Medicine reveals that opioid painkillers, when used long-term, can lead to the onset of depression. The researchers found that the link was independent of the contribution of pain to depression.
â4 in 10 Know Someone Addicted to Prescription Pain Killerâ
A new poll, published in the Washington Post, explores the publicâs connection to prescription pain killer abuse. âA surprising 56 percent of the public say...
Many Physicians Don’t Understand Key Facts about Prescription Opioid Addictions
A Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health survey of 1000 US primary care physicians found that many do not understand basic medical facts about the addictive nature of the opioids they are prescribing.
Powerful Opioid Suspected in 10-year-old Miami Boy’s Death
From STAT: A 10-year-old boy from Miami recently died from a fentanyl overdose, becoming one of the youngest victims of the opioid crisis.
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âWest Virginia Allows Painkiller Addicts to Sue Prescribing Doctorsâ
âCBS News went to West Virginia, a state that is attempting a drastic solution: allowing addicts to sue the doctors who got them hooked.â
Research Finds Ketamine Does Not Reduce Delirium or Pain After Surgery
Contrary to widely-held belief, a new rigorous trial finds that ketamine is ineffective for delirium and pain associated with surgery, and the drug carries harmful side effects.
CBT and Educational Intervention Reduce Chronic Pain, Study Finds
Research examines the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on experiences of chronic pain among low-income patients.
Half of Opioid Prescriptions Go to People With Mood Disorders
From STAT: A recent study found that 51 percent of all opioid prescriptions in the U.S. are written for people diagnosed with anxiety, depression and other...
The Real Opioid Emergency
From The New York Times: In recent years, politicians have shown increased awareness of the opioid epidemic and have made statements about the need for treatment,...
Opioids May Cause Depression and Worsen Chronic Pain
âConverging lines of evidence now suggest that depressionâa common comorbidity in the setting of chronic painâmay in some patients represent an unrecognized yet potentially reversible harm of opioid therapy.â
An Overlooked Factor in the Opioid Crisis
From It's Not Just an Opioid Crisis: The media are saturated with coverage of the familial and community devastation that has resulted from the opioid...
The Long History of Discrimination in Pain Medicine
From The Atlantic: Throughout history, doctors have often stigmatized and discounted patients suffering from pain without visible injury. The rise of X-rays and other "objective"...
In Opioid Battle, Cherokee Want Their Day in Tribal Court
From The New York Times: The opioid epidemic is wreaking havoc on Cherokee families and putting Cherokee children at risk. Now, the Cherokee Nation has...
âOpioids and Benzos Not a Good Combination, Health Directors Sayâ
âHealth Commissioner Leana Wen will join other health directors across the country today in asking the federal government to require a âblack box warningâ...
Xanax Nation
In this blog post, Andy White highlights the role Xanax plays in silencing political dissent and keeping the public complacent. Instead of expressing anger...
Taking Placebos Knowingly Helps in the Reduction of Chronic Back Pain
A new study finds that individuals being treated with open-label placebos showed significant reductions in pain and disability, even when compared to individuals receiving treatment as usual.
The Inaugural “Shkreli Awards!”
This piece for the Lown Institute lists 10 of the most egregious examples of profit-mongering and lack of empathy in healthcare in 2017. These examples include...
ââYou Want a Description of Hell?â OxyContinâs 12-Hour Problemâ
A new LA Times investigation finds that Purdue Pharmaâs claims that OxyContin, a chemical cousin of heroin, could relieve pain for twelve hours led some...
Why Isn’t Big Pharma Paying for the Harm it Caused?
From Alternet: The pharmaceutical industry has played a major role in causing the opioid crisis by downplaying the potentially addictive and fatal effects of narcotic pain...
