Treating Addiction With an App

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From MIT Technology Review: A new app, Triggr, is using smartphone data to track the behavior of people struggling with substance use and addiction, with...

FBI Raids Lab That Pays Doctors to Promote Genetic Tests

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From STAT: Federal investigators recently searched Proove Biosciences, a genetic testing company that purports to determine an individual's likelihood of becoming addicted to opioids. Proove's genetic...

Research Finds Ketamine Does Not Reduce Delirium or Pain After Surgery

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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.

Are Pharmaceutical Companies to Blame for the Opioid Epidemic?

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From The Atlantic: As opioid abuse rises, some attorneys general and advocates are filing lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies for misleading doctors and the public about...

NEJM Special Report on Addressing the Opioid Crisis

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From National Institutes of Health: NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins and NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow have co-authored a special report on a new public-private...

Ohio Attorney General Sues Prescription Opioid Manufacturers

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Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has filed a lawsuit against five leading prescription opioid manufacturers and their related companies in Ross County Court of Common...

Opioid Conflict-of-Interest Reveals Big Pharma’s Ties to Doctors

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From CBC News: A McMaster University committee has been assigned to develop new opioid-prescribing guidelines for Canada's doctors. While the rules explicitly prohibited anyone with ties...

FDA Proposes That Doctors Learn About Acupuncture

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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...

Stop Chasing the Drug, Focus on ACEs

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From ACEs Connection: According to Dr. Daniel Sumrok, director of the Center for Addiction Sciences at the University of Tennessee, addiction is a normal response to...

The Link Between Opioids and Unemployment

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From The Atlantic: A recent study found that increases in unemployment rates are associated with increased opioid overdoses and emergency room visits. Article →­

Pharma CEO Says he can Stop Profiting off Opioid Epidemic

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From The Onion: "Visibly trembling as he wiped beads of perspiration from his forehead, Arcelis Pharmaceuticals CEO Paul Corrier told reporters Wednesday that he could...

Trump’s Pick to Oversee Big Pharma has Ties to Opioid Industry

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From The Intercept: Newly released documents show that Dr. Scott Gottlieb, President Trump's nominee to lead the FDA, has received almost $45,000 in speaking fees...

TV Documentary Funded by Doctor with Industry Ties

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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...

The Long History of Discrimination in Pain Medicine

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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"...

Individuals With Low Incomes More Likely to Have Chronic Pain

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Findings show that participants with lower levels of education and SES suffer from more chronic pain.

Importance of Physical Symptoms in Mental Health Evals

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Researchers at Harvard Medical School highlight the need for mental health clinicians to explore the meaning of physical symptoms and pain

Taking Placebos Knowingly Helps in the Reduction of Chronic Back Pain

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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.

CDC Advises Nonopioid Treatments for Chronic Pain

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Primary care clinicians and mental health providers face a particular set of challenges when treating individuals with chronic pain. These problems are compounded by...

The FDA’s Latest Black Box Warning: Don’t Mix Opioids, Benzos

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration yesterday mandated updated labels for nearly 400 opioids and benzodiazepines, following a review of scientific evidence and a citizen...

“Judge Orders Release of Secret OxyContin Records Sought by STAT”

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A Kentucky judge has ruled that Purdue Pharma will have to release secret documents about the marketing of OxyContin, a potent pain pill that...

“‘You Want a Description of Hell?’ OxyContin’s 12-Hour Problem”

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A new LA Times investigation finds that Purdue Pharma’s claims that OxyContin, a chemical cousin of heroin, could relieve pain for twelve hours led some...

“Prince Died Amid Frantic Plans for Drug Addiction Treatment”

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Prince was found dead one day before he was scheduled to meet with Dr. Howard Kornfeld, a national authority on opioid addiction treatment. Within...

Intensive Care Patients at High Risk for PTSD, Psychiatric Symptoms

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People who survive life-threatening illnesses in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital are at high risk for depression and anxiety and nearly...

“FDA to Require Much Stronger Warnings on Opioid Painkillers”

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NBC News reports that the FDA is taking action in an attempt to make opioid drugs, cousins to opium and heroin, a last-ditch option...

British Medical Association Takes On Prescription Drug Dependence

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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,...