Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Tea Rosic, Gillian Kolla, Pamela Leece, Sophie Kitchen, Tara Gomes
Summary: Rates of opioid-related deaths are increasing among youths in Ontario, Canada while the use of opioid agonist treatment (OAT) is declining. Further investigation is needed to understand the reasons behind these trends and to optimize care for youths who use substances.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Ingrid A. Binswanger, Susan M. Shetterly, Stanley Xu, Komal J. Narwaney, David L. McClure, Deborah J. Rinehart, Anh P. Nguyen, Jason M. Glanz
Summary: This study evaluated the association between opioid dose trajectories observed in practice and patient outcomes, finding that decreasing opioid dose was associated with reduced risk of opioid use disorder and continued opioid therapy but increased risk of disenrollment compared with stable dosing.
Review
Neurosciences
Stevie C. Britch, Sharon L. Walsh
Summary: This narrative review provides a brief overview of naloxone, its history and pharmacology, as well as the evidence regarding naloxone efficacy against fentanyl and fentanyl analogs. Current advances in overdose treatments and technologies are highlighted.
PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Substance Abuse
Katarina Jones, Dana Bernson, Katherine T. Fillo, Amy L. Bettano
Summary: This study aims to create a new framework for emergency medical service (EMS) opioid-related incidents (ORIs) to accurately describe the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts. By categorizing the data, the study reveals new trend details and strains on the EMS system. Over half of the ORIs were acute overdose, followed by intoxication, other ORIs, withdrawal, and dead on arrival. The study also found differences in naloxone administration between the categories. Overall, the findings improve dataset linkage and interstate rate comparisons.
Article
Pediatrics
Natalie J. Wilkins, Heather Clayton, Christopher M. Jones, Melissa Brown
Summary: The study found a significant association between youth prescription opioid misuse and suicidal behaviors, particularly with higher risks for suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts among current misusers. Comprehensive prevention approaches are needed to address these public health challenges among youth.
Letter
Medicine, General & Internal
Aryn Z. Phillips, Lori A. Post, Maryann Mason
Summary: This cross-sectional study examines the frequency of alcohol abuse in accidental deaths caused by opioid overdose in Illinois between 2017 and 2020.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Michael L. L. Barnett, Ellen Meara, Terri Lewinson, Brianna Hardy, Deanna Chyn, Moraa Onsando, Haiden A. A. Huskamp, Ateev Mehrotra, Nancy E. E. Morden
Summary: An analysis of Medicare claims data from 2016-2019 revealed that white patients were more likely to receive medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) compared to black and Hispanic patients. Despite an increase in opioid overdose-related mortality among black individuals, racial and ethnic disparities in the use of OUD medications remained consistent and substantial over time.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Bradley Watts, Daniel J. Gottlieb, Natalie B. Riblet, Jiang Gui, Brian Shiner
Summary: Medication treatment for opioid use disorder (MOUD) has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of suicide mortality as well as external causes of mortality and all-cause mortality.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Yu-Jung Jenny Wei, Cheng Chen, Ting-Yuan David Cheng, Siegfried O. Schmidt, Roger B. Fillingim, Almut G. Winterstein
Summary: This study examines the association between incident injury after prescription opioid initiation and the subsequent risk of opioid-related adverse events (ORAEs) among older adults. The findings indicate that injury after starting opioid therapy is associated with an increased risk of ORAEs, especially among patients with injury in the month before starting medication.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Jennifer R. Lyden, Stanley Xu, Komal J. Narwaney, Jason M. Glanz, Ingrid A. Binswanger
Summary: Individuals prescribed long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) are at increased risk of readmission and death after hospital discharge, and the risk of opioid overdose during the immediate post-discharge period is unknown. This study aimed to examine the association between time since hospital discharge and opioid overdose among individuals prescribed LTOT. The results showed that individuals prescribed LTOT appear to be at elevated risk for opioid overdose during the first 7 days after hospital discharge.
JOURNAL OF GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
J. Deanna Wilson, Kaleab Z. Abebe, Kevin Kraemer, Jane Liebschutz, Jessica Merlin, Elizabeth Miller, David Kelley, Julie Donohue
Summary: This study identified two trajectories of opioid prescribing patterns in opioid-naive youths, with high-risk trajectory associated with older age and longer, more potent initial prescriptions. Even short and low-dose opioid prescriptions can be associated with risks of persistent opioid use for youths.
Article
Oncology
Katie Fitzgerald Jones, Dmitry Khodyakov, Robert Arnold, Hailey Bulls, Emily Dao, Jennifer Kapo, Diane Meier, Judith Paice, Jane Liebschutz, Christine Ritchie, Jessica Merlin
Summary: This qualitative study aims to establish consensus among palliative care and addiction specialists on the appropriateness of various opioid management strategies in individuals with advanced cancer-related pain and opioid misuse or OUD. The findings provide urgently needed guidance for clinicians and highlight critical research and policy gaps.
Article
Surgery
Kevin K. Zhang, Kevin M. Blum, Jacqueline J. Chu, Abeba Zewdu, Sarah Janse, Roman Skoracki, Jeffrey E. Janis, Jenny C. Barker
Summary: This study tested the efficacy of a patient-specific opioid prescribing framework for estimating postdischarge opioid consumption and found that it accurately estimates opioid need and risk of persistent use in plastic surgery patients.
PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Molly Hutchinson, Eric Lavigne, Zachary Patterson
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected vulnerable individuals, including those who use opioids. A study found that hospitalizations for opioid use disorder decreased during the pandemic, but hospitalizations related to opioid poisonings significantly increased.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Anesthesiology
Patrick D. Quinn, Zheng Chang, Matthew J. Bair, Martin E. Rickert, Robert D. Gibbons, Kurt Kroenke, Brian M. D'Onofrio
Summary: Efforts to reduce opioid-related harms have led to decreased prescription of opioids, but concerns have been raised regarding unintended consequences for long-term opioid therapy recipients. This study found that recipients of long-term opioid therapy may experience increased substance-related morbidity risk after discontinuation, particularly at higher doses.