Long-acting injectable buprenorphine is also known by the brand names Buvidal or Sublocade.
A registered nurse treats Dominic Rodriguez for a skin injury related to xylazine use in Philadelphia in May 2023. Treatment vans are allowed in the city, but not supervised injection sites.
Matt Rourke/AP Photo
A group of academics look at the global evidence to examine the potential impact of supervised injection sites in Philadelphia and the US.
Opioid neurotransmitters are located in many areas of the body, including the brain, spine and gut.
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Unlike opioid drugs like morphine and fentanyl that travel throughout the body, the opioids your body produces are released in small quantities to specific locations.
The use of naloxone administered by nasal spray can be a lifesaving drug with minimal side effects.
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The Food and Drug Administration’s approval of Narcan will make the lifesaving drug more widely available, especially to those who might be likely to witness or respond to opioid overdoses.
Although xylazine is not an opioid, naloxone can reverse the effects of the fentanyl and heroin it is often mixed with.
AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
Xylazine, or tranq, is increasingly being mixed with drugs like fentanyl or heroin and can be difficult to detect. Most people who use drugs are unable to tell if they have been exposed to it.
Pills are one of the more common ways of ingesting opioids.
AP Photo/Keith Srakocic
Pennsylvania has long had one of the highest death rates from drug overdose in the US. But new studies suggest counties throughout the state have different rates of opioid deaths.
The cannabis plant produces both THC – the psychoactive component in marijuana – and the compound commonly known as CBD, which does not lead to a ‘high.’
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Drugs can interact with one another in ways that are harmful. A study finds that taking oxycodone with certain SSRIs can make an opioid overdose more likely.
Fentanyl’s wide availability in the drug supply has led to an increase in unintentional overdoses. While prevention strategies are available, limited availability stymies their use.
A part of the brain called the lateral parabrachial nucleus regulates pain, anxiety and breathing.
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Sung Han, University of California, San Diego et Shijia Liu, University of California, San Diego
Opioids can cause death by slowing breathing to dangerously low levels, or stopping it altogether. Examining one area of the brain may eventually lead to safer painkillers.
Suicide is on the rise for multiple reasons.
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The U.S. suicide rate has been increasing for decades. According to a sociologist who studies suicide, depression is just one factor among many implicated social conditions.
Many LGBTQ+ people at risk for overdose are left out of harm reduction efforts.
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The overdose crisis — coupled with a lack of accessible harm reduction services — represents a growing concern for young queer and trans men who use drugs.
On average, more than 130 Americans die from an opioid overdose every day.
AP Photo/Keith Srakocic
Pharmacists are well positioned to provide communities with a lifesaving drug.
Naloxone, available as a nasal spray called Narcan or in injectable form, resuscitates 100% of people who overdose if administered quickly.
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Opioid overdoses killed 47,000 Americans in 2017 — more than gun violence. Many fewer would have died if they’d been treated with the life-saving drug naloxone, also called Narcan.
A employee holds pre-rolled joints at Buddha Barn Craft Cannabis in Vancouver, Oct. 2, 2018.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Cannabis legalization in Canada is a public health strategy. Let’s harness this opportunity to understand how cannabis could fit into a multi-faceted opioid prevention and response strategy.
When should you ask your doctor for opioids?
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A scholar explains why there is no one answer. Some pain is devastating, and sometimes such pain responds well to opioids. On the other hand, there is evidence that some physicians overprescribe.
As North America’s opioid crisis worsens, schools across Canada are purchasing naloxone anti-overdose kits. Research suggests that risks of opioid addiction could also be addressed through attention to children’s nutrition.
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High fructose corn syrup in food and drinks has long been linked to rising rates of child and teen obesity. New evidence suggests it increases the risks of opioid addiction and overdose too.
Assistant Professor Department of Health Services Policy and Management; Adjunct Professor Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Outcomes Sciences; Principal Investigator William Jennings Bryan Dorn Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of South Carolina