The Pulitzer Prize-winning author is just one of many artists from Appalachia who are probing the crisis in their work, while taking pains to ensure that it doesn’t define the region and its people.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Articles on Opioids
Displaying 21 - 40 of 159 articles
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.
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.
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.
Poppy seeds can become contaminated with opiates during harvesting. For the US Defense Department, invoking a ‘poppy seed defense’ may not be enough to rule out a positive drug test result.
As British Columbia begins a new era in drug policy, the drug poisoning crisis continues without an end in sight.
Supervised consumption sites provide essential community connections and services for those who use them. By closing them, governments are risking the welfare of people who use drugs.
The best treatment for heroin dependence is opioid agonist treatment, where a similar but longer-acting opioid is provided in a regular dose, often with counselling or other support.
Matthew Perry recently revealed that his colon burst as a result of long-term opioid abuse.
Studies suggest that marijuana and CBD use might help relieve chronic pain while also reducing a patient’s need for opioids.
Like clockwork, September crime news is often cast as an ominous sign of what could happen on Halloween.
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.
The Purdue Pharma settlement is paltry compared to costs of the opioid crisis. Without major changes to pharma industry regulation, there is little reason to think a similar crisis won’t occur again.
Different painkillers provide relief in different ways. The most effective medication is the one that best targets the type of pain you’re experiencing with minimal side effects.
Non-opioid directives allow patients to refuse opioids in all health care settings. For surgical procedures that require anesthesia, however, this may do more harm than good.
Measures to curb growing rates of opioid use are also making it difficult for people with long-term, chronic pain to get ongoing prescriptions.
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.
New national standards aim to change doctors’ prescribing habits for hospital patients with pain when they’re discharged home. But clinicians also need to ensure patients’ pain is well managed.
After battling drug manufacturers and distributors in court for years, local and state governments are about to receive a windfall that could expand access to treatments that can save lives.
People are dying from using a toxic drug supply. Safer supply and other approaches that listen to the needs of people who use drugs are critical to saving lives and addressing the opioid crisis.
Top contributors
-
Professor and Deputy Director, Monash Addiction Research Centre, Monash University
-
Professor, University of Sydney
-
Joel Lexchin is a Friend of The Conversation.
Professor Emeritus of Health Policy and Management, York University, Canada
-
Associate Professor of Sociology, Bentley University
-
Honorary Fellow, Department of Health Sciences, University of York
-
Professor, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney
-
Professor of Geography, Penn State
-
Head of Alcohol and other Drug Research, Centre for Population Health; Burnet Principal for Alcohol, other drugs and harm reduction, Burnet Institute
-
Senior Lecturer in Criminology, UNSW Sydney
-
Associate Professor of Population Health, New York University
-
Adjunct Professor at the National Drug Research Institute (Melbourne based), Curtin University
-
Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University
-
Associate Professor, Mental Health and Addiction, Rural Health Research Institute, Charles Sturt University
-
PhD Candidate, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney
-
Emeritus Consultant, St Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst
