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.
Millions around the world use acetaminophen every day, but relatively few people are aware of the dangers of overdose.
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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.
Poisons are often not so clearly labeled.
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More than 50 overdoses happen in bathrooms every month in British Columbia. Public bathrooms can be made safer for everyone, including people who use substances.
Australians bought more than 65 million packs of paracetamol pain relief last year. TGA efforts to reduce its potential harms will need to take those who use it to manage pain into consideration.
Only a small amount of fentanyl is enough to be lethal.
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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.
We researched how much difference opioids like codeine, oxycodone or morphine make to osteoarthritis pain. We found they helped about as much as paracetamol. Yet they are far more dangerous.
People around the world mourned loved ones on International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31, 2021.
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Side-effects for this unproven and potentially dangerous treatment range from vomiting and diarrhoea to seizures and a coma.
Naloxone can prevent deaths from opioid overdose, but there is no way to reverse the effects of benzodiazepine overdose without risk.
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward)
Fentanyl adulteration led to the replacement of heroin in the unregulated drug supply of British Columbia. Now that benzodiazepines are present in many opioids, are we headed towards a ‘new normal?’
Advocating for decriminalization carries many benefits, including reducing the need for police involvement.
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Decriminalization is an important step in addressing the overdose crisis, but it is crucial that other approaches — like regulation — are also in place.
Annie Storey holds a cross with a photo of her late son Alex Storey, before a march to mark the five-year anniversary of British Columbia declaring a public health emergency in the overdose crisis, in Vancouver, on April 14, 2021.
CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
New rules attempt to curb opioid-related deaths in Australia. These changes are a step in the right direction – but we need to tread carefully to avoid unintended consequences.
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
There’s widespread attention on the dangers of opioid addiction, but use of damaging crystal meth continues in the U.S., with police seizures rising.
A student cramming for exams. Some college students take stimulants to cram for exams, but studies suggest that has little positive effect.
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Students looking to gain an academic edge by taking stimulants such as Adderall fail to do better on tests and also mess up their sleep. A neuroscientist explains why.