The United States remains tightly in the grasp of an ongoing, and escalating, crisis of deaths caused by opioid overdoses. With a record-high 109,000 people dying in 2022, it is…
Tag: Opioids
Myths about will power and moral weakness keep people with opioid use disorder from receiving effective medications like methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone
The most effective science-based treatment for opioid use disorder is medication. Methadone and buprenorphine prevent intense cravings and other symptoms of withdrawal, while naltrexone works by blocking the effects of…
FDA approval of over-the-counter Narcan is an important step in the effort to combat the US opioid crisis
On March 29, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Narcan for over-the-counter sale. Narcan is the 4-milligram nasal spray version of naloxone, a medication that can quickly counteract…
What is xylazine? A medical toxicologist explains how it increases overdose risk, and why Narcan can still save a life
The White House officially designated fentanyl adulterated with xylazine as an emerging threat to the U.S. on Apr. 12, 2023. Earlier, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration issued a warning on…
Increases in opioid overdoses in Pennsylvania varied by county during the COVID-19 pandemic
The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea The COVID-19 pandemic intensified the opioid epidemic, according to our new research, which finds that opioid…
