Opioid analgesics

We need a more rational approach to opioid prescribing

The rates of opioid misuse and related deaths may be lower in the UK than in the United States, but healthcare professionals should remain vigilant when caring for patients with chronic pain.…

A critical look at those responsible for the opioid epidemic in the United States

Dopesick: Dealers, doctors, and the drug company that addicted America by Beth Macy.…

Pharmacy staff should be aware of drug misusers’ methods of extracting opioids from OTC products

Misuse of codeine can cause serious harm. There are restrictions around use of the medicine, but people still find ways to misuse it and pharmacists should be aware of their methods. Here, we report a case of a patient extracting codeine from over-the-counter (OTC) products to highlight the role pha…

How pharmacists can reduce deaths from opioid misuse

The Pharmacist’s Guide to Opioid Use Disorders, edited by Merrill Norton.…

Opioid overdose deaths ‘rising sharply’ in England and Wales, OECD says

Deaths from opioid overdose are “rising sharply” in England and Wales as part of a continuing global crisis, according to an analysis by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.…

Prescribers struggle with opening discussions on lowering opioid use, survey finds

Many prescribers are concerned about starting discussions with patients on lowering their use of opioids, a medicines optimisation research team from the School of Pharmacy at the University of East Anglia has found.…

Pharmacists dispensing naloxone without prescription can cut opioid deaths, US study shows

Pharmacists who have legal permission to dispense opioid antidote naloxone without a prescription could cut fatal overdoses, study results suggest.…

Long-lasting buprenorphine implant recommended by EMA committee

A long-lasting implant has been recommended for marketing authorisation as a substitution treatment for opioid dependence by the European Medicines Agency’s human medicines committee.…

All opioid medicines to contain clear warnings about addiction, health secretary announces

All opioid medicines will need to carry prominent warnings about the risk of addiction, health and social care secretary, Matt Hancock, has announced.…

Impact of opioid prescribing following arthroplasty on long-term opioid prescribing in the community

Adequate relief of acute postsurgical pain is a metric of patient satisfaction [1] . Patients undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty — in which joints are altered or replaced — at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead, receive strong opioids in the immediate postoperat…